Chapter 4 – Clash in the force
Cliffs
From the cliffs, when all the studies were launched to the forest, Ozpin and Glynda were watching all of them by the cameras. When Ozpin take a sip of his coffee and focusing on everyone, he started to speak.
"Well, they seeing doing fine, they are highly skilled." Comment Ozpin.
"I'm still not sure about this." Glynda Commented.
"Well, if one of them can't still take this challenge and reach their limits, they can stop when they want." Ozpin replied.
"I know that sir, but I was talking about the street kid." Glynda said.
"You mean Zack?" Ask him while he takes a sip of coffee.
"Yes sir."
"What's the matter? He is just a homeless teen who wants to change his life for better."
"Sir, in my opinion, I don't think you should allow anyone enter here in the academy, even if it's someone who came from the gutter." Glynda explained
"Glynda, if anyone wants to be a huntsman, I don't see any problem with a homeless teenage trying to be as well." Responded Ozpin
"But Ozpin, why is he so skilled? The source of his ability must come from somewhere. Don't you think that is weird?" Ask Glynda.
"This is why I have you here Glynda." Ozpin turn around to her and explained. "If he shows any sign of dangerousness, you inform me or you use any means necessary to stop them." Ozpin replies with a smile and he looks back at the cameras. The only thing Glynda did after hearing this was sighing a little.
After that, both of them were looking to the cameras, but Ozpin while still focusing on the test, he thought.
"But that fighting skills… " Ozpin take a sip of coffee. " I see a lot of that sword style, but the way that kid fight, he remind of someone… "
Emerald Forest
The scenes shows Ruby and Zack were in the middle of the two grimms, ready for battle.
"Let's go!" The swordsman went straight to Spina, who start to shoot his spikes at Zack, but he was dodging and cutting them, when he approached the grimm, he gives several slashes in the creature, but the last cut he dodge by jumping and shoot his needles, Zack quickly dodging them.
Meanwhile, Ruby was dodging all the feathers and shooting on the nevermore with her riffle, which was flying above her. Suddenly, the others jump to the battle to help Zack and Ruby. Ren comes towards to the Spina, but when the grimm realizes he's comes, he shoots his thorns at him, but Ren quickly dodge by jumping his needle and strafe above the the grimm got distracted, Nora starts to shoot behind then. Without looking, Spina shoot his needles from his back, she quickly turns his gun into a hammer and starts dodging and hit back some few thorns. Back to Ruby, she was trying to take down the Nevermore hitting him with her rifle, while the flying grimm was shooting his feathers on her. Ruby was still running and shooting until one of the grimm's feather was thrown in front of her, made the red girl stumble and fall. When she was about to get her weapon, the nevermore comes forward in highly speed to attack her, but suddenly, ice thorns coming from the ground hitting the grimm on his chest, making him flying high. After that, Ruby realizes it was Weiss who save her. The heiress walks toward Ruby and help her to get up. So she starts to speak.
"Look, you maybe act like a hyperactive child, but I suppose I can be a bit… difficult. But if we're going to do this, we going to do this together." Weiss explain to her about being teammates. "But please stop acting like a showing off and I'll be nice."
"I'm not trying to show off. I want to you know I can do this." Ruby replied.
"You're fine."
After saying that, Ruby just gave one innocent smile, showing appreciation. Suddenly Yang appears and calls for her sister worried and hugs her.
"I'm glad you are okay."
Ruby only responded with a smile.
After that, they hear shooting from the other side. As soon as they see, the other group was having trouble with the Spina.
With the other group, Zack and Ren were trying to fight him head to head against him. Spina quickly spin around with his needles to slash them, but they swerved quickly. Suddenly, Nora and Pyrrha start to shoot the grimm from distance. When the grimm was on the defense, Yang and Ruby suddenly joins with the other girls and starting to shoot as well. This made the Spina gives a furious growl and all of a sudden, he made a jump and hide in his cocoon, turn into a giant needle ball and rolling at high speed toward them. The four girls who were shooting, they moved fast out of the way to not be crushed, but the thorny grimm didn't stop yet. When he comes back, he kept rolling at full speed to everyone, while the students just kept running, dodging and shooting to make the Spina stop. When the giant ball keeps rolling around them, Weiss uses her semblance to make giants ice rocks comes from the ground and stop him to get rolling and being stuck. At this moment, Nora sees the opportunity and turns her weapon into a hammer, using her strength and strikes the grimm, send him away to the sky.
"Awesome!" Zack says impressed about a little girl having so much strong.
"You haven't seen anything yet" Nora replies with a smile.
"You did good Nora. At this rate, we could waste more time dealing with this grimm." Ren said.
"Even know we have to deal with them, let's focused on our objective." Weiss says.
"She's right. Let's get those artifacts and go back to the cliffs." Ruby said.
And in this moment, Ruby comes to the artifact and takes one of them, follow by Ren who grabbed the other artifact. After that, the group keeps going on to finish the test. They came across a bridge with a Nevermore flying above them, hiding behind some rocks. While them don't want to be seen by the grimm, from the trees appears the Spina comes at full speed with anger.
"Guys! He's coming!" Zack screams warned them and everyone runs forward, but the Nevermore comes flying forwards them and destroying the half of the bridge, making the group dividing. In the other group, Ruby, Nora, Yang and Weiss was on the other part of the bridge seeing the other group having trouble with the Spina.
"Oh man, they need help!" Ruby said.
"Let's do this!" Nora replied.
With that, Nora uses her hammer to flying away to the other side of the bridge. When Zack was fighting him, Ren and Pyrrha was shooting him and Blake was sending away after his attack, the pink girl came up flying and crushed his head hard. But the thorny grimm responded by shooting his needle to Nora. She was sending away from him and accidentally hit Blake, making her fall to the bridge, but the black girl quickly use her weapon to stick into a rock and swinging forward to the Nevermore and attacking him.
When the black girl stops attack the flying grimm, she landed with Ruby, Yang and Weiss. They were standing there facing the Nevermore, and after a couple seconds, they start to shooting with everything they have it on the grimm. But his came flying speed towards to the girls and destroyed the rocks and the small temple they were standing. The girls quickly dodging the strike and falling, but they quickly went up using the wreckage and landing back to the bridge.
With the other group, they are trying to taking down the Spina, but he was really tough. When Zack and Nora was attacking him, the grimm spinning around with his needles and strike them, sending a few steps away.
"This bastard it's really tough!" Zack says while was smile and taking his sweat off.
"None of this is working!" Pyrrha said. "Doesn't matter if we attack him, his prickly cocoon protect from our attacks"
"Not entirely."
Ren says this making them turn around and pay attention to him
"The shell maybe can protect most of his entire body, but it cannot protect his belly." Ren explained to everyone, while they are standing there facing the thorny grimm.
"You!" Ren calls out for Pyrrha. "follow my lead!"
With that, Ren and Pyrrha starts to shooting at the Spina a point blank range, making the grimm got a few steps away from them. This made him a little angry and starts to shoot his needles at them.
"Zack!" Pyrrha screams.
"Got it!" Zack replied and he quickly hit the one of the thorns with his sword and kicked back to the grimm's head, making a little dizzy. Suddenly, Zack come forward and hits the ground so hard to make a huge wind wave, making his stand with the belly exposed.
"Nora!"
"Okay!" Nora said and used his hammer to hit one of the thorns leaving on the ground to hit Spina.
When Zack quickly noticed, he moves fast out the way and the thorns hit the belly and making the grimm screams in pain.
SKRRRREEEEEEEE!
With that, he fell on his beck, pinning his needles on the ground, getting him stuck. Quickly Nora jumps on Pyrrha's shield and used to highly jump from the sky, and with a smile of joy and a silly laugh, the pink girl fell quickly and with all her strength, she smashed the thorn stuck on the grimm's belly, making the Spina screams in huge pain. With that, Nora smash him so hard that the bridge broke down, sending the Spina falls down to the cliffs and the group flying away into the other side. Nora landed lying on the floor, follow by Pyrrha landed with a cool pose, Zack landed but he got up and put his hand on his overcoat's pocket and Ren landed but he was a too much tired.
"That's settle it." Stated Ren
When the group ended with the Spina, they watch the group of girls dealing with the Nevermore. Suddenly Weiss uses her saber to freeze the flying grimm's tail. After that, she's back with the other girls were ready to make a combined attack. The heiress uses her semblance to send the red girl flying in the grimm's direction, aiming on his head and successful hit the Nevermore. By that she climbed the cliffs pushing the grimm by the neck with her scythe with help of the glyphs and successfully cut the Nevermore's head off, defeating him. Everyone were watching the this scenes and look at her surprised, but after a couple of seconds, Zack speaks.
"So cool" That the only thing the swordsman could say.
"Well. That was a thing" Yang said
With the Nevermore finish it, Ruby walks to look for everyone with some rose petals coming out of her cape. But when she thought that everything was done, she get attention of something coming back from the depths of the cliff.
"LOOK OUT!"
Ruby screams to warn Zack and the others, but it was too late. A shadow quickly jump from the bottom of the cliff and at the second they realize what was coming, they jumping out of the way to avoid the crushing. As soon as they see what was landing, it was the Spina.
"He still alive!? " Pyrrha shout out.
"I don't believe it! " Ren says surprised.
The Spina seems to be completely angry and very painful sore due to the needle stuck in his belly, but he doesn't give up yet.
GRRRAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!
He let it out a furious roar to the group. After a couple of seconds, when the grimm was preparing for attack, on the other side, when Ruby and the other was watching, they start to speak.
"How did he come back?" Blake asks. Weiss look right at him and he noticed.
"He looks like when he was stuck on his back after the smashed, he must have shot his thorns to the ground hard enough to give it momentum and jump back to the surface." She explained noticing some a few thorns missing on his back." And it seems he can't get his spikes out due the pain on the needle stuck on his belly."
"We gotta do something!" Ruby shouted.
On the other group, the Spina was groaning in anger and he started to run towards them in pure rage.
"Oh man! He's coming!" Nora said preparing for fight. But in that moment, Zack was in the middle of them, suddenly he remembers about something. The vagrant swordsman walked ahead of everyone.
"Zack?" Pyrrha asked, but she noticed something different. He looks serious, like a different person.
When he was in front of everyone, he's also in front of the grimm, who was running towards him, and when he was about to attack the vagrant guy with the rest of his spikes, Zack quickly grabs hits the ground to make the wind wave again, making the Spina loose his grip and standing, exposing his belly again, but in that short moment, Zack put his katana back on his sheath again and went into an attack stance.
"FLASHBACK"
A scene shows a gray afternoon in the middle of forest, the young Zack was standing there with a blank face and Vergil was walking in circles around the boy. Vergil was teaching him about his methods while he was holding his katana.
"Tell me Zack, in a battle, what you have to do against your enemy?"
"I have to take him down."
"Why?"
"Because in a battle, only the strong will survive and the weak will be defeated."
"Correct." Vergil started to explain. "You don't see this only in battles, but also in wars. They use everything they have to defeat their enemies, cause without strength, they can't fight anyone and the strongest will prevail.
Vergil explained while he was walking in circles around Zack, who was standing there in the middle.
"Now tell me. What should you do against your enemy?
"I will defeat the enemy who's gonna stand in my way."
"And how you gonna do that?"
"I will cut him. Strike him. And use everything that I have to defeat him, with all my might."
After that, Vergil stops walking in circles and started walking towards Zack, putting his hand on the boy's head.
"And can you tell me why?"
Zack remain in silence for a couple of seconds, until he raises his head, take a breath and speak.
"Because… Might… Controls… "
"BACK TO PRESENT"
"Everything… "
Zack swing his blade in a blink of an eye and slice the Spina's belly so hard that it created a small wind typhoon. The others feels the breeze on their hairs, even the girls from the other side feel it too. After a couple of seconds, the thorny grimm was still standing there, but suddenly, he let it out a small roar and falls off being split in half, defeated.
While Zack was still standing there, everyone look at him amazed about what he did.
"Wow!" That's all Ruby could say.
At that moment, Zack swing his Katana and put right back to his sheath on his back held by the other hand. With the grimm finished, the swordsman turn around to look to the group behind them and after a couple of seconds, he gives them a huge smile showing happiness.
Later on
All of them were traveling together going back to the cliffs to meet Ozpin and finish the test. While they walked, they were chatting with each other.
"Wow Zack, I can't believe it how much you capable. What you did was incredible!" Pyrrha complement Zack.
"Thanks, but not only me. You guys were amazing too! You have the aim of a professional!, Pyrrha" Zack complement Pyrrha as well, making her blushing about what he said.
"But you did was even more amazing!" Nora jumps into conversation.
"What did you do was so epic! That spiky grimm comes like *RAAAARGH* and you came like *SWING* and then the grimm was like *BLEEEERRGH* and then you was like-"
Nora was interrupted by Ren, putting his hand on her head. "Enough okay, he get it."
"Hehehe, sorry."
"Oh yeah, by the way, I'm Zack Elysium and this is my friend Pyrrha Nikos." Zack introduced both of them.
"Hello." She waved for both of them.
"Nice to meet you, my names is Nora Valkyrie and this is Lie Ren.' She introduced both of them as well.
"Pleased to meet you guys." Ren gives a little bowed to them.
"By the way, what are you dressing like that? Your aura didn't protect you from the grimm and rip your clothes?" Nora asked looking right to Zack while they are still walking.
"Oh that?" Zack look in his clothes and respond. "Nah, I didn't turn my aura. I already use this clothes for a long time."
"The truth is… he is a homeless." Pyrrha replied as well.
After that response, Ren was a little surprise, but for Nora, she was even more surprised them him. With her eyes wide open.
"Whaaaaaat!? No way!"
This makes Zack scratch the back of his head and gives a little smile. This made Nora even more curiosity and gives more question about him.
"And how did you learn to fight like that? And how did you manage to live until you came here? Did you have to eat rats and insects to insatiable hunger?"
This makes Zack smile a little nervous about all this questions and Pyrrha only giggle watching this scenes. With the other group, Ruby was watching the whole scene behind her and started to giggle about them knowing about Zack.
Amphitheater later that day
"Russel Thrush. Cardin Winchester. Dove Bronzewing and Sky Lark. " The four of you retrieved the black bishop pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as team CRDL, led by… Cardin Winchester!" Said Ozpin as the audience cheered and gave a round of applause.
"Lie Ren. Nora Valkyrie. Pyrrha Nikos and… " When Ozpin was about to call Zack, he saw him eating a hamburguer with a lazy expression. Some of the audience was confused and other was giggle a little, including Ruby. "…Zack Elysium." He looks at him and Glynda, who gave a cold stare to Zack. He just put away the hamburguer and scratched the back of his head smiling.
"The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as team RVEN. Led by… Lie Ren." Said Ozpin and the audience cheered and give another round applause. After that announcement, Ren bowed to Ozpin.
"I am honored sir."
"YAAAAAAAY! My teamleader." Nora cheered and hugging him so happily. Follow by Pyrrha who gave a little applause and smiling and Zack who pump his fist in the air and say.
"All hail the leader!"
Ren gives a simple smile, while Nora also pump her fist in the air with a huge smile. And Pyrrha put her hand on her mouth and giggled.
"And finally, Blake Belladonna. Ruby Rose. Weiss Schnee. Yang Xiao Long. The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as team RWBY. Led by… Ruby Rose." He announced as the audience cheers. Weiss look to her right surprised, where Ruby is obviously in shock as Yang. Goes over to hug her sister as she said
"I'm so proud of you!"
After this announced, team RVEN were on the other corner very happy after this announcement. Especially Zack
"Way to go, Ruby." Zack thought smiling for his friend.
"I'm gonna say for sure this will be… and interesting year." Ozpin said.
Hey guys, Heavyguts here. I'm really, really, really sorry for taking to long to finish this chapter. I been dealing with some many problems with my life that keep tooking my attention, not to mention i'm dealing with some problems with my computer and this give me real headache... but i hope i can finish the other chapters and resolve my problems at once. Thanks for sticking around guys and pls, give me your reviews, favorite and follow me to not miss the next chapters.
Bye Bye