Here is the next Grimm Rider story. Sorry it took so long, my little sister asked me to check her writings first before she can post it. She's not ready to show her account yet because she didn't post anything yet. I also changed Voltaria and Tabitha's voice characters too.
Voltaria Eclipse: Dove Cameron
Tabitha: Zendaya
Just a reminder, there's going to be some or major spoilers and for those who didn't watch RWBY, don't read it if you don't know. And I'm decided not to do 4, 5, and 6. I'm gonna do it in my own way, I hope you guys understand.
Enjoy.
True to her words, Voltaria was going to tutor Jaune in combat, lectures, aura, and semblance. She asked Professor Ozpin if she could barrow a private training room for her and Jaune to use, which he surprisingly agreed with. So, whenever classes are over, Voltaria drags Jaune away from his team and takes him to the training room, where he gets a slightly brutal training. Jaune had to do one-hundred push up, twenty sit-ups, and sword/hand to hand combat. And whenever Jaune tries to skip or complains, Voltaria would give fifty more push-ups and combat. Jaune was getting tired, beaten, and scared at Voltaria's training. He tried to fight back, but she was too fast and more skilled than him. Heck, she flipped him over without breaking a sweat. Voltaria continues to teach him hand to hand combat until he learns how to block her attack. Voltaria informs him that he must know or sense when his opponent's will strike. It took hours or days for his master, but Jaune learns how to block his opponent's attacks. He has to remember to sense or know when his opponent's strike.
Even though Voltaria's training is tough, he won't give up. He needs to succeed in order to be a great huntsman. So, he continues training without any more complaints. When they are not training, Voltaria teaches him about the history of Remnant and how to balance his aura. Voltaria explains how to use his semblance. In doing so, they went out of the training room and to the courtyard as they are hidden within the undergrowth, meditating as Voltaria teaches Jaune how to channel his aura.
"Focus, your aura must be in balance. You can't rush it, otherwise, it will lose control over your semblance." Voltaria instructed Jaune.
"But, how do I know if my aura is working?" Jaune asked.
"It takes intense concentration, but in time it will become second nature, allowing you to deflect your opponent's attacks and heal your wounds, like you did with Cardin a few days ago. After that, you can focus on your Semblance."
"Riigghhhttt…" Jaune mutters out unsure.
"…You have no idea what I'm saying, do you?" Voltaria questioned him.
"What?! Noooo…maybe…" Jaune notices Voltaria was dead silent by his answer. Jaune slumps his head in defeat and mutters. "Yeah, I have no idea how."
Voltaria sighs at him, finding it annoying that he doesn't even know the basic lessons of aura. But she has to be patient with him since he's still learning. "Look, it's simple to learn. It's a manifestation of our soul."
"I know, Pyrrah taught me that when we were at the Emerald Forest." Jaune explains as he forms a small smile, remembering how Pyrrah taught him aura.
"Good, you know how aura works." Voltaria said.
Jaune nodded. "Yeah, Pyrrah said that aura can be our shield, even animals have aura."
"That's right. Aura is all around us, in animals, plants, and the air that we breathe. The world is filled with aura."
"Except for Grimm." Jaune points out.
"True, but activating and using it, it's a lot different." Voltaria informs him.
Jaune looks at her in confusion. "Why is that?" He asked.
"Well, semblance is a part of the person of who they are. It can be activated by your personality and character, but it can also be activated in another way."
"What do you mean by…other way?"
"In the other way, I mean you experience a swell of emotions, achieving a goal that you want to reach, or witnessing an event that might upfold. Those are the other ways." Voltaria explains to Jaune.
Jaune listens to her words very carefully. "Do you think…my semblance can be activated if I try the other way." He said.
Voltaria just shrugged. "It's possible, but it's up to you to decide." She informs him. "Think back on the days that you have witnessed may either be the good or bad and see through it."
Jaune nodded a bit and closed his eyes as he focused on the memories that he had. He remembers going to Beacon with false documents, him trying to impress Weiss but failed miserably, almost died in the Emerald Forest, and Cardin beating him mercilessly. Jaune knits his eyebrows, feeling a negative effect on himself. However, Voltaria senses this and places a hand on his leg.
"Calm yourself, think of the good things that happened to you after that." Voltaria said softly. "Let your aura flow like a river."
Jaune understands and relaxes a bit as he remembers the good memories after that. Jaune remembers meeting Ruby, how Pyrrah helped him unlock his aura, becoming the leader of his team, and how he defended himself against Cardin. And that's when Jaune promised to help and protect his friends. Voltaria lets go as Jaune smiles with his eyes closed. Suddenly, white aura surrounded Jaune's body. Voltaria watched as Jaune's aura surrounded him. She discovered that Jaune can amplify his aura.
"Huh, who knew that scrawny boy has that much aura." Wraith complimented.
"A very rare semblance indeed." Regina agreed.
Voltaria agrees with them as she watches as Jaune slowly masters his aura and semblance. After a while, Jaune stops his aura as he opens his eyes to look at Voltaria. He notices that she was staring at him, causing him to be nervous.
"Uh…did I do it right?" He asked nervously.
"Yes, you did just fine." Voltaria simply answered as she stood up. "We are done for today. We shall continue this tomorrow."
Jaune was confused at first, but soon got up and followed Voltaria out of the undergrowth to their dorms. The two students walked to the school in silence. Jaune was still nervous around Voltaria, even though he's older than her, she still can kick his butt in a second. However, Jaune was curious on how Voltaria activates her semblance and what it can do.
"S-Sooo…h-how do you activate your semblance." Jaune dared to ask.
Voltaria stops on her tracks when Jaune asks about how she activated her semblance. Jaune stops behind her and froze from his spot. He should've known not to ask that question. He feared that Voltaria might change her mind and might give him more push-ups or sit-ups, but it didn't happen. Instead, Voltaria simply turned to him and simply gave him an answer.
"Many receive their semblance the easy or the hard way, I witness something very…traumatic." Voltaria answered.
"Traumatic?" Jaune asked.
"I witnessed it at a very young age, it made me feel sadness, shock, pain, and fear. Those were the emotions that were in my mind before they were replaced by one."
"T-That is?" Jaune stuttered in fear.
Voltaria came close to Jaune, who froze in his feet, and stood a few feet close to him. She looks at him under her mask as Jaune starts to sweat. They stared for a few seconds before Voltaria gave Jaune her answer.
"Vengeance."
With that said, Voltaria turned and headed towards her dorm room. "See you at the training match tomorrow, Jaune."
Jaune watches as Voltaria leaves him alone in the halls. His mind was filled with worry, fear, and confusion. What Voltaria said about her activating her semblance in a traumatic event, made him think. Did she lose someone that she cared about? Is that why she was so cold and empty? Jaune has so many questions in his mind, but for one thing he knows, Voltaria was lonely. Sighing, Jaune went to his dorm room to meet up with his team and rest up for tomorrow's training lesson. He just hopes that Voltaria's training would help him survive the class. But he'll worry about that later, right now, he needs some sleep.
Next day...
The students were in the training room as they performed their sparring match. Wade was fighting with Yang. The two show great combat and strategy. Voltaria was sitting with her teammates as they watched their leader fight with Ruby's sister. Ruby was worried about Yang since Wade is skilled in combat. Wade and Yang are very strong as they ended up in a tie.
"Excellent Ms. Xiao Long, Mr. Wade. You both show great combat and aura balance." Glynda complimented.
Yang did a thumbs up while Wade tips his hat. The two students went to their seats while Glynda checked her scroll for the next combatants. "Mr. Arc and Mr. Winchester, you two are up."
Cardin grins as he readies his weapon. Jaune took a deep breath and sighs, calming his mind as he remembers his lessons that Voltaria taught him. Voltaria narrows her eyes under her mask. Jaune better not forget the lessons that she taught him, otherwise, he will receive more hardcore training. As the two males made it to the arena, Cardin readied his mace while Jaune readied his sword and shield. Jaune closes his mind as he remembers Voltaria's words.
"Let your aura flow like a river." Voltaria's voice rang in his mind.
He focuses his aura, letting it flow like a calm river. He remembers from Pyrrah and Voltaria that aura is all around them. Jaune felt his aura surrounding his body. Giving him the strength, he needs for this battle. When Glynda yelled begin, Cardin charges at Jaune with a battle cry. Jaune snaps open his eyes as he quickly brings his shield up and blocks Cardin's attack. Jaune grunts as the force almost knocks him off his feet, but he holds his ground. Jaune uses enough force to push Cardin away and kicks Cardin on the stomach.
Cardin coughed as he felt the air leaving his lungs. Jaune uses his sword to strike at Cardin, who quickly blocks him. Jaune remembers Voltaria's lesson, he has to know or sense when his opponent's will strike, and he does. Jaune blocks all attacks of Cardin, making sure that his aura is running low. Glynda raises a brow at Jaune as she looks at scroll to look at Jaune's aura level. And to her surprise, he somehow kept it in balance. Cardin, however, wasn't doing so great. He was giving it all, but Jaune dodges and uses his shield to hit Cardin on the face. Cardin was disoriented for a while before Jaune disarms him. Jaune was about to knock Cardin off, but Cardin was quick and tackled him. Jaune lands on his back with a grunt, causing him to lose his shield and sword. Pyrrah gasps with worry as Cardin is about to body slam him, but Jaune quickly remembers how Voltaria flips him over by his arm. So, using a bit of his aura, Jaune quickly moved out of the way before he grabs Cardin's arm and with all his might, Jaune flips Cardin on his face and pins him down. Cardin grunted in pain when his face contacted the floor and Jaune was bending his arm to prevent the big guy from moving.
And thus, the match was over.
Jaune panting with adrenaline as he saw what he did. He couldn't believe that he was able to defeat Cardin! He guessed all of Voltaria's training finally paid off. He didn't notice that Glynda was secretly smiling at Jaune's improvement. She did the right idea for making Voltaria tutor Jaune and now the young Arc will improve his fighting skills. Pyrrah smiles and claps at Jaune followed by the cheers of Nora and Ruby. Jaune got up as he panted out from the whole adrenaline rush.
"Huh, guess our training lesson finally pays off." Wraith said to the others.
Voltaria agrees with Wraith as she watched Jaune calming himself from the event. Glynda was pleased by the progress that Voltaria was doing to Jaune. She was pleased that the young girl was helping out her fellow classmates, even though he was afraid of her.
"Well done, Mr. Arc. I see your skills are improving thanks to Ms. Eclipse, I presume?" Glynda commented.
Cardin sat up quickly and stared at Jaune in total shock. "Wait, What?!" He exclaims in fear.
The others were also surprised by her words. Jaune was being taught by Voltaria! So, that's why he was getting good at fighting. Jaune laughed nervously as he hesitated to answer. Wade looks at Voltaria, who was ignoring everyone.
"So, that's what she's been doin'." Wade thought before making a small smile. "Clever gal."
Then the bell rang, meaning classes were over. Glynda informs them that they must be ready for the Vytal Festival soon. The students became excited about this and soon left. Jaune picked up his sword and shield. Pyrrah, Ren, and Nora came to him, they congratulated him for his achievement.
"You did great Jaune!" Pyrrah congratulated.
"You were amazing!" Nora cheers and Ren nods in agreement with her.
Jaune blushed in embarrassment as he rubs the back of his neck. "T-Thanks guys."
Ruby came behind Jaune, startling him in the process, and grins at him. "Jaune! You didn't tell me Volty was tutoring you!?" She exclaims happily.
Jaune looks at her in confusion. "Volty?" Jaune mutters and thinks for a few seconds before understanding that Ruby was talking about Voltaria. "Oh! You mean Voltaria. Yeeaahh…Professor Oobleck wanted me to have a tutor, so…"
"He assigned me to be his tutor." Voltaria said, appearing on the center, causing Jaune and Nora to scream in a fight while Ruby yelped.
"Would you stop that?!" Jaune exclaims to her, forgetting his fear from her.
"No." Voltaria answered blankly.
"Awww, Voltaria, why didn't you tell us that you were helping Jaune? That was so sweet." AJ said as she, Wade, and Evo came to them.
They heard their conversation about Voltaria being Jaune's tutor. Wraith gags in Voltaria's mind, finding it disgusting about AJ's comment. There's nothing sweet about Voltaria tutoring Jaune. Voltaria felt her brow twitched in annoyance, but she promised Glynda not to scare her classmates again.
"I had to, Professor Oobleck insisted that I should assist Jaune." Voltaria explains.
Wade raises a brow. "What kind of tutorin' 'ave ya been doin' t' 'im?" He questioned the young girl.
"None of your business." Voltaria mutters out before turning to Jaune. "I expect you to be on time for our tutorial. Otherwise…well, you know what's coming for you."
Jaune becomes pale as Voltaria walks away, leaving the group. Wade tips his hat and whistles slowly. He knows that all girls here are tough, especially Yang. But Voltaria is a whole new level of toughness.
"This school year is gettin' more challengin'." Wade commented, earning agreements from his fellow classmates.
On the streets of Vale, everyone was decorating the streets for a festival called the Vytal Festival. The Vytal Festival is an international festival in Remnant. It is held every two years, where the various cultures of the world are celebrated with dances, parades, and a combat tournament. The host kingdom of the festival rotates every two years, and the host opens its borders to visitors from the other kingdoms, but with security measures. The Vytal Festival was inaugurated following the end of the Great War. The war was fought between the four kingdoms over questions of individuality and self-expression. Named after Vytal, a small island north of Vale where the treaty was signed. And thus, the Vytal Festival was created with the purpose of celebrating the diversity of the cultures of Remnant.
The Festival has a unique symbol, consisting of a combination of all four kingdom's emblems in order to signify unity. There were red, yellow, and green streamers and balloons are proudly on display. A sign is being put up by the elderly Shopkeeper that reads in bright red letters "WELCOME TO VALE!" for all the foreign newcomers from their respective kingdoms of Remnant.
But there was no time to admire the scenery as the young Jaune Arc was seen jogging the streets, wearing his armor and sweatband on his head. He was panting as he jogs. He didn't jog without a reason. Voltaria gave him a task to jog all the way to the docks and back to school. At first, Jaune didn't like the idea, but he had too. If he didn't take the jog to the docks, then he would jog all the way to the Emerald Forest and back to school. So, Jaune took the somewhat easy root. Jaune stops near a Dust Shop and rests his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath.
"This is too much!" Jaune mutters out while panting.
"Keep moving, Jaune. I know you're stopping."
Jaune heard Voltaria from his scroll. Voltaria was watching him from top of a building. She wasn't too comfortable being in crowded places and decided to monitor Jaune on top of the buildings. Jaune sighs and grabs his scroll to talk with Voltaria.
"This is too much for me! Why can't I just jog around the school!?" Jaune exclaims through the scroll.
Voltaria rolls her eyes as she informs him in her scroll. "When in battle, you have to be quick. Running from the school to the docks will help you increase your speed."
Jaune groans and brings an arm up while he holds his scroll. "If I want to increase my speed, I can just use the treadmills in the school!"
"This is the best way to increase your speed." Voltaria informs him in annoyance from the scroll. "So, less whining and more running. And don't even think about escaping, I'm always watching."
Jaune groans as he puts his scroll back on his pocket and continuous jogging. He jogs past some people, including team RWBY. Ruby saw him and gave a small wave. Jaune notices her and gives her a tired wave as he continues jogging. Ruby and her team were just walking around the city to see the Vytal Festival preparation. Weiss simply enjoys this for some reason.
"The Vytal Festival! Oh, this is absolutely wonderful!" Weiss said happily.
Ruby shrugs at her teammate. "I don't think I've ever seen you smile this much, Weiss." Ruby said before she frowns a little. "It's kinda weirding me out..."
Weiss turns to Ruby. "How could you not smile? A festival dedicated to the cultures of the world! There will be dances! Parades! A tournament! Oh, the amount of planning and organization that goes into this event is simply breathtaking!" Weiss listed out as they continued walking again.
Yang sighs in annoyance with her arms crossed. "You really know how to take a good thing and make it sound boring." She said.
Weiss turns at her with a small glare of annoyance. "Quiet, you!" She ordered.
Team RWBY made their way to the docks and stopped when they heard foghorns from the distance. They looked at the docks from above as they saw ships docking by. Yand looks at the ships and then to her team.
"Remind me again why we're spending our Friday afternoon visiting the stupid docks?" Yang asked them.
Ruby covered her nose when she smelled some fish that were caught as she made a disgusted face. "Ugh, they smell like fish!" Ruby whines in disgust.
"I've heard that students visiting from Vacuo will be arriving by ship today and, as a representative of Beacon, I feel as though it is my solemn duty to welcome them to this fine kingdom!" Weiss answered to Yang calmly.
However, Blake knows otherwise as she turns to them. "She wants to spy on them, so she'll have the upper hand in the tournament." Blake corrected as they walked away.
"You can't prove that!" Weiss scoff.
"Prove what?"
Team RWBY jumped with surprise yelps. They turned around and saw Wade, AJ, and Evo were there. They were near the docks as they heard Team RWBY's conversation. Ruby wonders why the three of them are here in the docks? Were they here to see the competition? Or they were searching for Voltaria? I mean, she was tutoring Jaune with his combat and history, but she always disappeared.
Wade looked at them and tipped his hat a bit. "Sorry, didn't mean t' scare ya girls."
Ruby waves him off, acting like a brave leader she is. "Nah! We're just surprised to see you guys here…wait, why are you guys here?" Ruby asked.
Wade holds up what appears to be wrists and legs weights that are made of metal. "Yeah, V called us about bringin' these t' her." He explains.
"…She's using it for Jaune?" Ruby asked.
"Eeyup!" Wade answered to her.
"Isn't that a bit too much for him?" Yang questioned them.
"Yes, but Voltaria said it was for Jaune's own good…and I have my doubts about Voltaria's training lessons to Jaune." AJ said worriedly.
"By the way, 'ave ya seen 'im and V?" Wade asked Team RWBY.
"Well, we did see Jaune, and…" Ruby was cut off when she saw something that surprised her. "Whoa."
The two teams followed her gaze and saw a Dust Shop down the street with a shattered window down and a door full of yellow caution tape of the Vale Police Force investigating it. They walked over to the detective in front, who is writing on his pad.
"What happened here?" AJ asked worriedly.
The Detective turns to her and explains the situation. "Robbery. Second Dust Shop to be hit this week. This place is turning into a jungle." He walks over to his partner to investigate the scene.
Yang sighs sadly at this. "That's terrible." She said.
They were about to leave when they heard the two detectives talking with each other. "They left all the money again."
Ruby stops before turning her head when she hears that. "Huh?"
"Yeah, just doesn't make a lick of sense. Who needs that much Dust?"
"I don't know, an army?"
"You think the White Fang?" The detective asked worriedly.
His partner removes his sunglasses. "Yeah, I'm thinking we don't get paid enough."
Weiss huffs angrily, "Hmph! The White Fang!" She then crosses her arms and points her nose in the air with her eyes closed, "What an awful bunch of degenerates!"
Wade raised a brow at the Schnee girl. "Do ya 'ave a problem with 'em?"
Weiss turns to the leader of team WAVE with dead seriousness in her eyes. "My problem? I simply don't care for the criminally insane!"
Blake hears that and narrows her eyes at Weiss. "The White Fang is hardly a bunch of psychopaths." She crosses her arms, getting to the point that it was serious. "They're a collection of misguided Faunus."
Weiss looks at her like she's grown another head. "Misguided? They want to wipe Humanity off the face of the planet!"
AJ steps in and stops the fight. "Weiss, please. The Faunus had either a choice or not. I mean, the humans did discriminate against them for years." She said. "And it doesn't explain why they would rob a Dust Shop in the middle of downtown Vale."
Blake made a small smile at AJ's defense while Ruby nodded in agreement. "Hmm... AJ's got a point. Besides, the police never caught that Torchwick guy I ran into a few months ago...maybe it was him."
Weiss was getting angry. "That still doesn't change the fact that the White Fang are a bunch of scum. Those Faunus only know how to lie, cheat, and steal."
Evo hears this and slowly clenches his fists tightly. He didn't show the others that he was a Faunus, only his teammates and Ozpin knew. Evo wanted to use his semblance to hypnotize her to be a duck for saying such words to his kin. However, Wade steps in and defends.
"That's ain't necessarily true. Velvet and thuh other Faunuses didn't do anything' bad at school." Wade defended. "And besides, kay-yun ya give 'em a break? They've been treated like animals for years. They didn't even get proper jobs, jus' Faunus labor."
"He's right." AJ agrees with her leader. "They've been treated too harshly."
Before Weiss could say anything, they heard someone yelling from a distance. "Hey, stop that Faunus!"
As the teams overhear the cry for help, they rush over to investigate. They got near the stairs of the docks and looked at the distance. They saw a Faunus male with a golden monkey tail running down the length of the boat and leaping on to the edge as the two sailors were about to apprehend him. However, the Monkey Faunus was too fast for them. He looks back at his pursuers with a grin.
"Thanks for the ride, guys! Haha!" He laughs before he jumps off and hits the dock running.
A Sailor yelled. "You no-good stowaway!"
The Monkey Faunus uses his tail to hang upside down on a lamppost while he peels back a banana. "Hey! A no-good stowaway would've been caught! I'm a great stowaway!" He commented happily.
Before he eats the banana, one of the detectives down below throws a stone at him to get his attention. Luckily, it didn't hit him, as the stone fell in the water.
"Hey! Get down from there this instant!" The detective yelled.
Suddenly, a banana peel was dropped on the detective's face, who growled in return. The monkey-like Faunus did that on purpose before he twirls up to crouch on the lamppost, laughs in amusement, and proceeds to leap off and run away from the detectives. He runs up the stairs and then runs past Team RWBY and Team WAVE. Everything went in slow mow as the Monkey like Faunus gave a wink at an astonished Blake while saluting at Evo before time sped up again and he continued to be chased by the officers. They watch as the Faunus gets farther and farther away, Wade shrugs and gestures the Monkey Faunus to Weiss.
"Well, Weiss, ya wanted to see thuh competition, and thair 'e goes." Wade points out.
Weiss's eyes widen in shock and hold up a finger. "Quick! We have to observe him!" She exclaims before chasing after the Monkey Faunus.
Yang and Ruby went after Weiss while Blake stands still, lost in thought. Wade noticed this and raised a brow. Something was bothering Blake, and it has something to do about the Faunus.
"Ya okay thair, Blake?" Wade asked.
Blake snaps out of her thoughts and looks at Wade with a nod. "Yeah…I'm fine." She mutters.
Blake soon went after her teammates to find the Monkey-like Faunus. Wade shrugs at her before he, AJ, and Evo search for Voltaria and Jaune. Evo has his hands in his pocket. He didn't like it when Weiss talked about his kind. He never removed his visors because of his eyes. He was made by the kids because of his eyes.
"Evo?"
Evo snapped out of his thoughts as he turned to Wade and AJ, they were looking at him with concern. "Ya okay, partner? Ya spazzed out like Bake." Wade points out.
"Yessss…" Evo hissed out, still feeling the anger in him.
"Evo? If you want to talk about it-"
"I said I'm fine!" Evo hissed out.
AJ and Wade were startled by Evo's sudden outburst. Evo soon realizes what he did and slowly calms down as he looks at the ground in shame. "I'm sorry, I just don't like it when someone calls my kind…freaks!" He hissed out, glaring at the ground. "I never got a normal childhood. I was made fun of as a child by the other kids because of my eyes. My parents would care for me and other Faunus kids, but…but…" He stops and sighs as he looks at his hands. "I want to be accepted."
Evo felt a hand on his shoulder, causing him to look up to see Wade giving him a small smile. "Ya are accepted. Ya are member in team WAVE. No matter what, we got your back." He said.
AJ smiles and nods with a grin. "Oui! We are your friends after all." She said.
Evo looked at them and made a small smile before Wade let go of him as they clapped their hands together, kinda like a bro-like handshake. As they let go, they decided to go find Jaune and Voltaria. They didn't search that far because they saw Jaune leaning at the edge of the fence. He was panting heavily after a long jog from the Academy to the docks. Wade, AJ, and Evo went to him as he looked up at them weakly.
"Hey, Jaune." AJ greeted kindly.
"Heeyyy…" Jaune mutters out while panting.
Wade rubs the back of his neck. "Sorry that V is pressuring' ya." He apologized.
Jaune waves at him. "I-It's okay…I think her tutoring is working out for me." He said with a weak smile.
"Good."
Jaune yelps in surprise to find Voltaria beside him and is looking at him. "Because your training will be a new level." She said as she looked at Wade. "Did you bring it?"
Wade hesitated but he brought out the weights. Jaune looks at the weights with wide eyes before he looks at Voltaria, then to the weights, and then to Voltaria again. "Y-You're joking, right?" He pleaded.
"I never joke." Voltaria said before she took the weights from Wade and, like lightning, Voltaria attached the weights on Jaune's wrists and legs. The Arc boy almost fell on his knees if it wasn't for Wade who caught him. Jaune struggles to stand on his feet as the weights on his wrists and legs were too much for him.
"It feels like it weighs a hundred tones!" Jaune whines, struggling to stand up.
"It's actually five hundred." Voltaria corrected as she looked at Jaune. "Now, you run back to the Academy with those weights attached to you."
"This is barbaric!" Jaune almost screamed.
"Quit acting like a baby and grow up." Voltaria informs him plainly before pointing at the direction to the academy. "Now, start running before I send one of my Grimms to chase you."
Groaning in defeat, Jaune ran back to the academy the best way he could, but due to the weights, they were slowing him down and giving him some difficulties. Wade, AJ, and Evo watched with sympathy as Jaune ran back to the academy with difficulties.
"Ya know, ya're kind of torturin' that poor guy." Wade points out to Voltaria.
Voltaria mentally scoffs as she crosses her arms. "If it wasn't for me, Jaune would've got his butt kicked by Cardin in sparring match few hours ago." She said.
"…Touché." Wade said to her.
Voltaria shrugs and turns to leave. "I'll be going now, and please inform Pyrrah, Ren, and Nora to bring some towels, bottles of water, and maybe…what do you call those candy-like bars that give you energy?"
"You mean an energy bar?" Evo informs her.
Voltaria snaps her fingers. "That's the one, make sure they bring many because when he reaches the academy, he'll probably pass out or fall unconscious." She said.
"Why can't you call them? You have to scroll." AJ pointed out.
"I would, but I didn't ask them their numbers." Voltaria informs.
The three friends looked at each other before turning to Voltaria, and to their surprise, she disappeared. She didn't leave any traces behind. Wade scratched his head. He will never understand that girl.
"That gal is one tough cookie." Wade mutters out, earning nods from his teammates.
AJ took out her scroll and informed Pyrrah about the items that she and her teammates should bring for Jaune. As they leave to explore the city, Jaune miserably runs back to the academy with the weights weighing him down. After a while, three hours, Jaune was seen on the floor near the statue of the school. He was spread out on his back as sweat pours on his face, his wrists and legs ache with the weights on them. Jaune was so tired that he didn't bother to get up. He felt his brain was about to explode by the sudden stress, like he was about to explode. And standing by his side was Voltaria, she was looking at Jaune's exhausted state.
"Well, it seems that you succeeded in reaching the school before dark." Voltaria informs him. "Good job."
Jauen pants out as he slowly looks at her. "You…are…i-insane…" He panted out weakly before collapsing his head back to the ground.
Voltaria stared at him under her mask and shrugged. "Meh, I've been called worse." She said.
Just then, Pyrrah, Ren, and Nora came with the items that Voltaria told her teammates to inform them. Voltaria sensed them and turned around to greet the members of team JNPR.
"You brought the items that I requested?" Voltaria asked them.
"Y-Yeah…is Jaune okay?" Pyrrah asked worriedly.
"He's fine, just give him time to regain his strength." Voltaria informs them.
Jaune lets out a groan as he tries to rest. However, he didn't get it when Nora hovered above his face. Her grin was showing pure happiness as she tried to cheer up her leader the best way she could.
"Aww…Cheer up, Jaune! You'll be faster during the match now, thanks to Volty!" Nora said cheerfully, using the nickname that Ruby use for Voltaria. "And look at the bright side, at least you're not getting mauled by her Grimm."
"…Wow, I feel so much better." Jaune said sarcastically in a tired tone.
Nora stood and saluted. "You're welcome! Oh! I know what can brighten up your spirit!" Nora said.
"Nora, I don't think your motivation cheer will help Jaune." Ren informs her.
Nora scoffs a bit. "Pffft, not my cheer silly! I meant this!"
Nora brought out what appears to be a stuffed toy Pegasus. It was golden brown color with small wings attached to it and blue buttoned eyes. The hooves of the doll were pink and there was tongue sticking out of its mouth. Pyrrah, Jaune, and Voltaria stared at the doll. Pyrrah and Jaune were confused while Voltaria stared at it blankly. Ren, however, just smiles at the doll. Nora grins at them and introduces the doll to them.
"Say hello to Pancake!" Nora said with a grin.
"Pancake?" Pyrrah, Jaune, and Voltaria repeated unison, not sure why a doll can cheer Jaune up.
"Yes! Pancake!" Nora said with a grin.
"…Should I dare ask about…that?" Voltaria questioned in a blank tone.
Ren chuckles as he went over to the grinning Nora and stood by her side before explaining about Pancake. "Pancake is Nora's stuff toy that was given to her by our caretaker." He explains.
"Caretaker? Don't you mean her mom?" Jaune questioned.
Ren shook his head. "No, me and Nora were both orphans in a young age." He explains, hiding the sadness in his tone. Pyrrah and Jaune were shocked to hear this information while Voltaria remained silent. Pyrrah and Jaune didn't know that Ren and Nora were orphans.
"Who was the one who took care of you two?" Pyrrah asked softly.
"A woman named Pandora Twilight." Ren answered with a small smile.
Voltaria mentally flinched when she heard that. Luckily, no one noticed her sudden stiffness as Nora nodded her head in agreement. "Yup! But I call her Pany." She said happily before she held Pancake up proudly. "And she's the one who made Pancake for me."
Jaune slowly sits up and looks at Pancake. "She made you that doll?"
"Yup! Love with every stitch!" Nora said, grinning happily as she hugs Pancake. "She would've made one for Ren, but he told her not too."
Ren chuckles a bit. "It was nice of her, but I was already happy for what she did for me and Nora." He explains.
"…What do you mean?" Voltaria asked almost softly.
Ren looked at her in confusion before answering. "Well…she took us in without hesitation. She kept us warm, fed, and even comforted us when we needed it."
"She raised you both as if she was your own." Pyrrah said with a small smile.
Voltaria just looks at Ren and for the first time, she hesitated. "D-Did this Pandora person have a family of her own?" She questioned softly.
Ren looked at her with a somewhat surprised look on his face before nodding his head. "Yes…she had a daughter." He answered.
Nora jumps in with Pancake on her head. "She sure does! And might I say that her daughter is sssuuuupppeeerrr cuuuuuuttttteee!" Nora squealed as she jumped, causing Pancake to fall, before she grabbed her doll and hugged Pancake tightly.
"You said she had a daughter…what happened?" Pyrrah questioned.
Ren fell into silence. Nora, who was always cheerful, stayed quiet too as Pancake was still in her arms. Before Ren could speak, Wade, AJ, and Evo came in the scene. They saw Jaune on the ground with his teammates and Voltaria. They made their way to them and noticed that heavy silence between them.
"Is there a problem here?" Wade asked.
Ren snaps out of his train of thoughts and looks at Wade. "No, I was lost in thoughts." He answered calmly.
Wade shrugs a bit before looking at Jaune. "Ya okay thair, partner?" He asked.
Jaune nodded. "Yeah, just sore bones that's all." He answered with an awkward chuckle before wincing in pain.
"Do you need help?" Evo offered.
"…Yes, please." Jaune almost sounded like a plea.
Wade smiles and gestures to Evo to follow. "Come on, Evo. Ya grab his arms, and I'll grab his legs." He instructed.
"Let's remove the weights first." AJ suggested before she and Pyrrah removed the weights off from Jaune's wrists and legs.
Once they were removed, Evo grabbed Jaune's arms and Wade grabs Jauen's legs. They carefully carry him back in the academy and to their dorm. Pyrrah opens the door and allowed Evo and Wade to bring Jaune in as they gently placed him on his bed.
"How are you holding up?" AJ asked kindly.
Pyrrah went over to Jaune and gave him a bottle of water as she helped him drink it. "Pretty good, I guess…my bones still ache from all the running with heavy weights attached to me."
Wade chuckles a bit. "The pain will be gone soon, jus' rest a bit. Kay, partner?" He said,
Jaune nodded. "I will."
"By the way, what were you guys talking about?" Evo asked them. "When we got there, you all were very quiet."
"Oh, we were talking about our caretaker, Pandora Twilight." Nora answered as she held Pancake in her arms.
"Pandora?" Wade questioned.
Ren nodded slowly. "Yes…our caretaker, but she was more of a mother to us." He explains with a sad smile.
"Wow, she sounds amazing." AJ said with a small smile.
"She was until…" Ren was cut off as his mind began to sadden.
They sensed the sad atmosphere from Ren and Nora. Wade looks at his teammates before looking at the two best friends. "Ifin' ya guys don't wanna talk about it. We understand."
"No, it's okay. It's best that you guys know about." Ren said as he sat down on his bed. Nora jumps beside him with Pancake on her head.
Wade sits on a chair backwards with his arms rested on the top. AJ sits next to Pyrrah on her bed. Evo leans on the wall. And Voltaria stood next to the closed door. Ren took a deep breath and sighs as he looks at his friends.
"When me and Nora were young, my village, Kuroyuri, was attacked by Grimm. Many lives were lost that day…including my parents." Ren explains sadly.
Everyone, minus Voltaria, was shocked by this. They heard about Kuroyrui's destruction, but they didn't know Ren and Nora experienced that. Voltaria stayed quiet, she knows how that village was destroyed. Regina told her that Kuroyuri's destruction was caused by bandits to lure the Grimms there, causing the villagers to panic to lure the Grimms to them. And when the job is done, the bandits take what they need from what's left in that village.
"Me and Nora were able to escape. We tried to find other survivors, but…"
"…You guys were lost." AJ said sadly.
Ren nodded. "Yes, we were lost, cold, alone, scared. We didn't know how to find the other survivors. We were still young. We thought the Grimms might get us, so we hid and scavenged for food."
"But, how did Pandora find you guys?" Jaune asked curiously.
"When Nora and I were searching for a nearby village, we were found by a woman who was collecting herbs." Ren said before forming a small smile.
"Pandora found you two." Pyrrah said.
"Yes, she saw how we were both alone, hungry, and lost. She took pity on us and brought us to her hometown called Mineral Town." Ren explains.
Nora nodded in agreement. "Yup! It's a three days trip there, but she kept us fed along the way."
"Just a quick question here. Why was she collectin' herbs so fuh-ar from her town?" Wade asked curiously.
"Well, you see, Pandora was an herbalist or herbal doctor. She told us that there are some rare herbs that don't grow near her town. She collects them and plants the seeds in her greenhouse." Ren explained.
"She must've helped a lot of people." Evo said.
"She sure did, everyone in town loves her! She helped them get better, telling them when or what medicine to drink, and treat them like she was her family." Nora explains happily.
Ren smiles and nodded. "Yes, she was the one who took care of me and Nora. She let us live at her house with her fiancé, Toren Venus."
"Fiancé? Wait, you mean she was getting married?" AJ asked with glimmers in her eyes before she claps her hands together. "That is sooo romantic!"
"It was! I even begged him to let me be their flower girl!" Nora said grinning.
Everyone, minus Voltaria, chuckled at Nora's funny attitude. "Yes, Nora did beg for them to let her be the flower girl, and they agreed. They let us live with them and we make great company for their daughter, Virgo."
"Wait, they have a daughter?" AJ asked again with a smile.
Voltaria flinched at the name, she was lucky that no one noticed her sudden jump as Ren continued his story. "Yes, she was still a baby and Toren was going to marry Pandora when Virgo turned two. But…"
"Did something happen?" AJ asked worriedly.
"Before Toren could marry Pandora, there was an accident. You see, Toren works as a miner in the Schnee Dust Company. He was a good man there, he didn't get paid much, but it was enough for him and his family. When he was working, there was an explosion and…" Ren lowers his head in sadness.
"It caused a cave in, corrected?" Evo asked in a whisper.
"Yeah…Toren rescued many miners, but…he…he…he didn't make it." Nora said sadly as she hugs Pancake.
"He gave up his life to save others. That man should be hailed a hero." Wade said.
"He was a hero, to the miners and Pandora. Virgo never got a chance to meet her father, but Pandora made sure that Virgo will remember her dad as a hero." Ren said with a smile. "And when Nora and I turned ten, Pandora found out that I have some relatives that lived in a village called Ignis."
"I know that place!" AJ said happily. "That's where the best spa and hot-springs are. My family would go there for vacation. It's really heavily guarded, lots of guards and hunters there."
"It's true, turns out, I have an uncle named Bohai Ren. He was my father's cousin. Pandora contacted him about me and Nora and said that he will take care of us now with his wife and two sons. He said he was going to train us both to be great hunters with the help of his friends." Ren explains with a sad smile. "Pandora was like our guardian angel.
"Wow, I wish I could meet them." AJ said before noticing Ren and Nora's expression changing into sadness. "What's wrong?"
"We wish that you can meet them too, but…" Ren was cut off by Nora, who placed a hand on his shoulder for comfort.
"They both died." Nora finished sadly.
"What?" Everyone, minus Voltaria exclaims in shock.
"What do you mean they both died?" Pyrrah asked in shock.
"When Nora and I lived with my uncle, Mineral Town was attacked by bandits. They ransack everyone's homes or capture them to use as slaves." Ren explains as he clenches his fists together. "Those who didn't come willingly ended up being killed and Pandora was one of those victims."
AJ covers her mouth with a small gasp. "That's terrible!"
"It was, but then something attacked and killed the bandits. They didn't know what it was, but it spared the town's people." Ren explains. "When we heard the news from my uncle, we went there for…Pandora's funeral. We…we show our respects to her and the ones who were killed by the bandits."
"…W-Was Virgo there? I mean, she-she probably survived." Jaune said worriedly.
Ren shook his head. "No, she wasn't there. No one could find her. They presume that she was…dead like Pandora."
"She was only six when she died…we never got a chance to catch up." Nora said sadly as she held Pancake with her hands as she stared at her doll with her sad eyes.
Pyrrah, Jaune, and team WAVE, minus Voltaria, stared at them sadly. It must've hurt them so much to lose the ones they love. It was sad that a little girl died at such a young age, they wish they could meet little Virgo one day, they could've got to know each other. Voltaria stayed silent. Feeling strange inside of her, Voltaria decided to leave.
"Well, that was an interesting story." She said in a calm yet blank tone. The group looks at her in confusion as she looks at them under her mask. "Sorry for the loss, Jaune we will continue your lesson some other day, tomorrow you can have a break."
Jaune sighs in relief as he rested his head on his pillow. Voltaria turns and opens the door to leave. "I'll see you guys later." She said to her teammates.
"Where're ya goin', V?" Wade asked.
"…I'm going for a walk. I'll be back soon." Voltaria informs him before she leaves while closing the door.
The teens watched her leave before they looked at each other in confusion. They heave no idea what just happened or what's wrong with Voltaria. Wade has his suspicions on her, wondering what she was hiding about. Maybe hiding her past.
And he's gonna find out the easy way or the hard way.
Voltaria was seen sitting on top of the roof of the academy, her arms wrapped around her legs as she looked at the slightly broken moon. Her mind was filled with thoughts, it was so confusing for her. She couldn't believe what Ren and Nora told her about their past. The woman that took care of them, brought memories of her past, painful and sorrowful memories. Her entities appeared when they sensed the distress on her mind.
"Voltaria, is everything alright? Your mind is filled with thoughts." Tabitha questioned her with worry.
"I'm not fine." Voltaria mutters out her words. "Ren and Nora…they know her, they remember her."
"Kid? You're acting strange." Wraith points out.
"Wraith!" Regina scolded in a growl before turning to Voltaria. "Mistress, if Ren and Nora's past is bothering you-"
"It's not that! And you know it!" Voltaria snapped at them.
This surprised her entities, they never seen Voltaria snapped at them before. She only gets angry if someone tries to attack her. They have never seen her so…so angry. And Wraith likes it. Voltaria calms down a bit as she looks at the moon under her mask. She didn't mean to snap at them. She was so…lost. She swore to herself that she would never feel any emotions ever again. But when Ren and Nora mentioned that woman, her past came back to haunt her.
Pandora Twilight, Ren and Nora's caretaker, was her mother.
Voltaria removes her mask from her face and turns it around to look at it. She wore this mask to hide her face, to hide her old self. She keeps saying to herself that she must push forward, forget her past, and that everyone is her enemy. She had to leave everything behind, changed herself and her name. Voltaria Eclipse wasn't even her real name. No, Regina gave her that name, so no one knows who she really is.
Ren and Nora have no idea that Voltaria Eclipse was actually Virgo Twilight.
Voltaria thought it was for the best that they should never know who she really is. She was doing this to…to protect them from herself. Pandora didn't die because she refused to follow, she died because she was protecting her daughter. And Voltaria just witnessed the whole thing and her anger unleashed her semblance. Voltaria knows there are many bandits and criminals who want her head if they find out who she really is and her family. Voltaria can't let them know that the sweet and kind little girl they used to play has changed into a cold-blooded murderer.
Voltaria pressed her forehead on her mask while closing her eyes. Trying to relax and calm her mind, she can't let her emotions lose control. She has to stay calm and block them out like she always does. As she withdraws, Vision appears right in front of her. Voltaria looks at Vision with confusion as the crystal orb suddenly lights up to reveal an image of a beautiful woman's face with black hair that has white streaks in front and blue eyes. Voltaria stared at that image with empty eyes before slowly caressing the orb gently.
That image was her mother, Pandora.
Voltaria continuously stares at her mother's smiling face. She guessed that Vision was trying to cheer her up, showing the image of her mother, so she won't forget her humanity and the one who loved her. Voltaria's mind slowly calms down, allowing the image to help her relax. After a while, Vision made the image go away and Voltaria put her mask on. She got up from her spot and looked at her entities, who were looking at her.
"…So? You good?" Wraith questioned, earning a light slap from Regina. "What? I was just asking."
"I am." Voltaria answered to them, causing her entities to look at her. "I guessed old wounds don't heal often." She said to them.
Regina's eyes softened at her and came to her. "Mistress, if you want. You can tell them who you really are."
Wraith looks at Regina as if she has grown another head, which is a nightmare for him since she'll be twice as naggy. "Are you insane?! What's the whole point of being a mystery if the Kid reveals herself to them!"
"Wraith, they're basically her family! They missed her and so does she!" Regina pointed out.
"Regina's right, Wraith. Let Voltaria deserve to have someone to love her." Tabitha said.
"That's enough." Voltaria said, getting her entities' attention. They looked at her as Voltaria returned to her emotionless state. "I know you and Tabitha wanted me to be happy, but I can't risk Ren and Nora's life. You all know the reason why I ran away and changed my name. This is my faith and I don't want them to be in danger because of me."
Regina and Tabitha understood the situation while Wraith just snorted. Hannibal and Vision, on the other hand, weren't paying attention to them as they were looking at someone else. Voltaria notices their behavior and raises a brow under her mask.
"Do you two have something to share?" She questioned them.
"Blake." Hannibal answered.
Still raising a brow, Voltaria follows their gaze, along with her other three entities. They saw Blake running outside. Curiosity got on her mind as her entities consumed Voltaria and Vision in the shadows and transported themselves to the corner of the building to get a better look at the situation. They were one with the shadow as they saw Blake arriving at a statue of an armored man with a sword and a hooded woman wielding an axe on an outcropping, staring at the Beowolf under the stone heroes. They watched carefully as she closed her eyes and slowly lifted her arms up to her bow and pulled the string to release the bow from her hair. She wipes away a tear as she reveals herself to be Faunus that has cat ears.
"Huh, that's new." Wraith said.
"She was a Faunus this whole time." Tabitha said softly.
"It was obvious." Regina pointed out.
"Cute." Hannibal said, causing the three entities to look at him.
Voltaria watched as Blake was on the verge of crying. She felt that she should go by her side and…comfort her like how her mother comforted her when she was young, before she died. Voltaria was about to go to her when a voice came that startled Blake.
"I knew you would look better without the bow."
Blake turns around and looks up to see the Faunus-like monkey was nearby. Voltaria raises a brow as she sees the Faunus monkey walking over to Blake. Voltaria wanted to know what's going one, so she decided to follow the two Faunus. Her teammates might wonder where she was, but she decided to be anonymous and follow the two Faunus to the city.
Unaware what challenges that might come.
Done! Sorry for the long wait, busy helping my little sister. Bohai Ren is my Oc and I'm not adding the dinosaurs yet until the time is right. And you guys have ideas for this story, leave it in the comments.
Review and Favorite.