...xt time! Oh we're already here! Let's get started!

Previously, on Paragons of Virtue and Glory…

Aizawa and the staff accept a proposal by teams RWBY and MOAT, though Aizawa reveals he is aware of Blake Belladonna's past. Between this and criticism from Goodwitch, Aizawa now wants to change some things, and confront secrets that he thinks his students are keeping from him…

Training doesn't initially go smoothly for RWBY, as everyone tries to settle the emotions and concerns within them. But after listening to All Might, and confiding with each other more, they once again find their rhythm.

Now, it is the night of the stake out, and the White Fang have shown up, but lead by Roman Torchwick! Determined to get answers, Blake makes the risky choice to actively reveal herself and confront the criminal. This however leads to a reunion she never wanted, as Adam Taurus, acting as extra security for the Dust raids, enters the fray. Blake buys time for the young Heroes of teams MJKK and MOAT, as well as her own team to get into place before acting.

It's Torchwick, Taurus and the White Fang vs RWBY, MOAT, Sun Wukong, Eraser Head, and MJKK. But is there any other surprises waiting in the wings…

"PLAY"

Beacon Academy, 00:10AM

Bakugo stood staring at the city from the landing pads. It would be at least another hour and a half before he and his team would be deployed for their shift, but he couldn't wait in the dorms. He could feel it in his gut. 'Something's going to go down, and knowing Deku's luck, it'll happen on his shift.' The night air was chill, but he ignored the cold. Like hell he'd shiver in front of everyone.

Wyndglade wasn't far away, talking with the Bullhead pilots who would fly them in. Whitewater and Gravell were also around. Ready, but also, somehow relaxed. Now he knew that they were in a relationship, Bakugo found he could actually spot little things. How they spoke with each other, and how, every once in a while, they would quickly hold each others hands.

Lovey-dovey stuff in general made him want to shout at them to go get a private room. Public displays of affection always tended to irritate him. His Mom and Dad weren't too bad, though there were the odd occasions, where he was happy to get clear of the 'Old Hag' and 'Stupid Old Man.' Stuff like that generally led to showing some kind of weakness, and he wasn't about to do anything like that. However, he held his emotions in check, and focused on the coming fight.

Besides, he had nothing against same-sex couples, and the two Huntsmen were keeping quiet and not bothering anybody. Honestly, his parents could take notes on how not to embarrass him.

"Bakugo!" Kirishima called as he walked up to him, also ignoring the air temperature despite having most of his upper torso on display. "You want something to drink? Sato and Iida made up some hot coco for us to take with."

"I'm fine Shitty hair," Bakugo said, his focus never wavering. His eyes did narrow as a thought occurred to him. "What about RSTR? Are they ready? They better not screw this up with their bickering." Kirishima rubbed the back of his head as he looked back. Ashido and Sero were hanging out with Todoroki's team, the boy himself making a little fire in his palm to help the others stay warm. And beyond them was RSTR, a second year team that packed a punch, but seemed to have some internal issues between them.

"...Right now, they're not arguing. So that's good." Kirishima said turning back. He took a few steps forward so he could stand by his friend's side. "What do think, man? Will we be called in early?" Bakugo turned his head to look at Kirishima, his scowl set to neutral.

"If Deku and the others get all the action I'm going to be pissed." That almost made Kirishima laugh. Bakugo was always competing with Midoriya. The explosive hero-in-training looked back out to Vale once more. "When you went on that raid with the Pros on the yakuza… was the waiting this frustrating?"

Kirishima's face turned serious as he also looked out towards the city, his mind recalling the operation that for him and his classmates, had only been a few months ago.

"Honestly? Yeah… and we had a schedule too. Working alongside the police and other Pros. I was all hyped up and ready, and trying to keep it cool so I didn't screw anything up. The waiting was definitely hard, for all of us." He put a hand on Bakugo's shoulder, and was happy to see Bakugo not immediately shrug him off. "Let's just hope that when we get called in, our friends are all okay."

Docks, Vale, 00:10AM

Izuku was fighting his nerves, and also his innate desire to geek-the-freak out! This was hardly the time to gush about Tokoyami's new ultimate move; Dark Fallen Angel!

Thanks to Uraraka's Quirk, and with additional thrust from Apollo, Tokoyami and Dark Shadow were carrying the entire team through the air at speed. Oobleck had insisted the group go on without him, and given his speed, Izuku was sure that he would catch up on foot soon enough anyway. Izuku, however, focused on getting more details on the evolving situation. "Deku to Eraser Head! We're almost there, what's the situation?" he spoke into his ear bud, even as the streets of Vale flashed by beneath him.

"Belle has taken Torchwick hostage." Tokoyami stole a glance at Izuku who clung to Dark Shadow's back, alongside Uraraka who paused in using her support gear to add to their speed, even as the Docks appeared below them. "This could turn badly quickly, so everyone be ready. MOAT, I have instructions for you."

"Uravity, Froppy, you have your new Hunter gear. I need you to sneak down and disable the engines of the airships." Asui, who used her ability to cling to surfaces to hang to the underside of Tokoyami, gave a 'ribbit' of affirmation, while Uraraka turned her head and gave Izuku a nod and thumbs up.

"Tsukuyomi, I see the airships from here, can you circle above them long enough for Uravity and Froppy to detach and make their way down?"

"Of course,"

"Got it!" As they began to get lower, Asui whipped out her tongue, and Uraraka grabbed it. They both leapt from Tokoyami, Asui using her tongue to reel Uraraka in towards her, and then, using Apollo's gravity dust, gently lowered themselves. Feeling gravity return to himself, Izuku did what he could not to inconvenience his friend now he actually had extra weight to carry.

"Tsukuyomi, Deku, I need you both to get into a position high above Belle's. When the signal is given, we'll simultaneously remove their ability to fall back, whilst striking from above."

"What's Belle's situation right now, and what if the enemy is aware?" Izuku asked, making silent pointing gestures to an ideal spot for Tokoyami to circle without necessarily being seen.

"She's…" began Aizawa, only for Blake Belladonna's voice to be heard clearly echoing out across the docks.

"Brothers and sisters of the White Fang! Why are you working with this human scum?" Izuku flinched. No one, not even the teachers, had told the rest of the teams Blake's connection to the White Fang, or that she was a Faunus. And now that was just out there for MJKK to see and hear.

"Um… What?" Was Jiro's reply.

"Wait… is Bella… Belle a Faunus? Did anybody else know about this?!" Kaminari sounded almost hysterical.

"Don't lose focus. MOAT and the rest of RWBY found out recently, as did myself. We can go into details later."

"Say the word, Eraser, and I can back my partner up in a heartbeat." Yang. No doubt she would be itching to get in as soon as possible. She also likely said that so that Blake could hear her.

"Ditto for West-King!" And that was Sun. So far, from what Izuku could tell, the lone Faunus from Vacuo had actually followed Aizawa's instructions. Maybe he actually listened to what the teachers told him.

"The other airships have arrived," Tokoyami noted, keeping just above them, and thankful for his own dark plumage and costume making him and consequently Izuku harder to see against the night sky. They might only be noticeable, if someone were to look up, and catch a large winged shape momentarily obscuring the stars. "Dark Shadow, stay above them so that their lights don't hurt you."

"Don't have to tell me twice, Fumi!" Izuku however frowned as he observed the airships. One was staying airborne, it's VTOL gear allowing it hover as it planted a spotlight on Blake and Torchwick. The others were now landing.

"The one hovering is going to be a problem. We don't know if they fitted weapons to them, but so long as it's airborne it could give us trouble. Tsukuyomi," Izuku managed to catch the eye on his friend's left side. "Drop me on top of the storage containers. I can leap down from there on Erasure's signal. I'm trusting you to board and neutralise that one."

Tokoyami set his face forward with grim determination. "Very well, I shall see it done." A quick pass, and Izuku leapt from the Jet Black Hero, and did a roll to soften his landing, though he still winced when his holstered night-sticks made a soft clang against the metal. Thankfully, despite the number of Faunus with heightened hearing, they were all too absorbed with…

'Oh no…' Izuku's eye's widened as he beheld a red headed Faunus with small horns on his head. It may have been a trait related to a bull for all he knew. But he was approaching Blake, talking to her, and from what he was overhearing, this could only be the person she had only referred to before as her mentor.

Only the longer he went on, it sounded far more twisted. He sounded like an abusive ex-lover, with also an edge of Stain's zealotry. It set Izuku's teeth on edge.

"Eraser…!" Yang's frustration was telling even while keeping her voice low.

"Wait for the signal. Gem, keep your eye on their leader. Froppy, are we ready on your end?"

"Ribbit, I can only disable four at once, but we're as ready as we can be."

"Good." Izuku to had fight every instinct in his body as he saw Adam pull Blake's hair, holding his sword like an executioner. There was a quick whisper of the radio, that he realised was not meant for him to hear, "trust me, Belladonna."

'That's right. He may be scary at times, but Mr Aizawa has always done everything he can to protect us. I have to have faith in him, and in Belladonna!' Izuku took a quiet breath, right before Blake's voice came over for all to hear.

"The biggest mistake I ever made was believing the lie that you stood for justice, Adam. I will never stop fighting for our people, but I won't do it your way. You're just a murderer using our cause to justify you taking out your grievances on anyone you believe wronged you, whether that's true or not!"

"Well said Belle." You could almost hear the proud smile in Aizawa's voice. But as Izuku watched Adam took it poorly. He was preparing to cut off her Faunus ears!

"ERASER! WE HAVE TO GO NOW!"

"Everyone, I have a shot. Give us the word Blake"

There was a moments pause, before Blake spoke clearly for all to hear. "Plus Ultra."

BANG! Ruby's sniper shot struck Adam in the arm, though he managed to retain his grip on his weapon. He did release Blake though, which was good enough for Izuku.

Now, he let his power surge through. His body lighting up, as he leapt, and as he did so, everyone else was moving too. Yang, Sun, a shadow that could have been Aizawa, and Kaminari. And there were explosions now, small loud pops that disabled the engines, releasing smoke from the landed aircraft. And above, he knew Tokoyami and Dark Shadow will have engaged the airborne Bullhead.

Izuku landed, planting himself between Adam Taurus and Blake. He drew Dagobah, and settled into a fighters stance, before declaring loudly; " I won't let you hurt Blake anymore! We, Heroes and Hunters together, are here to stop you!"

Adam Taurus seethed a moment before developing a murderous grin, pointing his sword at Izuku. "You want to play hero, boy? I'll cut you down!"

[Cue Opening – Save the Day]

Episode 10: Dockside Battle

Sunday Afternoon, prior to the Stake Out Operation.

"There's something that I think needs to be brought up," Blake said, as everyone, all of 1-A, and the Beacon teams attached to this mission (minus RSTR who were getting a private talking too from Professor Goodwitch) took a moment to rest up after training, and their final briefing from the Pros. "Specifically about 1-A." That got a number of curious looks.

They were all sitting outside on the grass, except for Sun and Tokoyami, both of whom rested in a nearby tree. Tokoyami had found a comfortable spot in the bough and branches to lean back and relax, enjoying the light shade from the sun, while Sun hung from a branch by his tail.

"Oh? What would that be, Blake?" Yaoyorozu asked, on behalf of her class. Blake looked back at her as she answered.

"It's your 'Ultimate Moves.' There's a key difference between those, and the team moves we employ." She caught sight of Midoriya pulling out a notebook (was he ever willingly without one?). Beside her Yang swallowed a bite of her sandwich and nodded sagely, clicking her fingers.

"Yeah, I know exactly what you're talking about Blake. There's a big difference between us calling out a team move which is a quick, and easy to remember name that automatically lets everyone on the team know what role they need to perform in order to make the move work, and just calling out a super move like you guys like to do." She looked around and found Bakugo who was looking at them confused and irritated. "When I sparred with Bakugo in Goodwitch's class, he caught me with some moves, but when he went to use them again, his calling them out, even when in the process of doing them, gave me, like, a second, at most, to adapt. It was partly why I was able to push back as well as I did at the end there." Bakugo's face turned from irritable confusion to honest surprise and reflection, as he considered that point.

Jaune coughed into his fist, getting everyone's attention. "Not that there's anything wrong with having ultimate moves, because they are all pretty damn awesome." Nora bounced up out of her seat, and started shadow boxing.

"Oh Yeah! Makes me want to come up with some myself! Whack-A-Mole Marathon! Pink Cyclone!" Ren smiled as he looked at the group whilst his partner continued to list off names she came up with.

"She has been saving these up, since we got back from the Hospital." The mood lightened at that, but Ren continued to speak. "I do have to agree. While having special moves is unquestionably useful, the problem comes from your tendency to yell them out."

"Yes," Pyrrha mused, "looking back on it, if Momo had yelled out the names of her special moves, it would have given me time, even if it was just a second, to react and counter." That, for those who hadn't let the point sink in, resonated. Glances were passed around, as everyone considered their fighting style and how often they would yell out their attacks. Aoyama seemed to be having a quiet existential crisis at the idea of reducing the amount of standing out when being a Hero.

"In short," Ruby stood up, "if we're going into battle at all today, only say your ultimate moves out loud if you want to co-ordinate better with others, or temporarily confuse our opponents. But otherwise, might be a good idea to only yell it in your heads." Ruby smiled to see Midoriya writing the point down in his notebook. Meanwhile Iida mused on the conversation before slowly nodding.

"Yes, I can see the wisdom in this. Thinking about it, it would make sense to do so back home as well, though I imagine that if we were to talk to Mr Aizawa, or All Might, they might well provide an explanation as to the current status quo." He adjusted his glasses, before being surprised to feel a gloved hand on his forehead.

"Guys, is Iida okay?" Nora asked, as she checked Iida's temperature, coming round to the front to look deeply into his eyes, and even forcing his mouth open. "Say 'Aahh' for Nurse Nora!" Iida pushed her off.

"Valkyrie! While I appreciate you checking on my well being, there is no need for you do a personal examination here! I'm quite well, I assure you!"

"Then why aren't you doing your karate chops? You always do karate chops when you talk!" Nora pointed out, a raised eyebrow challenging Iida to correct her. This got a fresh range of laughter from the group as Iida protested and explained how important hand gestures were in non-verbal communication.

Meanwhile, Midoriya reflected on the point. 'Keep quiet. Don't yell out special moves, as it could give the enemy a chance to counter…'

Docks, The Present

Tsukuyomi, Froppy & Uravity

The airborne Bullhead's pilots looked about in confusion, though to their credit, kept their spotlight on the spot where The White Fang, and the Heroes and Hunters were coming together in conflict. They didn't expect a sudden visitor, literally flying in through the open hatch, knocking the two in the back unconscious swiftly with blade and shadow claws.

The pilots suddenly had, seemingly, two individuals come up behind them, and while a sword was put to the throat of one, a black clawed hand menacingly grasped the shoulder of the other. "I would like to make it clear, that Dark Shadow is stronger at night, though it becomes more of an effort on my part to keep him from going on a rampage," Tokoyami calmly stated, holding Midnight Raptor quite still. "And the adrenaline rush of battle, also fuels the beast's lust for combat. It would be best for everyone involved if you land by the other Bullheads, and surrender before further violence becomes regretfully necessary." Beside him, Dark Shadow growled, fuelling the intimidation he was counting on to make the pilots co-operate with this bluff. Having to evacuate all the persons onboard before the airship crashed, was a situation Tokoyami would rather avoid.

Thankfully, the pilots nodded emphatically, and began moving the Bullhead to a safe spot to put down.

Down below, the rainy season Hero; Froppy, looked up after securing another pair of pilots with Uravity, the combo of 'Gunhead Martial Arts' and her own agile fighting style, quickly immobilising the surprised men and women, before being effectively disarmed, with cable ties wrapped around their feet and wrists bound behind their backs. "Uravity, we still need to reach the big airship they brought with them."

The brunette nodded, keeping Sputnik in hand. Thankfully she hadn't needed to do much with it other than smack their enemies over the head with the flat of the axe blade, or strike with the pommel in the stomach, before they were flipped over and thrown to the ground. And as for Asui, her new gauntlets 'Red Dart' had been used to lay sticky dust explosives at key areas on the aircraft's VTOL engines. Looking like Yang's Ember Celica, though with an indigo paint job, and a large red arrow on each, made to look like the pattern seen on Poison Arrow Frogs, they had stealthily sabotaged four airships. That was the only amount that they could do in one sitting, since the sticky bombs detonated either on heavy contact, or if Asui reloaded.

Aizawa had talked with Mulberry, and the Professor had agreed that Asui had progressed enough to be trusted with this kind of Dust ammunition in the field, for this mission. And it was more than proving it's worth.

Now they only had one more airship to disable, as it became clear that Tokoyami had the airborne Bullhead well in hand. The last one looked about the size of the Air-Bus they used to go between Vale and Beacon. Like the rest of the aircraft, it had the White Fang symbol stencilled on it's hull; a red wolf head growling, against a backdrop of claw marks. It wasn't entirely clear why the White Fang had brought such a vehicle, though Uraraka thought it could be extra manpower. Whether it was to help speed up the process of attaching the containers holding the Dust with cables to the Bullheads for them to just heft away, or having a reserve force to lead a counter attack against a situation like right now. Possibly, it could be both. Regardless, it needed to be disabled, if only to make it harder for the criminals to escape after tonight.

As they moved they could hear the sounds of battle echo across the night-scape, as well as the voices of their friends message each other over the radio.

"Snow to whoever is available. Can anyone switch with me in looking after the guard? In terms of co-ordination I'm better placed fighting alongside my team. You'll need my Semblance."

"This is Dr Oobleck. Tell me your location, and I can take over for you, I'm about twenty seconds out."

Neither Asui or Uraraka could focus on that right now. They reached the large Airship, Asui's hopping and Uraraka's Apollo, getting them quickly to the roof. "Let's disable the engines on one side, that will be enough to keep it grounded," Uraraka said, eyeing where they would have to do that. Asui began to nod, only for the hairs on the back of her neck to stand up on end.

"Ochaco!" Before the brunette understood what was happening, Asui had tongue grabbed her and moved away at speed, as a new figure emerged, lunging with a bladed… parasol? The figure gracefully turned and took up a pose, opening up the parasol, and resting it on her shoulder as she smiled at the pair of young heroes.

[Prof. Port: "Introducing… Neopolitan. She acts as Roman Torchwick's right hand, and most trusted associate."

"Weapon: Hush"

"Semblance: Overactive Imagination – She can make solid life-like illusions that shatter like glass if struck hard enough, but can confuse her opponents with frightening ease. Curiously though, she has not yet been able to make them talk."]

"Thanks Tsu," Uraraka said, getting Sputnik ready, as the Villain before waited on them to make the first move, their smile, falsely sweet, and mocking. "Guess this is the person who took down the guard."

"Guess so. Ribbit." Asui said, "I don't think she's an opponent to fight by yourself. We're lucky that I picked up a good knack for Aura sensing, or I wouldn't have caught you in time."

"We can't let her slow us, down, the others are counting on us!" Uraraka said, shifting Sputnik into it's SMG form. "I can stall her. Trust me, Tsu." There was a moment of hesitation from the amphibian Quirked hero, before nodding.

"Go!" And with that Uraraka rushed forward, before using Apollo to take her high, and removing her gravity as she did so. Neo watched her, with almost bored disinterest at such an obvious move, and as Uraraka first used gravity Dust to halt her progress, and allow her to hover. Aiming down Sputnik's sights, she pulled the trigger, though Neo already had Hush out as a shield, her Aura around the weapon easily absorbing the impacts of the… lasers? Neo frowned, looking up at Uraraka who smirked.

"Yeah, I'm not at a point where I'm allowed standard Dust ammunition in the field. I realised late though I forgot to remove this training feature from Sputnik before coming out. Figured though it'd be good enough to make you blink!" Neo's eyebrows shot up, as Asui's tongue lashed out from seeming thin-air, knocking her off her feet, making her fall backwards. Neo kept hold of her weapon despite the surprise. She pouted in Asui's direction, while the formerly camouflaged Froppy, made a fist pump with her right arm, and the wing and thruster array behind her detonated with a series of sharp pops.

Neo's pout turned to a scowl, before disappearing before their eyes. It almost seemed like she had fled, only for her to reappear seconds later, metres away, near the pilots cockpit. Her parasol closed, she tapped the roof twice, and a pair of hatches opened up, and White Fang soldiers began to pull themselves up.

"Uravity to all teams. Encountered unknown assailant, possibly the one who took out the guard. Has either an invisibility, or illusion based, semblance, and is highly skilled. And we have White Fang from within the airship assaulting our position. Could use reinforcement!" Uraraka used the combustion Dust of Apollo, whilst angling herself just right to jet straight towards the first Faunus soldier. He pulled out a machete, and blocked a swing from Sputnik, back in axe mode. Uraraka wasn't fazed. She grinned determinately, removing his gravity with a quick grab on his wrist. Suddenly having his gravity removed, completely wrong footed the man, and Uraraka pulled off a Zero-G suplex, and knocking him out. One the other side, Asui was bouncing between Faunus troops, knocking a few off the side entirely, but was forced to back off from a duo who were clearly used to fighting as a pair.

Only for a gunshot to ring out and one went down, his aura saving his life from the head-shot, but still rendered unable to fight. "Got your backs, Froppy! Uravity!" Ruby's voice was a welcome thing for the 1-A girls, as was the next voice to sound out over the radio.

"This is Tsukuyomi. Hold tight, I am on my way to you."

Eraser Head

Torchwick was a priority target. The notorious criminal had managed to outrun and escape Vale's police force, and even get away from Glynda Goodwitch. Shota was determined to secure the Villain quickly before assisting Midoriya, Belladonna, and the others against this Adam character.

The White Fang had brought with them, less than twenty five people from their Bullheads, though the larger ship likely had more. Honestly, he felt pretty confident that outside of a few individuals, this wouldn't be as bad as the USJ incident. His capture cloth shot out and wrapped around three surprised fighters before they even knew what was happening, and with practised ease, he had them collide in mid-air, their heads striking together hard enough to knock them out.

Sniper fire from Ruby put Torchwick on the back-foot, though impressively, the crook was dodging and blocking her shots well, though with noticeable effort. 'First priority; remove his weapon.' He sent his scarf out once more, quickly untangled from his previous targets. However, Torchwick actually caught it with his free hand. He looked at Shota, even as he held tight to the capture weapon.

"Well, well, well! I suppose you're one of the Pro Heroes who came to Vale. Got to say, you could've done better than dress like a...HEY!" Shota didn't give him a chance to keep talking, as he pulled hard and actually got the man off balance. Torchwick removed himself from the scarf, Shota drew his knife, and two fell into a rhythm as they battled, all while listening to his students, and Team RWBY talk over the radio.

'Have to admit, it's frustrating knowing that my Quirk isn't any good here. And Torchwick is a better fighter than I figured. It would certainly explain, in part, how he's managed to keep out of the authorities reach.' Even as he slashed and parried against Torchwick, he kept aware of what was happening around him.

To his right; Midoriya and Blake were tag teaming Adam, whilst also defending each other from being ganged up on by other White Fang. Sun was certainly helping keep the pressure off, but it looked like there were reinforcements coming from the Airship.

To Shota's left; Yang was suddenly facing a trio of skilled fighters, after previously bulldozing her way, in an effort to get to Blake. He could see Kaminari using his Quirk, and even Jiro, having abandoned her spot, moving in to help. Weiss on the radio, said she was on her way.

And all the while, Ruby was sniping in support, right now focusing on helping Uraraka, and Asui as they had their own battle on top of the airship. Hopefully between the sniper support and Tokoyami, they would be okay.

Torchwick tried to bring his weapon to bear in order to shoot at Shota, but he knocked it high, "You're irritatingly tenacious, aren't you?" the villain sneered, though it was also with some exasperation. Just as Shota had to acknowledge his skills, the crook was quickly finding that he couldn't underestimate Aizawa either. For his part, Eraser Head, managed to get a solid punch in on the man's face, making him stumble. Before he could recover, a swarm of bats suddenly descended, swirling around various fights and distracting the White Fang members.

'Koda. Good job.' Shota smiled with pride, knowing that his student was making the best of his Quirk to help out, whilst staying clear of the combat himself.

"Tentacole to everyone. Please do not attack the bats and owls. Anima has recruited them to help us out, so please do not hurt them." And there was Shoji, being a calm anchor in amongst the chaos, and also helping spot for Ruby.

As Torchwick held onto his hat, defending it as one owl swooped down and nearly knocked it off, Shota once more used his capture weapon, and wrapped the crook up tight, binding his arms, before tossing him bodily to the ground. Shota rushed to his prone and dazed form, and kicked the cane away. "That's enough out of you," he firmly stated, which earned him a scowl from the criminal, but he didn't care. With how fast things were moving, he needed to secure Roman fast, and then get back to supporting the students.

The question was… which one needed him the most? Midoriya, Blake and Sun were only just holding their own against the sword wielding leader and additional fighters. Yang and Jiro were busy defending a downed, and dazed Kaminari, from one White Fang warrior, who seemed empowered through the use of their Semblance.

A shot went over his head, and he ducked and rolled. As he quickly reorientated himself, he silently cursed. The White Fang trio he had knocked down before, had recovered faster than he expected. 'They may not be much more skilled than the punks that followed Shigaraki, when the League made it's debut, but they're recovering quicker. I'll need to hit them that much harder to keep them down!'

"Gem, I need sniper support on my position quickly, Torchwick's down, but not secure."

"Hear you loud and clear Eraser! Targets acquired!"

Yang

The first five fools were easy fodder for her fists. But these three… working together with more coordination and with better skills and gear compared to the rest, that was enough to tell Yang that she was fighting far more experienced warriors. And frustratingly, they were successfully keeping her back from getting to Blake's side. Thankfully, she was glad to see both Deku and Sun there.

She had overheard what Adam had said to Blake, and it made her blood boil. Her partner had called him a mentor, someone she had looked up to as a hero. What Yang heard from his mouth, carried an undercurrent of something far more toxic and manipulative. The guy had to be five years older than Blake, and she had run away from home at...what? Thirteen? Twelve? Did he take advantage of her?! Her eyes flashed red at the thought.

She ducked a chainsaw that roared for her neck, and decked the goon in the gut, before having to quickly block and parry another attack from a woman who specialised in kick combat. One leg was clearly prosthetic, but rather than a lifelike replica, she had a weaponised lower limb from just below the knee. It had both a blade, and gun mode. Yang had a small flashback to the girls that acted as enforcers to Junior.

The final member of the trio, and easily the biggest at 6ft, and with ripped sleeves and bulging bare arms, wielded twin small hammers, charged in. Yang back flipped out of harms way, and tried to tap into her normal confidence to help her through this. "So then, what's your deal?" Yang bantered in an effort to find her opportunity to actually counter attack. One on one, she could take these guys no problem, but their team work was definitely making it harder for her.

The woman, possibly an antelope Faunus, judging by the horns on her head, tilted her head to the side, while still on guard. "Our deal?" She asked, even as her partners lined up on either side of her. Yang smirked. One hooked, now to see if she could reel them in.

"Yeah, well I've fought underlings before, and while it isn't, like, an absolute rule or anything, they always seem to have some kind of gimmick or natural order. Like, if I had to guess, off the top of my head, you're the smart pretty one…" Cue flirtatious wink that normally had boys her age and younger, suddenly blush and fluster, and lo and behold! There was actually a blush on her opponent's cheeks, though she tried to hide it. "The chainsaw dude has some kind of weird, freaky stuff going on." Cue aggressive chainsaw revving. "And 'Hammers' there," Yang pointed, "he's the big, tough, stupid one!"

'Hammers' hissed, his voice sounding reptilian, and an equally reptilian tongue slipped out from behind his teeth. "You're going to regret that Huntress, when I smash your skull to paste."

"You're right, sorry!" Yang mock apologised. "You're clearly not tough. My bad." It took precisely three seconds for Hammers to realise what Yang had said, and implied. He roared and charged Yang only for a disc to hit him in the chest. He looked at it in confusion before a yellow bolt of electricity shot him and had him yell and twitch on his feet.

"Sorry, I'm late!" Kaminari called out, the electricity sparking from a pointed finger towards his target. "By the way, love the fight banter! Four star rating in my book!" Yang couldn't help the grin on her face, as she gave him a thumbs up.

"Get them!" yelled the woman, before she and the other dropped to their knees. Waves of sound pulsed over them, making the chainsaw drop to the ground. Yang looked to her right, and saw Jiro, using the amps that were locked on her wrists, now with her Jacks inserted, and lifted to deliver a painful surround sound experience.

"Way to go Jiro!" Kaminari praised even as he continued to pour his Quirk's power into Hammers. Jiro turned her head slightly to look at him, a smirk on her face. She opened her mouth to say something, only for Yang to push her to the side in a hurry. A thrown hammer struck Yang hard enough to knock her bodily off her feet and dent the nearest container.

She had only just seen it coming, and her body moved before she had much of a chance to really think. As she sucked in a pained breath, Yang looked up from her spot on the ground to see Hammers grinning, even as he twitched. "Paaaainnn!" He hissed through bloody teeth. "Pain… gives me… POWER!" And with that he lifted his remaining hammer and smashed it into the ground. Kaminari had to stop his shocking, and dive away, as a great furrow in the concrete, three feet wide, pulsed right where had been standing only a second before. Debris began to rain down, fragments of solid ground reduced to gravel.

"Holy shit! Are you kidding me?!" Kaminari looked completely shook and scared, only to turn and see something that had him tense up further. Yang heard the sound of the chainsaw again, and she turned her head, even as she brought herself up on her elbows, that the weapon was once again in the hands of it's owner, and he had recovered enough to launch himself at Jiro!

The rocker went to bring up her Amps again, but it wasn't clear if she would be in time to make it! Thankfully, a whip wrapped around the chainsaw, jamming the teeth as it pulled taught. The Fang warrior looked round to see Kaminari holding his latest weapon, Volt Lash. He still looked nervous, but he was also not backing down. "Hope you got a good grip there, pal!" And with the flick of switch, he sent a surge of electric current through his whip, and consequently through both the chainsaw, and the Faunus.

Yang was impressed, but she also saw the danger Kaminari had put himself in. "Chargebolt! Move!" He looked at her confused, even as Hammers caught him with the back swing of his left arm. And Kaminari was flung head first into the same container, Yang had hit!

"Kaminari!" Jiro exclaimed in shock and concern, before cutting loose once more with her Amps. 'Lumberjack' was on his last legs, and 'Blush' was still reeling from the previous attack. Both were in no fit state to continue fighting. Hammers however, looked ready to charge once again.

"Snow!" Yang called out through the radio, as she got back to her feet, "Let me know when you get here! Gonna need a Freezer-burn, right away!"

"I'm ten seconds away!" Weiss swiftly replied. Yang quickly shot forward, in order to cut off Hammer's next attack. As she punched and shot, keeping him back, she thought back to what Aizawa had said after she had fought Bakugo.

"Take fights more seriously. Tough as you are, you're not indestructible."

'Maybe this guy is like me' She thought as she dodged a trio of swings before delivering a quick series of jabs, followed by a hook and a cross. 'I absorb kinetic energy through impacts, but he said that pain was his power. Even if he can turn it into strength, he still has a limit to what he can take. And if that's the case…' She blocked a heavy swing with her forearms, Ember Celica absorbing and deflecting the hit, though she was still sent skidding backwards, back towards, Jiro and Kaminari. Thankfully, the blonde was moving, though it was clear he was still hurt and out of it.

Hammers was still grinning, though his breathing was also ragged. He stepped forward, only for his foot to freeze! He looked down, to find it was encased in ice up to his knee, and the ground around him was also frozen.

"Apologies for taking so long." Weiss said quickly moving into position by Yang, while Hammers smashed the ice with his… well, hammer. Yang gave her a small nod.

"That's fine. I got a plan. Jacks!" Jiro, who had moved to check on Kaminari, looked up. "Can you stall him for a second or two?" Jiro looked at Hammers, and with gritted teeth, pulled off her back the guitar case she'd been carrying.

"Oh, I have a song just for him, Yang," she said as revealed her Hunter support gear; 'Hayashi's Score.' An electric guitar coloured purple and black. Even as 'Hammers' charged again, she had already pulled out a pick, plugged in her jacks, and activated the hard-light Dust strings.

'New Ultimate move… Polaris!' She started strumming, and a combination of her Quirk and Air Dust rippled out in a way her sound attacks had never been able to do before. She was effectively creating sound bullets, a torrent of which, slammed into Hammers and made him stumble, putting up his free arm over his head to protect himself!

"Freezer-burn!" Yang called and Weiss once more froze the ground before them. Yang leapt up, and then rocketed back down with a shot of Burn dust. The heated impact created a sudden smokescreen of mist around Hammers, and themselves.

"Cowards!" he roared, "Face me, Human Scum!"

"Oh I intend to." Yang replied loud enough for him to hear, activating her Semblance, whilst also putting on Kaminari's glasses. She had heard him explain during the waiting period, that his Pointer-Shooter's discs could be tracked within a certain distance, and Hammers hadn't bothered to remove the one stuck to his body. That meant that Hammers would have trouble seeing her, but with the borrowed gear, she could find him.

With a double shot of her gauntlets she rushed in and began to pound him, over and over, whilst trusting her instincts and reflexes to dodge his counter swings. 'You… are just like how I was when I started. Thinking that with your Semblance, you can just power right through anything. But just like me, you're wrong!' His Aura began to flicker, and his own body language, even in the mist, betrayed a sudden worry in him.

"Just like I said, big guy!" Yang said, as she caught his next hammer swing with her left hand, before destroying the weapon with her right! "You're not that tough." And with that she delivered an uppercut strong enough to break his Aura, and he finally passed out, falling backwards to the ground.

She turned off her Semblance, saving her Aura, even as she turned back and ran to the others. Kaminari was still on the ground, and there was a minor head wound he was bleeding from. Jiro and Weiss were both tending to him. "How's Chargebolt?" Yang asked, aware that there was still fighting going on, the sound of Ruby's Crescent Rose, and shouts echoed around them.

"His Aura thankfully took the brunt of the impact, but he likely has a concussion, and maybe a fractured wrist." Weiss quickly summarised. Jiro meanwhile was softy scolding Kaminari.

"You're an idiot, you know that?"

"Do you... have to be so loud?"

"I'm talking normally, Jamming-Yayy."

"… Oh. Well, at least you weren't hurt." Jiro gasped, as Kaminari obliviously began to ramble. "I mean I saw... the chainsaw guy going for you, and I just went with the whip, cause I didn't think I could stop him fast enough with the shooter… I'm actually surprised that worked, given the amount of times I screwed up in training… I'm glad you weren't hurt. Did I say that already? Also that...move of yours was… pretty damn awesome. You're pretty…"

"OKAY, Kaminari is effectively KO here!" Jiro was blushing furiously, whilst talking over him. "I'll call this in, and extract with him. You two get back into the fight!" Weiss and Yang shared a look, and both agreed.

"Look after him," Weiss said, as she stood up and turned. She had a small smile trying to break past the corners of her mouth.

"We'll check up on you both when this is over." Yang grinned, giving a cheeky wink and tossing Kaminari's shades over to Jiro, before following her team-mate. 'Now, l can back up Blake.'

Jiro watching the pair run off, silently thanked them, but also knew that Yang would likely be teasing her about this later. And if she mentioned this to Ashido…

'Mina must never know what Kaminari was blabbering about. I mean he's concussed, so he's not thinking straight, so he could say any kind of nonsense. Too easy to take out of context. Yep. Too easy.' She looked down at the boy, who was looking back at her with dopey eyes. 'Okay cut it out, Jamming-Yayy. You already had your cool moment. Don't you go all cute and dumb on me now!' Fighting down her blush, Jiro called in their situation.

Blake, Deku, Sun

"We have to disarm him!" Blake said, as she used Gambol Shroud to pull Izuku back out of Adam's reach. She could see that he had, some experience with fighting somebody with a weapon. And it had already helped keep him alive in the early moments of the fight. But he was quickly forced onto the defensive, using his night-sticks to block Adam's slashes, and while he had tried to counter with a quick series of kicks, Adam had expertly deflected each with Wilt. And Blake realised what he was going to do. Pulling Midoriya back from one particularly vicious swing on Adam's part, was necessary for a number of reasons.

"What do you mean by that, Blake?" Midoriya asked, keeping his eyes forward and his guard up, even as green sparks danced across his body. He understood she wasn't just talking about a basic, common sense, strategy.

"His Semblance is like Yang's, only focused through his sword," Blake switched to firing quick bursts at Adam who blocked, but did not advance. "If he charges up enough, your Aura won't protect you." Midoriya nodded, even as he noticed the people coming to back up Taurus.

[Prof. Port: "Adam Taurus"

"Weapon; Wilt & Blush"

"Semblance: Moonslice. By stocking up the energy of others attacks in his blade, he can release a powerful attack that can cut through even Aura. It should not be underestimated."

"Sun!" Midoriya called out behind him, as the blonde troublemaker finished knocking out the last of the White Fang who had initially been surrounding Blake. "Switch with me! You and Blake have more experience with weapon wielders, and I have the speed to counter the reinforcements!"

"Sounds like a plan!" Sun said... before promptly taking a meditation sitting position, and held his hands in front of him. Izuku was confused for a moment why it looked like he was doing some kind of 'Naruto' style pose, when he got an answer; two golden yellow avatars of Sun, even mimicking his staff, appeared on on the real Sun's left and right.

'I get it! It must be hard for him to move, and control those avatars at the same time, but if I can focus on keeping him safe, Blake will still be supported whilst facing Adam, and I can deal with the others! It's an awesome power!' And with that, Izuku grinned, and jumped high over Adam. The Fang fighters heading their way, around ten of them, saw him and began to fire their guns. Izuku kept Dagobah close to his body, using his Aura as Lie Ren had taught him, to cover the weapons as well, in order to better protect himself

"St Louis… Smash!" He couldn't help himself, announcing his attack, but the momentary confusion from at least half of his opponents, certainly helped. Whilst still in the air, he powered up his right leg to twenty percent, and kicked the air, in the way Iida had taught him. The resulting wind pressure, actually took the Faunus terrorists by surprise, and all but two fell backwards. When he landed, Izuku returned back to 8 percent, and began to engage them all in melee combat.

Behind him, Blake, and the Sun clones, duelled with Adam, and were keeping him in check. But they hadn't disarmed him, and all the while, he hadn't lost that sinister grin.

"So… are you her new lover, boy?" The only trace of annoyance, was a brief twitch on the real Sun's face, but he didn't rise to the bait. "I warn you now, she's going to break your heart, just like she broke mine."

Blake had switched to dual wielding her swords, and had swung both at her former mentor, who quickly sheathed his weapon, before blocking both sword and cleaver. "The only thing I broke, was the hold you had over me when we first met." Blake responded, even as a clone moved to use the gun-chuck function of Sun's weapon.

Adam continued to smile, before using the rifle aspect of 'Blush' to help draw Wilt. This happened so fast, that neither Sun nor Blake could do anything to stop the destruction of the clone, though it's twin, did take advantage long enough to sweep Adam's legs.

Adam rolled away, before using a back spring to right himself, and then with a series of slashes, targeted the second clone, that was now forced on the defensive. Blake, looked for an opening, but it looked as if Adam hadn't lost any of his touch since she'd left. She noticed there was still a tremble in her hands as she gripped Gambol Shroud, and tried to stop it.

"Tentacole to everyone. Please do not attack the bats and owls. Anima has recruited them to help us out, so please do not hurt them." That gave Blake pause, and distracted her for a second, but she soon understood what was going on, as suddenly Adam had three or four bats and a spotted owl, flapping, biting, scratching and pecking at his face. Behind him, she could see something similar happening to the reinforcements that Deku was tackling.

And to be fair, the boy was definitely keeping his word, flashing back and forth between opponents, with punches kicks, and precision strikes with his night-sticks. Blake took a breath, and the trembling she had been experiencing, dwindled. 'I'm not alone in this,' she reminded herself.

Sun's cloned vanished, and she looked over to her newest ally, as he stood back up. "Sorry, had to let it go. Takes a lot of Aura to keep Via Sun, active."

"It's fine," she said, "look for an opening, and then we'll strike."

Sun smiled cheekily as he deployed his staff. "Was already planning on it." Before Blake could respond, there was a pained screech, and she turned back to see Adam, literally hacking apart the flying creatures that had bought them time.

'Oh no…' she thought, '...Koda!' She put a finger to her ear-bud. "Anima, call back your animal friends! Adam's tearing through them, don't risk them anymore!"

"...Tentacole here! Anima is calling them back, but he's understandably more than shaken by that!" Shoji filled in, whilst in the background, Blake was sure she could hear Koda's panic stricken voice call back the creatures he had asked for help. She focused on Adam and rushed him, a swell of anger in her heart at this newest butchery. Sun was right behind her, equally incensed. Even if it made tactical sense, the way Adam had just carved them down to get them clear, showcased a particular brand of cruelty and malice.

Her first attack, actually put a gash on his right cheek, and Sun's staff caught him on the chin and knocked him back a foot. He recovered quickly, his counter strikes creating sparks as he deflected their weapons, whilst going for wounding strikes on both.

"Belle! West-King! Get back now!" Deku's voice, speaking hurriedly and low. Blake used her Semblance to avoid a sword thrust, and Sun rolled away. Adam was about to pursue them, when he stumbled, and cried out. Blake saw Midoriya, his weapons sheathed, and his opponents groaning on the ground, holding the wrist of his right hand, while he flicked, air bullets of force at Adam with his fingers!

Adam took two more hits, before catching the third with Wilt. He was snarling now. "You really think you're a hero, boy? Somebody should have taught you… the only people who are heroes, are the ones who die in their stories!"

And then he sheathed Wilt again. Blake felt her hair and cat ears stand up on end. She knew what was coming. 'No…! He's going to use Moonslice!' She started running, unsure whether she was going to attack Adam, or try and grab Midoriya to get him clear.

"Die!" Adam declared as he sprinted forward, his hand on his sword hilt, ready to draw in Iaido style. For Blake, it felt like time slowed as she rushed forward. She could see Izuku drawing his left night-stick, in order to protect himself, even as his Quirk's power surged through his body. Gambol shroud flew past him, the ribbon trailing back to Blake, dimly aware she had hurled it, and was using it to get ahead of Adam. Then time sped up, and suddenly there was a crash of splintering metal, pain, and blurring images of green, black, grey and red.

Ruby, Tentacole, Anima

Shoji had multiple eyes and ears, but at least one mouth to talk to Ruby and Koda, and one free hand to touch his ear-bud. It was an odd sight for the Huntress-in-training, but Ruby liked Shoji. He was actually amongst the nicest people she'd met. And she couldn't argue about his ability to stay calm during the action. And he was being super-duper helpful in locating targets, and keeping a watch on the wider battlefield, whilst she focused down the scope she had added to Crescent Rose, just for operating in this way.

"Reloading," she said, as she quickly ejected the empty mag, and replaced it. She'd been focusing on the White Fang trying to overwhelm Ochaco, and Tsu, but now Aizawa was asking for assistance. She focused on the three criminals he had previously tied up and thrown around with his scarf.

'How does he do that?' She couldn't help thinking even as she shot the weapon out of one person's hands, before quickly shooting one in the chest, and the other in the leg. Their Aura held, but a gunshot never felt good. Signal had drilled that into freshman students early, as a way of making sure everyone knew how to use Aura to protect themselves. In any case, Aizawa whipped out spare lengths of his scarf and pulled the three towards him, where he delivered a physical beat-down. 'No, seriously, how does he do that, with the scarf? How does he get it to hover around his head, loose and ready to go? Does he have another support item for that, or is it a weird by product of his Quirk? Definitely going to have to ask Izuku later, when everything is said and done.'

"Anima, call back your animal friends! Adam's tearing through them, don't risk them anymore!" Blake's voice made her pause on the search for her next target, before scanning to the right and seeing…

"...He's killing them...?" Koda spoke up behind her, and judging by his voice, he was horrified! "NO! Come back friends! You have done your part! Leave now, so you don't get hurt!"

"...Tentacole here!" Shoji responded on the radio, while Ruby tried to get a bead on Adam, gritting her teeth as she did so. "Anima is calling them back, but he's understandably more than shaken by that!"

"Can't get a good shot…" Ruby hissed in frustration, "...Sun and Blake are in the way, I'd run the risk of hitting them!" She then turned her head a little to look at Shoji, or at least the mouth close to her. Behind her, duplicated arms stretched out to try and comfort Koda, even as Shoji held his position. "Shoji, what's the situation elsewhere?"

"Eraser looks like he is securing Torchwick and the other White Fang. Tokoyami is supporting Uraraka and Asui, and Yang and Weiss are almost at Blake's…" Shoji paused, and Ruby quickly drew her attention back to her scope, and she gasped.

"Deku… Blake! NO!"

The Past, Vale General Hospital

"Would you mind explaining your powers? Please, if it's not too much to ask?" Izuku bowed before the eight trainee Hunters, his leg already greatly improved from the other day, after getting Aura.

RWBY and JNPR looked at him with a mixture of expressions. Some were confused (Ruby and Jaune) some were sceptical (Weiss and Blake) some were smiling politely (Pyrrha and Ren) and the rest looked a little amused and curious. "That's a big ask, Green Bean," Yang said, and Nora nodded her agreement. "Why do you want to know?"

"Well, you see…" Izuku rubbed the back of his neck, and his eyes were still on the floor even as she stood back up, "before my Quirk came in, I always had a fascination with Quirks and Heroes, that always got me some teasing for being a fanboy. Quirk Analysis is still very much a hobby of mine, and while I know your powers, aren't, Quirks, I still think they're pretty cool. So I was hoping I could find out more."

"Oh," Yang said with a teasing grin, "so you're like Rubes. Only she's a geek for weapons rather than powers."

"Yang!" Ruby petulantly whined, but her older sister ignored her.

"Well, you did get to see us in action back in Forever Fall, but understand, that we can't tell you everything. On the off chance we get a chance to spar, and if that happens, we would like to keep some details private. Unless of course," she pointed at Izuku, "you also want to tell us a bit more about your power?"

Jaune held his hands out and waved them back and forth. "You don't need to do that, Midoriya. If that puts you on the spot and makes you uncomfortable, we understand. Plus," Jaune settled a bit, as he looked down, "you already know I haven't yet figured out my own Semblance."

"Oh, sure," Izuku nodded, "and I didn't mean to impose, or make anyone uncomfortable. What Yang said, makes total sense. I just think you're all pretty cool. Even you, Arc." Jaune blushed, and looked away.

"Aw shucks! Um… Thanks! You're… a pretty cool guy yourself, Midoriya." Pyrrha was quite amused as Jaune got flustered at the compliment, but she also gave an appreciative look to Izuku as well.

"I'll tell you mine!" Nora said, "High Voltage! I absorb electricity which then makes my muscles stronger. I jump higher, move faster, and hit HARDER!"

"That's so useful!" Izuku exclaimed, looking excitedly at Nora, "There's so many ways you can use that in the field! No wonder you latched onto Kaminari, if the two of you were a Hero team-up, you'd compliment each other really well!" As he started to mumble, Nora looked back and gave Ren a wink.

"Thunder-Thighs!" She dramatically stage whispered. Ren could only shake his head in amusement, before walking over to Izuku and putting a hand on the boy's shoulder. The colour seemed to drain away from him, and the mutter storm ceased. He looked at Ren in wonder.

"My Semblance, is called Tranquillity. It helps me enforce a sense of calm on myself and anyone I'm touching. This subsequently makes me, and those affected, invisible to the Grimm."

"Wow…" Izuku breathed. Ren removed his hand, and colour returned to Izuku's body. "That's amazing, Ren…" Ruby giggled, which caught Izuku's attention. She suddenly got shy and awkward, but pressed on.

"Well, mine is pretty obvious. I'm pretty quick, as you saw…"

"Actually I have some questions about your Semblance, Rose."

"Huh?"

"Well it's largely about the Petals that get left behind; are they just a by-product, or do you think there's more to your Semblance? Could you fully transform yourself? I mean some Quirks need time to develop before they show their full potential, or people don't quite realise how it actually works from the beginning, so I figured maybe that could be true with Semblances as well…"

"Um… Maybe?" Ruby suddenly felt even more self conscious. "I guess I never really thought about it." Before she could go into a minor existential crisis, Weiss stepped forward, appraising Midoriya with her eyes.

"Before we go any further, explaining our powers, I'd like to hear a little about your Quirk, first, if that's not too much trouble?" Izuku looked at his right hand as he answered, getting introspective for a moment.

"My Quirk is called 'Superpower.' And yeah, I know, it's not exactly the most original name. And I've only had it for less than a year, so I have so much to do just to catch up to the rest of my classmates." Eyebrows across the board shot up, but it was Blake who spoke up first.

"Less than a year? Is that not normal?" Izuku snapped out of his introspection and had a minor panic at the question.

"W-well, n-no! I mean, normally a Quirk that isn't a mutation type will manifest around age four, but mine... mine only came in in time for the entrance exam for UA. Apparently it stockpiles power, which might be why it was never picked up for so long, and that power can be used to enhance the physical abilities of my entire body or just a part."

Ruby frowned. "But… didn't you say before, that you have problems controlling your power?" Izuku nodded, his minor fluster moment, settled down.

"Yeah… Basically, my body can't handle one hundred percent of my power without taking serious damage. For the first few months at UA, I was struggling to use my Quirk without also taking myself out in the process. I've broken my arms so many times, that I've been warned by the doctors back home, any further breaks, could mean I won't be able to use them anymore."

"Holy…!" Jaune gasped, and he wasn't the only one shocked at that. Pyrrha had a hand to her mouth, and Nora looked aghast. Even Ren, who could control his emotions better, looked both surprised and concerned. Team RWBY wasn't much better. Weiss caught sight of the scars on Izuku's crooked right hand, and Ruby was on the verge of tears. Yang, picked up on that and put a hand on Ruby's shoulder to help comfort her, but she was no less shaken. Blake was wide eyed.

"Damn, Green Bean… When you mentioned it before back in the Forest, I figured it was a scary powerful ability with a hefty drawback… but…" Izuku waved off any further remarks, smiling in an effort to assure everyone.

"It's fine! I'm getting better at controlling it! And I didn't break anything when I went to twenty five percent in that fight, which has to be improvement!"

Weiss was still looking at his hand, and seemed to be lost in thought. Blake, put a hand on the heiress' shoulder, and gave an understanding look. She figured Weiss would need a moment, so, Blake stepped up.

"Let's get back to what you were asking about before, about our Semblances. Am I right in thinking you're also trying to figure out how a Semblance comes about, in case you and your class also develop one?"

Izuku nodded. "That, admittedly, was also a reason why I wanted to know more, yes."

"Well," Blake began, "it's a little unpredictable. Semblances reflect a part of ourselves. Maybe something we may not even be consciously aware of, or, something we'd rather wasn't part of us. My Semblance is called 'Shadow,' and that allows me to make shadow copies of myself, pushing my real body away so that they take a hit, and allow me to get clear of danger."

"I see," Izuku put a hand to his chin, as he thought back. "That would explain what I saw when I looked your way back during the fight. That's a really useful power." He looked back at her his brow furrowed in thought, "Is it only yourself though? Or can you make a copy of someone you're in contact with? If you could, that would be an effective way to rescue somebody."

Blake paused as she though that over. "I… honestly never tried. It's always been just me before." 'Especially since my Semblance is all about running away, I doubt it would work for anyone else. I'm such a coward…'

Present, Vale Docks

Adam's Moonslice, when fully powered up, could tear apart armoured vehicles and advanced security automata with little effort. A red slash of Aura reached out towards Izuku, who barely got his left night-stick up to defend himself. Blake reached him, just before the attack hit, and put everything into her Semblance to get them away.

She left a shadow double of herself, and Izuku! But it was still too close, as Adam's attack not only destroyed the doubles, but also caught Izuku's Dagobah stick. With a cry of pain, as he felt his Aura levels drop heavily from the hit, Izuku saw through narrowed eyes, the weapon in his left hand shatter, and a bloody red cut cross his left arm.

Blake held him close as they rolled twice over before coming to a stop. She looked down, and was relived to see Midoriya was alive, and that his injury wasn't as bad as it could, or even, should have been. "Get clear. Focus on healing," she told him, as she regathered Gambol Shroud and stood defensively before him. Izuku, through gritted teeth, could only nod, as his right arm cradled his left, though he made no immediate move to leave.

Adam looked back incredulously. "You should be dead… There's no way you should have survived that! Even with Belladonna's cowardly Semblance, how did you survive?!" Midoriya snarled at the insult. How dare he refer to Blake as a coward, when she just risked her life to save his!

A banana peel struck the back of his head, and he turned to see Sun Wukong rushing him, his face determined and fierce. Adam was forced on the back foot, still surprised by Midoriya and Blake's survival. He scowled, an expression that only deepened when he saw Yang and Weiss coming for him.

"Give it up, Adam!" Blake called, holding her ground. "You're forces are outmatched and captured, and you're surrounded! Stand down!" She doubted he would, but she had to make some effort to try and reach, something, inside him that would listen to reason.

"You want to play 'hero' with these frauds? Is that it Blake?" Adam shot back, kicking Sun back, before slashing hard enough that the Huntsman's Aura flickered dangerously. "What makes them that? Huh? What have they done that's heroic? I've fought and bled for our people Blake, while you, like your Father and Mother, fled and ran from the fight…!"

"Oh shut the hell up!" Yang shouted as she charged towards him, Semblance once more activated. Only, Adam was hoping for that, and Blake could see it. She ran back, and only just blocked Adam from exploiting the opening Yang gave herself. Adam, swiftly deflected Blake's strike and used his blade to absorb Yang's attack.

"You want an answer, Adam," Blake said as he was still pushed back a few feet, Yang standing by her side, while Weiss quickly helped up, Sun. "My friends, both Huntress and Heroes-in-training, they actually think about others when they fight. They stand up for one another, and for those who need help. You fight for yourself. You ask others to believe in you, and fight, for you. You, made yourself the cause so you could play the hero for the Faunus. Feeding your own ego, whilst taking out revenge for what was done to you!"

"And don't you ever call her a coward, bastard!" Yang spat. "Because she's one of the bravest people I know!" Blake felt… something at that, and when Sun shouted his own agreement. It wasn't relief per say, but it was close. The shaking that had been prevalent, even when she reached for Midoriya, finally settled.

Adam snarled. "Fine then!" He once again took a stance with his weapon. Yang's attack had given him enough to work up another attack, faster than usual. "Then you can all die together!"

Black energy smacked into him, throwing Adam into the nearest storage container, and denting it. Everyone's head's turned, following the trail of the energy strands, and they found their origin; Izuku Midoriya, his right arm producing the strands, that continued to whip around. He looked back in pain and confusion, as he began to scream, and the black strands reached skyward.

Time: 00:17

[Cue Outro]

2nd Outro for Season 1; Part 1 – Aizawa and All Might

This is a homage to a series of outros from 'Bleach' Season 2. 'Houkiboshi' by Younha. Where the previous outro focused on RWBY and JNPR, now we get to look at 1-A.

[Class 1-A, and teams RWBY and JNPR are all sitting on the grass outside Beacon. It is night, and fireworks are going off in the sky before, and around them. All are dressed in their respective school uniforms.]

(From Left to right, Front Row: Sero, Kaminari, Ashido, Hagakure, Asui, Mineta, Ruby, Midoriya, Uraraka, Nora, Ren, Tokoyami, Koda. Second Row: Bakugo, Kirishima, Yang, Blake, Weiss, Todoroki, Yaoyorozu, Jaune, Pyrrha, Iida, Jiro, Shoji, Sato, Aoyama, Ojiro. Far Back – Standing: Aizawa, All Might, Ozpin, Goodwitch.)

[Side by Side contrast: All Might standing tall in his prime, surrounded by citizens during daytime. Aizawa crouches on a roof ledge, illuminated by the moonlight.]

[Teacher's lounge at Beacon. Aizawa quietly pours himself a cup of black coffee, while around him, Oobleck dashes around (drinking from his own thermos) while Yagi discusses something with both Goodwitch and Port.]

[At meal time, an argument starts between Cardin and Bakugo. Before either can come to blows, both are suddenly caught in Aizawa's Capture cloth. As he glares at the pair, his Quirk in effect, Velvet behind him takes a picture.]

[In a training session, All Might, gives advice and pointers to students, while behind him, Nora continues to attempt to buff up the same way he does.]

[All Might and Deku have a private meeting in an office. As they leave, All Might pats his shoulder, neither noticing Aizawa walking by behind them, pausing when he spots the interaction.]

[Back to the Fireworks; The teachers look proudly upon their charges. All Might briefly buffs up, but has to return to normal soon after, getting a mild chastisement from both Aizawa and Goodwitch for pushing himself. Ozpin, merely sips hot chocolate with a smile.]

Penny

Penny had been watching the stars. The encounter with the members of team MOAT, and hearing how they came to Remnant with their class and teachers, she couldn't help but wonder; were they really from another reality as they seemed to believe? Or was it possible that they were always part of this reality, and that somewhere in vastness of space, there was another world where Humans existed? It was fascinating, either way. She looked forward to her next call with her Father, so that they could both discuss the matter.

She registered gunshots, echoing through the night, but far away. She looked in the direction she determined that the sound was coming from, a small frown on her face. There sure was a lot of gunfire. It must be something big. She considered her options. Technically, she had been told to stay at the building rented to her and her handlers. But she was also a Huntress (in-training). She couldn't just ignore this.

Making up her mind, she began to run across the rooftop, and leapt to the next one. Somewhere else, she could hear the sound of sirens, as the VPD and other emergency services were alerted to the disturbance. Penny however kept her eyes forward, moving as swiftly as possible.

When the green hued black energy threads reached up into the sky from the docks, Penny became even more determined to investigate. 'Someone needs help, and I, am needed!'

Next Time, on Paragons of Virtue and Glory:

[Deku: What… is this…?]

[Ozpin: Chaos grips the battlefield, and everything becomes uncertain]

[Deku: An unforeseen power is erupting from my arms; is this my Quirk? Is it evolving?!]

[Ozpin: And who, I wonder, is this stranger dressed in leathers who also wields this dark energy?]

[Deku: I need to help Blake! I need to protect my friends! That's the whole reason I have this power!]

[Ozpin: The battle at the docks is set to conclude. Next time: Semblance Unlocked: Legacy Avatar.]

[Deku: Discoveries are made, secrets hinted at, and bonds are reforged.]

[Ozpin: Once more, go beyond.]

[Deku: Plus Ultra!]

NOTES:

This battle is another big moment that I've had in my head, and run through multiple times in order to get it to a point I was satisfied. If I can't enjoy writing and reading it, good chance the rest of you won't either, so I put my all into this. I'm glad I got to debut Jiro's weapon, and yes, her new ultimate move is definitely a reference to the first opening of MHA's 4th season, performed by Blue Encount. I figured it would be nice little touch. Expect more demonstrations of what Jiro can do with her weapon later this Season.

Writing Adam vs Deku, Blake and Sun, actually wound up the hardest part. Adam is most definitely skilled with a blade (Understatement, I know) to the degree that I'd actually say he would be able to challenge the likes of Stain, though his unarmed combat isn't up to the same level. Deku's new weapons, speed, and previous experience would serve him well, but there's a good chance he'd get more seriously hurt if he didn't have backup. And Blake, I didn't want to write her as weak. She's dealing with some serious issues in the midst of a big fight against a toxic ex, and it's largely the presence and support of others, that has been helping her keep it together. Finding a good balance was difficult.

I do feel bad for traumatising poor Koda, but this is a risk that he'll have to acknowledge more as he goes forward. I do have an Episode that will give the poor boy some more focus on how he's coping with everything, though that's still a little ways off.

I know some people might ask about the time in which all these fights take place. I'm going with a little 'anime logic' in this regard. In the Shie Hassaikai raid, only 45 minutes passed narratively, though the episodic nature of the anime pushed the run time of the whole thing over an hour for viewers (Plus there was a focus on different areas and characters, not even counting flashbacks, which extends the runtime) So yes, only a few minutes have passed, since the start of the fight.

And now we have to look forward to Deku discovering not just the hidden aspects of OFA, but also, as the preview teases, he gets to be the first to unlock his Semblance. And let me tell, you, this was one of the biggest decisions I ever had to make. Power creep and escalation is a trope that happens a lot in mainstream stories, and I know it has been a concern for some readers here as well, so finding something that worked with Deku, but didn't make him overpowered, was a challenge. And he wasn't the only one. You'll just have to wait to see what exactly his Semblance is next time, as well as the biggest indication of the problems 1-A will have with regarding Aura based abilities.

Quick thanks to DecentGuest, on pointing out how I have been calling Eraser head, 'Erasure Head.' When I do a check over at the end of this month, hopefully I'll have that corrected across all the previous chapters.

Next time will be, as far as I'm concerned, the conclusion of the 'Black & White' arc. It will also finish off what material there is to do with Volume 1 of RWBY, but we won't be immediately jumping to Volume 2. There's a lot still to do before we get to that part, and that's pretty much going to be all in Season 2. Regardless, the Villains are going to be much more interested in 1-A, and even Ozpin's allies will be taking a greater interest, for better or for worse.

So stay tuned, because I will be releasing the next episode next week. Please continue to leave a review on what you liked, or didn't about the chapter. Speculate as to what's coming, but please no suggestions as to what to do with the story. Keep an eye on my profile for updates. Look after yourselves, and smoke me a Kipper, I'll be back for breakfast!