Disclaimer: I do not own any of the material appearing in this story. The OC's belong to their respective owners.
Four Days After the Phazon War…
BGM: Swing a Fish to Drive Away Flies (Touhou 10.5: Scarlet Weather Rhapsody)
"Aaah, that was a good Karaoke session!" Mine smiled as her team and Sea5ons had just finished up a karaoke session at the Paratroopa Karaoke and now all of them were having coffee at Sojiro's. "Nice lead up on that duet!" Mine praised, high fiving Chelsea.
"You know it!" Chelsea smiled.
"By the way, I forgot to mention this earlier… I love the new outfit, Ling!" Mine said.
"Aw, thank you!" The deer faunus smiled. She was wearing a loosely tucked white t-shirt with a sunflower print on the front underneath a leaf green, dark-green and ivory white-colored slightly oversized baseball jacket with a V-shaped logo (which stands for Vale) on the left upper chest part, A pair of light brown denim short shorts with a long off-white belt with the word "PASSION" printed along its length, a pair of black no show socks, a pair of white sneakers with yellow undertones and green laces, a loose black double choker with a gold chrysanthemum and butterfly-shaped pendant around her neck and a pair of white sunglasses with green-yellow lenses on top of her head.
"So, what's up with you kiddos now?" Sojiro asked as he was washing a cup.
"Funny you should ask that." Akame smiled. "We were actually discussing going on a camping trip earlier. I found this secret secluded area in Dimble Woods after that whole blorb incident. I talked with my team about it, they got excited and… well, we were going to do it after the Star Festival, but unfortuately, the Phazon happened."
"You were planning on camping in the snow?" Sojiro raised an eyebrow.
"We'd have winter gear and a fire to warm us up." Akame chuckled.
"So now, we're resuming where we left off." Tatsumi said. "Chelsea even invited her band."
Sojiro chuckled. "Nice."
"Actually… Ling and I got plans of our own." Whitley spoke up.
"Yeah, we need to stay behind and help out with the healing process with the Phazon-infected victims. Luckily, they're all cured… the problem is, they're… unstable." Ling explained.
"Not only that, but I'm also overseeing the construction of the private dance studio in my house." Whitley added.
"Speaking of staying behind, I'm gonna be in Vale for a few days with my family. We're helping out with the destruction that the Phazon caused so we're gonna be reconstructing, and hey, my team and the rest of the Beacon Students are helpin' out too." Cardin said.
"And I'm… doing nothing of the sort." Kokoro sheepishly chuckled.
"You sound like you wanted to get out of it." Chelsea teased, playfully elbowing her.
"No, I wasn't." Kokoro giggled.
"So that just leaves us and Kokoro." Akame said. "Hmm, we can work with that."
Tatsumi smiled. "That's alright, I'll invite Ieyasu and Sayo to tag along."
"Hmm…" Akame rubbed her chin. "Perhaps I can invite Kurome and Leone… mmm, but they're training with General Esdeath. I don't think it'll be easy…"
Pause BGM
Meanwhile, in Atlas…
"Wait, what?" Winter asked in surprise. "General, are you suggesting-"
Esdeath smiled. "Yes. Considering what we've been through these past couple days involving the Phazon war, I believe you all deserve some time off. A few days of recuperating wouldn't hurt, would you agree?" She winked.
Winter smiled. "Thank you, general."
"Coming through! Going to spend some time with my adorable family~!" Bols exclaimed.
"Well, let's not waste this opportunity." Najenda said as she walked off. "I could use a little siesta."
"Perhaps I can spend more time reading… I've been meaning to read this book series for the longest time." Sheele said as they all walked out.
"…Good, they're gone." Esdeath smirked as she stripped off her clothing for a revealing skimpy icy blue bikini as she opened up the window, closed it behind her and walked toward the edge of Atlas. She turned around and then spread her arms out as she started to free fall with her back facing the hard ground behind her. She opened her eyes with a smirk and then conjured up an ice phoenix as she flipped over and gracefully landed on it.
"Delfino, here I come~!"
Back in Toad Town…
Resume BGM
"Hmm… it's worth a shot." Akame said, texting Kurome in her scroll.
Hey, think you could come over and camp with us for a bit, if possible?
I'd love to!
Akame's eyes widened in surprise. "Wait, what?" She asked in surprise. Normally Kurome doesn't reply that fast.
Whoa, that was fast. Usually you don't reply that quick.
General Esdeath gave us all a few days to recuperate over that whole Phazon fiasco. Need me to bring anything aside from the obvious?
Bring Leone.
Will do!
Akame smiled. "We got Kurome and Leone on board!"
"Awesome! This is gonna be a blast!" Chelsea grinned.
Later…
"Aaah, finally! Out of that frozen tundra!" Leone said, walking through Toad Town with a stretch.
"You do realize it's still winter and the fact the temperature here is rather nippy?" Kurome pointed out.
"True, but it's a step up from Atlas. Sheesh, you'd think I'd get used to the cold… I'm not made for that weather!"
"You joined the Winter Ops." Kurome rolled her eyes as they walked into Toad Town square where the group was waiting for them.
"Ya know, I can't help but notice that this fountain took some heavy damage." Mine said with her arms folded.
"Maybe it was the Phazon." Akame said.
Mine looked down. "I dunno… would the phazon come with tire tracks? Seems like someone was dumb enough to drive on it."
"Achoo!" Chiaki sneezed… right as she was about to dodge an attack while playing Ghost of Tsushima, and would get herself killed. "Ack! …Aww."
"Maybe someone was drunk." Sayo guessed.
"Riiiiight…" Mine rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I'm surprised Meloetta wanted to tag along."
"She did take a shining to Kokoron…" Chelsea said as Meloetta sat down on Kokoro's shoulder.
"Heeeeeeey!" Leone waved them over.
"Hey guys!" Chelsea waved.
"Oh wow, you brought Ieyasu and Sayo along? Awesome!" Leone smiled.
"How unexpected… but the more the merrier." Kurome chuckled.
"Hmm?" Leone looked over at Kokoro. "Hey, isn't that the Faunus from Sea5ons? …Oh wow! I never realized she was a fellow cat faunus!"
Kokoro smiled. "Hi… I'm an ocelot."
"And I'm a lion! Nice to meet ya!" Leone ruffled her hair before pulling her in for a hug, accidentally stuffing Kokoro in her tube top.
"Leone! You gotta let her breathe!" Chelsea said.
"Whoops!" Leone pulled away. "My bad!" She chuckled.
"So, where are we headed?" Kurome asked.
"Come on, I'll show you. It's in Dimble Wood." Akame headed off, guiding them to their destination.
End BGM
BGM: Dimble Wood (Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story plus Bowser Jr's Journey)
"Haven't been here in a while." Leone said. "Looks different with the barren trees."
"Yeah, I wonder what it's like in the Fall? It's probably gorgeous." Mine mused as Kokoro's ears twitched as she turned her head to see a Treevil glaring at them.
"Hmm?" Leone turned her head to the Treevil. "What are you looking at?" She narrowed her eyes as the Treevil turned around and walked the other way. "Yeah, I thought so."
"That was spooky…" Kokoro shuddered.
"I doubt they'll cause any trouble." Akame said. "If they do, we'll just cut them down."
"Exactly." Tatsumi nodded.
"So how much further along?" Kurome asked.
"We're close." Akame walked through some trees where they walked after her.
"It's off the trail? That's unexpected." Ieyasu said.
"Geez, I wasn't expecting it to be off the beaten path. I like this." Leone chuckled as Akame turned to the right, where they would go up a soft incline.
Then, Akame took a left, climbing over some rocks on a path as they went up a gentle slope before Akame suddenly stopped. "What's up? Is something wrong?" Tatsumi asked.
"Did we make a wrong turn?" Ieyasu asked.
"Is the whole scenery wiped out?" Mine asked.
"No." Akame smiled. "I'm just taking it all in." She said as they all peeked over her shoulder to see what she was talking about.
End BGM
BGM: Route 201 - Day (Pokemon Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl)
What they saw was breathtakingly beautiful. Rocks poked out of the ground, yet were smooth as if they were asking to be sat on. Despite still being winter, flowers were growing out of the snow and there was a vast lake that was somehow untouched by the cold temperatures. Pine trees scattered around the land as some patches of ground were untouched by the snow, showing off its vast greenery. There was also a few cherry blossoms standing near the edge of the lake.
"Definitely off the beaten path… niiiice." Chelsea said.
Leone smirked. "So well hidden, it's like no one else has discovered it."
"Exactly." Akame nodded and turned her head with a smile. "So! Shall we get set up?"
"Right behind ya." Kurome smiled.
One camp set up later…
"Hmhmhmhm~" Akame hummed as she and Kurome were currently preparing lunch.
"Wow, sis, your cooking skills have improved!" Kurome complimented.
Akame smiled. "I did have a great teacher." She said, winking at her older sister who smiled back at her.
"CANNONBAAAAAAALL!" Leone cannonballed into the lake.
"Ya know, for someone who hates the cold, she really doesn't seem to mind jumping into a cold lake." Chelsea said, dipping her feet into the water.
"Eh, I've been in colder." Mine shrugged. "That said, I wonder if she's just faking it. Girl wear tube tops and now she's an Atlesian soldier? Either she's legitimately cold or she's faking it."
"Hmm, who knows."
Underwater, Leone swam around as Kokoro had joined her. Both of them would see a few Cheep Cheeps swimming around while a few Urchins floated around. A few Bloopers joined the two Faunus and swam around, one of them waving its tentacles at them as if it was saying hello.
Above, Tatsumi and Ieyasu were fishing and chatting amongst themselves when they both got a bite and when they reeled them in, Tatsumi pulled out a Goldeen and Ieyasu reeled up a Seaking… which both of them used Horn Attack on their knees, both of them crying out in pain and releasing them back into the water.
Once it was lunch time, which was teriyaki steak and curry, Akame and Kurome hiked up a trail until they reached the edge of a waterfall that overlooked the lake. Both of them smiled until Akame took out her sword and pointed it at Kurome. Kurome smirked and did the same, both of them proceeding to spar with smirks on their faces.
By the lake, Sayo was busy painting a picture with Meloetta posing on a rock with the lake behind her. However, a tube top came flying into Sayo's face. When she pulled it off, she would look up… to see Leone running back in the water.
"Did she… just go for a skinny dip?" Mine asked.
"I think she did." Chelsea nodded, whittling a stick with a hum while Kokoro practiced her semblance while sitting on a log, looking out into the lake with a playful roll of her eyes, and then would see Tatsumi and Ieyasu emerging out of the lake after a Golduck kicked them into the water after they accidentally reeled up a Psyduck.
Later into the night…
"Achoo!" Leone sneezed, a towel wrapped around her as she was shivering while a fire was made.
"Dummy. Skinny dipping in the winter will do that to you." Mine mumbled.
"Excuse me, but it wasn't that cold compared to Atlas!" Leone said.
"Even so!"
"Oh, she'll warm back up." Akame said, finishing making dinner which was Cheep Cheep curry that she and Kurome made, then everyone happily ate it up.
Kokoro's ears twitched as she turned her head to see a bush rustling nearby, and then a Plusle, Minun and a Spoink came out, all of them were attracted to the smell and they curiously walked/hopped over to them.
"Hmm?" Kurome turned her head. "Looks like we attracted a small crowd."
"Well, good thing we made extra." Akame said. "You three want some?"
"Plus Plus!
"Min!"
"Spoink!"
Akame smiled. "Well, alright then." She said as she started to fill up the dishes, and then once the three ate the Cheep Cheep Curry, Plusle and Minun decided to climb up on Kokoro's lap, curiously examining her while Spoink curiously hopped around Chelsea.
"Oh, you're just the cutest thing, aren't you!" Chelsea smiled, patting the Spoink on the orb.
"Spoink!"
"Ya know, I read somewhere that those creatures tend to die when they stop bouncing." Tatsumi said.
"Where'd you read that, the internet?" Mine asked.
"…Maybe." Tatsumi rubbed his head as they would see Spoink had stopped bouncing and had snuggled up next to Chelsea.
"Well, obviously, whoever wrote that up was a liar." Mine snarked, glancing at Kokoro who playfully poked Plusle and Minun's cheeks.
End BGM
"Soooo… anyone got any good campfire stories?" Tatsumi asked.
BGM: More Gun (Team Fortress 2)
"Ah, I got one." Ieyasu spoke up. "There was this legend in Remnant of old where there was this huntsman that had the power of ice manipulation. Rumors started going around that he trained in the frozen tundra whilst naked and was taught by a huntress who had ice manipulation of her own. He went on and formed a team, but his heart was frozen solid. Not to mention he would always butt heads with his greatest rival, a huntsman who had the power to manipulate fire. However, over time his heart would thaw by his own teammates, and would find someone that fell in love with him. At first, he thought she was insane but it turns out, she wasn't. She was just lovesick. This huntress was known for her water manipulation and with this ice making huntsman, the two would form a strong power couple… or at least, that's what the Water Huntress thought anyway."
"Ooooh, I've heard of that one. I think she was so desperate she would cling on to him in a creepy way." Sayo nodded. "Although, I've heard a rumor that their descendant walks on Remnant today."
"Maybe this descendant has water and ice in their repertoire." Tatsumi chuckled.
"Speaking of huntsman of old…" Leone spoke up. "I've heard of this great and powerful warrioress that could strike down any Grimm with any weapon she so chose. Axes, swords, lances, gauntlets, greatswords, longswords, pretty much anything she could conjure up. She had armor that no Grimm could pierce through and was known for being an amazon. Legends say that no one could beat her, no matter what they threw at her. However, there was one such Grimm that proved to be a match for her and had bested her in combat. This Grimm proved to be more dangerous and cunning than anyone had anticipated. However, in her final moments, she would witness the Grimm falling in combat. She was known as the Scarlet Warrior, where it's said that she was an inspiration to all… and its said that her descendant walks on Remnant as we speak."
"I've heard tales of this one Huntsman of old," Kurome began. "That no one knows where he came from. There was one tale suggesting he was left alone as a baby in the woods, only for a Grimm to come by and scooped him up, taking him as its own. The Grimm raised this boy until one day, the Grimm disappeared when the boy was young. Because of this, he fended for himself and was dangerously feral when he went into a village. However, they managed to get him under control and they taught him their language, soon unlocking his semblance born of fire. However, there is another tale that suggests that he belonged to a family. He went off to scavenge for berries and when he came home, bandits had burned his village to the ground… when the fire touched him, it unlocked his semblance. No one truly knows which tale is true.
However, regardless of what tale you believed in, he had fire manipulation for his semblance and he even wielded a sword. However, he let his fists do most of the talking. Some say he was a genius, some say he was a moron. Whatever way you put it, he was a strong huntsman known for his fiery temper. They say his sword is still around to this day and his descendant is wielding it."
"Huh, so a hand-me-down." Mine said.
"Or an heirloom." Chelsea suggested.
"Well, since we're sharing huntsman of old, I've heard this tale of a young woman who came from a rich family. However, she left when her father demanded she marry someone of his choosing, so she defected from the manor after chewing him out. Over time, she made a name for herself and was said she could summon anyone out of an ordinary household item. These summons were made of legend, claiming they were otherworldly and they were all Faunus. Some say she summoned gods. Regardless, they didn't mind working with humans. She became this strong warrior and formed a team, where she had definitely made a name for herself and over time, married a friend just to stick it to her old man." Akame chuckled. "And of course, it's said that her descendant walks Remnant to this day."
"I wonder what it was like to live in that time…" Tatsumi said. "Meeting these huntsman and huntresses would be neat."
"Tell me about it. I wonder who their descendants are." Mine said, looking up at the night sky as a shooting star flew past them in the sky.
Kokoro let out a yawn. "Mmm… I'm tired…"
"Yeah, I'm a little sleepy myself." Sayo yawned.
Akame chuckled. "Well, let's crash for the night. We got this whole place to ourselves tomorrow too." She said as they went into their tents. The first tent saw Akame, Mine and Kurome sleeping together. The second tent saw Tatsumi, Sayo and Ieyasu in their sleeping bags and the third tent had Chelsea, Leone, and Kokoro, with Meloetta, Plusle, Minun and Spoink accompanying them.
End BGM
The next morning…
Akame woke up, stretching as she walked out of the tent with a yawn, then noticed Kurome already making breakfast. "Oh!"
"Hey sis, hope you don't mind if I make some breakfast."
Akame chuckled. "I was going to do that, honestly."
"How do you like your eggs again… over easy?"
"Scrambled."
Kurome smirked. "Naaah, over easy. Scrambled's overrated."
"Oh, you're a riot." Akame rolled her eyes as Kurome laughed.
"Oh, how I missed teasing my little sister." She giggled.
Akame chuckled with her. "Could you imagine in some other universe where our roles switched? Me being the big sister and you being a half pint for a change?"
"Me? Younger than you? Please, I'd rather enjoy this universe. If I were to wager a guess, that universe you proposed would be nothing but tragedy… and frankly, I'd rather enjoy this universe."
Akame smiled. "Yeah, so do I." She said as they would hear stirring from the tents as one by one, everyone walked out looking well rested and happy… except for Sayo who had bags over her eyes, her hair all frazzled and looked absolutely annoyed.
"Whoa, Sayo… what happened to you?" Leone asked.
Last night…
"Zzzzz…" Tatsumi and Ieyasu snored together. Ieyasu on the left, Tatsumi on the right… and Sayo was sandwiched between the boys as their snoring was enough to keep her awake. Her eye twitched as she grabbed her pillow and screamed into it.
Once she repositioned herself… she would try to sleep, but to her utter horror, the boys positioned themselves to where they were facing Sayo and their snoring was even louder. Anime tears rolled down her cheeks as a result.
In the present…
"I had a rather… sleepless night." Sayo mumbled.
"Let me guess, the ground was hard?" Ieyasu asked.
"I dunno, I slept like a baby." Tatsumi responded.
"So did I! Don't know what your problem was." Ieyasu said.
Sayo's eye twitched. "Oh bite me." She snarked.
"On the bright side, we have a full day to ourselves so let's make the most of it." Akame smiled.
"Yeah!" Kokoro nodded, and then both her, Leone and Plusle and Minun's ears twitched as they turned their head to see a bush rustling.
"Viper… viiiiiiper…"
"You hear that?" Kokoro asked.
"Yeah, I do." Leone nodded as suddenly, a Seviper came shooting out of the bush.
"Seviper! VIPER!"
"What the hell?!" Mine exclaimed.
"It probably thinks we're in his territory!" Chelsea guessed as the Seviper lunged, his tail glowing purple as he would unleash a Poison Tail at the group, but Akame swiftly got in the way and blocked.
BGM: Battle! Wild Pokemon (Pokemon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire)
Akame pushed away the Seviper. "I don't think so." She said as the Seviper hissed at her before lungig at her with a Poison Fang attack, but Akame rolled out of the way as Seviper turned around and decided to impale her with his tail, but Akame effortlessly blocked it.
"That all you got?" Akame asked as Seviper swiftly swung his tail at her but Akame would swiftly block and then countered, knocking the Seviper back.
"Viiiipeeeer!" Seviper cried, swords appearing above his body and then lunged, attempting to wrap his body aroud Akame but she swiftly backflipped out of the coiled body before he had a chance to attack her. Seviper narrowed his eyes as he lunged, attempting to strike her with Poison Tail but Akame effortlessly parried the attack as the two would swiftly clash with their sword/tail, both of them showing no signs of stopping… until Akame swiftly parried him one last time as the two jumped back before they both lunged and slashed through each other.
Akame smirked, sheathing her sword as the Seviper fell to the ground in defeat. "Nothing to it."
End BGM
Kurome stared on in awe. "I knew your swordplay improved when we sparred but… I never imagined you would successfully parry a snake!"
"I've dealt with weirder." Akame shrugged. "So, when's breakfast ready? I actually worked up an appetite."
Kurome chuckled. "Of course you did. It's almost ready."
A few minutes later, everyone would have themselves a hearty breakfast… and then the Seviper got back up, shaking itself off as he turned around to glare at Akame. "Hmm? Uh… guys?" Mine spoke up as they turned to see the Seviper.
"Round two?" Akame glared as she got up, readying Muramuse as Seviper lunged at her again.
"SEVIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-" Seviper suddenly screeched to a halt and bowed before Akame. "-Per. Viper Vi…"
"Huh?" Akame blinked.
"Melo… Mela!" Meloetta flew into a tent and pulled out a pen and a notepad, quickly writing down what the Seviper was saying. "Mela!" Meloetta handed over the notepad to Akame.
"…Uh… Mela Mela Meloetta Mel?"
Meloetta blinked, sheepishly scratching the back of her head with a sweatdrop and took it back, rewriting what she wrote down and turned it around.
"When you invaded my territory, I was ready to kill all of you… and yet you bested me in combat with your swordplay. I humbly request that I be your apprentice." Akame read.
Mine did a spit take of her orange juice. "HUH?! A Pokemon requesting to be an apprentice?!"
"Well, that's interesting." Chelsea said.
"Spoink Spoink." Spoink agreed.
"So you want me to be your "master" in a way." Akame guessed.
"Viper Vi." Seviper said to which Meloetta translated.
"Yes."
Akame smiled. "Well, alright then. Welcome to Team ATMC, Mitsuki."
"Mitsuki?!" Everyone else said in surprise.
"Yeah, a fitting name for this Seviper, right?" Akame smiled.
"Uh… I guess… that was honestly kinda fast." Tatsumi admitted.
Akame shrugged. "I don't see the big deal." She said, patting the Seviper on the head.
Kurome chuckled. "My little sis is growing up… I'm so proud." She smiled.
"So… let's resume our camping trip, shall we?" Akame smiled.
Meanwhile, at Delfino…
"Ow! Oooh! Agh!"
"Lady, I don't care if you have some ice powers to cool your body down, you still gotta use sunscreen." A Pianta scolded, lathering aloe all over Esdeath's sunburnt body.
Esdeath sweatdropped. "I thought I'd be fine…"
"There we go. All lathered up. Now go and enjoy the rest of your vacation!" He said, slapping her on the back.
"AAAAH!"
"Ooops. Sorry. I do that with everyone after I give 'em a massage. Force of habit!" He said as he saw his hand print on Esdeath's back. She got up and walked away, trying her best not to cry from the stinging pain. "Ah, she'll be fine."
Ibuki: Hmm, you think they sell sunscreen in Atlas?
Probably not.
Ibuki: Ouch...
Anyway, shout outs to DarkRebellion for this Gaiden you've made!