Chapter 3

This chapter will have a small time skip before the main series begins. I hope you enjoy it.

Vale. Two Months Later.

"So this is the most popular bar in Vale?" Issei asked himself as he looked at the address he had gained from Glynda Goodwitch. Shirō was now in the form of a bracelet while Issei looked at the bar before entering it and saw that it was more of a club.

"Huh. Not a bad place." Issei said as he knew that it was his week to let loose a bit before he got back into his training. There was only a month of training he had left before the start of the new year.

Over the past two months, Issei has been given a crash course on the classes he would be going through. The world traveler was really enjoying his lessons with Port and Doctor Oobeleck since the two of them were able to help Issei with the lessons on not just Grimm but also the History of Vale and the other cities, as well as field experience.

Port may have sounded like he was a blowhard, but Issei was able to see that Port was a courteous man who had a good heart. Oobeleck, on the other hand, was a very fast-speaking doctor/professor but was a good professor who helped Issei when he was going through some trouble with coping with the fact that his home and family were dead and also his emotional pain.

Glynda was a very good guardian who cared a lot for Issei since she was also a good therapist of sorts, as Issei had nightmares at night when he slept. Glynda witnessed his night terrors as she was able to calm him down by just holding his hand and with Shirō using his aura to calm Issei's mind and heart.

She even helped Issei get some new clothes to replace the ones he entered the world with, and it was honestly a very good wardrobe change since Issei's Hunter attire suited his combat style and how far he came in using his mind to help him in battle, especially his training with Glynda and her minions.

Ozpin was the only staff member who had the least amount of communication with Issei due to his work, but Issei had trouble with how Ozpin had hidden a few things from him and how the headmaster didn't tell him what the threat was.

'Sometimes I wonder what this threat really is. Ozpin seems to be holding out a lot, but why? Doesn't he trust me to help him and this world?' Issei pondered to himself as he walked towards the bar and took a seat.

"Uh. Got any non-alcoholic beverages?" Issei asked as a man behind the counter chuckled as he nodded in response and handed Issei a list.

"Of course. Got anything in particular?" The bartender asked as Issei looked at the list before replying.

I'll try the Watermelon Agua Fresca. Issei said as the bartender chuckled and nodded before asking him.

"How old are you, kid? Sixteen? Seventeen?"

"Actually, almost eighteen."

"Seriously? I'm surprised."

"Why is that?"

"Oh, you look like you should be back home instead of in a bar. You training to be a Hunter?" The bartender asked as Issei nodded in response.

"Yeah. I'm training right now, but I'm mostly worried about my future team since I'm good with talking to others, but being in a team for four years? Sounds like torture to me." Issei said as the bartender chuckled in response.

"Yeah, I know the feeling. I've seen many kids come from Beacon with shiny eyes and thinking they'll be saviors of humankind or some nonsense like that." The bartender said as Issei laughed at the idea of seeing that.

"Only to fall when the reality sets in, huh?" Issei asked as the bartender gave the boy his drink before the bartender patted the boy's head.

"It's on the house. You don't have to act tough, kid. No one will judge you."

"Huh?" Issei asked as the bartender looked at him with understanding eyes and replied.

"You lost people you cared for, didn't you? Was it bandits or thieves? Or was it the Grimm?" The bartender asked Issei, who was shocked by this before the bartender continued.

"I was like that myself. Wanting to be a Hunter, I had a good relationship with my team until I lost them due to a bastard who killed them all and left me alive." The bartender said as he was cleaning his glass but clenched it as he growled a bit, surprising Issei before continuing his story.

"I lost my team and was unable to continue being a Hunter, but thankfully, an old friend helped me start up my business. Juniors Bar. A place where people can escape the hardships of this world for just a little while until we get back into the battle and fight like hell another day." The bartender said as Issei looked at the name tag and saw it was labeled Junior before the man smirked at the kid's shocked expression.

"Heh. Shocking. A badass Hunter is now reduced to a bartender and owner. Honestly, this job is actually really good since it allows me to connect with people and help them when they struggle needing a place to let loose. Names Junior. Enjoy the drink, kid." Junior said as Issei was surprised by the man's words before taking a drink and enjoying the taste of it.

Issei then turned to the other occupants of the club and was surprised to see a dark-skinned woman with mint green hair pole dancing and wearing an attire that didn't make her erotic but showed just enough skin to reveal her assets.

Issei then looked to see two girls who seemed to be security guards of sorts since they weren't wearing police uniforms but wearing outfits that seemed to fit dancers.

The first one was a teenage girl with long black hair with a straight fringe that covered her eyebrows and pale green eyes, highlighted by the use of heavy cyan makeup.

She wore an off-white, strapless dress that graduates to a cyan towards the skirt; it has a cyan layered feathery tulle that hangs longer than the dress and a small bow in the top center part of the dress.

The girl also wore a pair of white thigh-high boots with red lace-up detailing. Her Heel Blades were fitted to the rear of her boots, seemingly connected to the heels. Twin silver chains run from the back of the boots, connecting to a layer of armored pieces on the fronts of the boots. She wears cyan stockings under her boots with lace-trimmed tops that peek above the boots and garter straps that supposedly connect to her underwear. She sports a pair of white forearm-length gloves with cyan lace detailing running from wrist to forearm, accompanied by a silver vambrace on her left forearm.

She has a white belt around her waist that has twin silver chains on the front alongside a cyan gemstone in the center, while a pair of cyan feather-like wings extend from the back.

Her accessories include a white flower-shaped hairpin above her left ear and a white feather scarf with two short red feathers surrounding a long cyan feather on the left side. She also sports a silver pauldron on her left shoulder.

The other one next to the white-dressed girl was another teenage girl with short black bob-style hair with a straight fringe and pale green eyes highlighted by heavy red makeup. She wore a red strapless dress that was patterned with newspaper articles with the headings "A New York la pop art di Alborghetti," "Amity Arena," and "New York Fine Art."

Her dress was a black and dark red lace layered tulle that hung down more than the dress. She has an off-centered bow belt around her waist and wears a pair of red thigh-high boots with black heels and soles alongside white lace-up detail. Twin silver chains run around from the back of the boots, connecting to a layer of armor plating on the front of her boots. She wears lacy black stockings that peek out over the top of her boots, accompanied by black garter straps that supposedly connect to her underwear.

The girl wore a pair of black fingerless forearm-length gloves with red lining around the tips of the fingers. Her gloves sport a newspaper design similar to her dress, running from the backs of her hands to her forearms with a light brown frill trim peeking out of the ends. The girl's weapons sat over her gloves.

Her accessories include a large, long, wing-like red feather and two short white feathers above her left ear, and a short black fur shrug held by four beaded chains with a white gemstone in the center.

"Have to admit they are definitely not to be underestimated and look amazing at the same time," Issei said as he sipped his drink some more before Issei turned to the left to see a bowl of Neapolitan ice cream being eaten by head of Neapolitan ice cream as well with a bowler hat.

"Uh...Is that an ice cream Grimm?" Issei asked himself as he headed towards the ice cream bowl before seeing the mop of Neapolitan reveal itself to be a woman who looked up; Issei blushed lightly at her beauty. The woman put a hand over her mouth as if she was giggling and shook her head at his question.

"Oh, sorry. I'm used to seeing people with mostly one color in their hair. Not two. Oh, sorry, where are my manners? My name is Issei. Issei Hyoudou."

The woman smiled; she then pulled out her scroll and typed a message before showing it to him. {My name is Neapolitan; it's nice to meet you, Issei. I've been watching you for quite some time now.}

"Wait, what? I've never seen you at my school, nor have I ever seen you in town. Wait. Are you a stalker?" Issei asked as Neo smiled at him and replied.

{That depends. Do I look like one Issei Hyoudou? You definitely have some unknown origins since your file says that Glynda Goodwitch adopted you, but I can tell your file is false. Only your name is correct.} Neapolitan said as Issei was shocked that she saw right through his false profile that Ozpin made for him to live and become a citizen of Vale.

"...What do you want?" Issei asked as Neo smiled and pushed her bowl away before holding out a hand for him to shake.

{I would like to introduce myself and inform you of who really runs this city. Ozpin may be the Headmaster of Beacon, but this Spider has many connections to powerful people in the city.} Neo said as Issei was shocked by this before Neo put a finger to her lips and typed another message.

{My name is Neopolitan, the leader of the Spider after my old boss died and left me in charge.} Neo said as she then continued speaking to him. {And I wish to make a deal with you, Issei Hyoudou.}

"...I'll listen, but only if you tell me what you know about me," Issei said as Shirō shook in his bracelet form, wanting to protect Issei, but his partner calmed him down before the dragon attacked the girl.

Neo didn't seem fazed by the shimmering bracelet as she began to explain that she and Ozpin had an arrangement that the Spider would keep Ozpin informed of all crime in Vale and what was happening in the Underworld. In contrast, Ozpin keeps her Vale operations safe from the local police force.

Issei was surprised by this as he couldn't imagine Ozpin making a deal with a criminal organization before Neo explained how the Spider organization was led by the owner of her bowler hat, Roman Torchwick, and how he led the organization with an iron fist and did care about his most loyal accomplices. Unfortunately, when Roman died protecting Neo from a sniper attack, she was given the position and decided to accept it.

"Woah. So, the leader of a criminal organization that controls all of Vale? Man, that's got to be rough sometimes." Issei said as Neo chuckled and replied to him.

{Sometimes, but I keep my cards close and only trust those I know who I can trust.} Neo said as Issei chuckled in response to that.

"Heh. If only I could've used that bit of advice when I got killed by my ex-girlfriend." Issei said as Neo was surprised by this before. Issei shared what happened to him but kept his little secret safe, which was good since Neo seemed to pity the naive boy and patted his head before she typed in another message.

{It's hard to find people whom you can trust, and I am sorry for what that bitch did to you but know that if you want some tough but honest advice, then I'm your girl.} Neo said as Issei thanked her before asking.

"Now, what is it that you want from me?"

{Oh, it's simple.} Neo said as she took Issei's scroll and typed in a number before giving it back to him and pointing to the new contact under the name Ice Cream Goddess.

{This is how I'll contact you. What I want from you is an IOU. Accept it, and I'll give you some information on what I know about this 'threat' to our world. Have we got a deal?} Neo asked as she held her hand out for Issei to shake, but before Issei could shake it.

"HANDS WHERE I CAN SEE THEM!" A White Fang Member shouted as a small group of ten White Fang members began to shoot the inside of the bar while Issei was surprised to see rogue members of the peaceful protesters known as the White Fang.

"White Fang members, but why attack a bar?" Issei asked as Neo narrowed her eyes at them before getting off her seat and opening her umbrella. She glared at the group of people before the leader, who was a massive man with a muscular appearance and short black hair. He wore the pants and black gloves of other White Fang members, but his forearms had metal guards. The leader also had a distinctive top with a collar that stuck up around his neck and lacked the buttoned look of the standard garb.

The leader of the group also wore a custom Grimm Mask that covered his whole face and had red eyes with thin red streaks streaming to the bottom of the mask. On his left arm, he bears several black tattooed designs.

Neo approached the man as the leader looked down at her and spoke.

"We're here to kill you, brat, so either hand yourself over willingly, or things will get messy." The leader said as he grabbed the handle of his weapon, as did the others, while Neo closed her eyes and smiled at him before lifting her left hand and giving him the bird.

"Have it your way then." The leader said as he revved up his chainsaw. At the same time, Neo smiled as she used her umbrella to block the attack before getting behind him and slamming the butt of her umbrella on his back, sending him forward a bit as the others began to charge at her with their swords and guns, but Neo didn't seem fazed by them.

"Mind if I join in?" The pole dancer asked as she began firing her pistols at some of the White Fang members before using chain hooks and taking two of them while Junior got out from the bar and began to bludgeon three of the group with his massive bat.

The remaining five were about to attack Neo, but a wall of ice stopped them as they turned to see the twins narrowing their eyes at the five.

"Shall we escort them out, Melanie?"

"Oh, definitely, Miltia. Let's teach them a lesson they won't forget." Melanie said as she charged at the five and began to clash with them by combining their skills in acrobatics and fighting. Miltia felt dealt with the sword users while Melanie used her speed to get close and disarm the White Fang members before kicking them to the ice wall they made.

Neo smiled at her loyal subordinates before turning to the leader, who was annoyed at the girl for humiliating him. He then tried to attack Neo with his chainsaw before a stream of flames began to make the chainsaw blade melt. The two turned to see Issei breathing some fire at the saw blade before he held out his left hand and let a sword of ice appear with fire dust in the blade.

"Mind if I tag in?" Issei asked as Neo smiled and nodded as she began to attack the leader, who resorted to using his massive build to punch Neo. Still, the girl dodged the slow but strong punches before Issei came in and slashed at the leader's left arm, not damaging him due to his aura but freezing his arm at the same time.

"Tch. Cute, but that won't save you." The leader said as he slammed his fists together and shattered the ice. He then tried to attack Issei and Neo, who began to weave around the attack and deal damage to the leader, who took the blows like a champ.

Emerald was slashing the two White Fang members with her sickles before finishing them off by kneeing them in the face.

"Phew. That was a good workout." Emerald said as she wiped her forehead before putting her guns back in her holster. She then looked at Melanie and Miltia dealing with the remaining members of their group before turning to see Junior dealing with his own business on his end.

"It looks like we'll be able to save on repairs due to them not destroying much," Emerald said as she walked out to the main floor before looking to see a duo burst in and begin to clash with Junior, Melanie, and Miltia.

"Seriously Elder? You can't deal with a couple of bar security guards?" The first girl asked as she had razor-sharp teeth and disarmed Junior of his bat before kicking him away. A second girl sped toward Junior on all four limbs, and she then kicked Junior into the floor, creating a sizable crater.

"Yeah, I have to admit that this is quite pathetic. You getting slow, old man?" The Cheetah Faunus asked as the Crocodile girl smiled at her partner. They then turned to Emerald, who had her sickles ready, as Tock smiled and turned the hand on her stopwatch.

"You got sixty seconds to live. Hope you don't die too quickly!"

Emerald narrowed her eyes as she fired at the girl but was shocked to see her bullets bounce off her skin.

"What's wrong? Are you scared because shooting me isn't working? The Crocodile Bandit Tock doesn't fall that easily." Tock said as she tried to slam her fist into Emerald's face but saw Emerald vanish into thin air until she tried to shoot her in the back, but Tock didn't even seem fazed by it.

"Seriously? Is that all you got?" Tock growled as she tried to slash Emerald again, but she vanished again and again as Tock growled, seeing multiple clones appear.

"Tch. Smart. Using illusions to mess with me." Tock said as she sniffed the air before smiling as she heard the steps of her opponent.

"But not good enough!" Tock shouted as she dodged the slash and punched Emerald with a left hook that sent Emerald flying a bit.

The Cheetah Faunus was clashing with Melanie and Miltia, who backed away and caught Emerald before placing her on the ground.

"You okay, Emerald?" Melanie asked as Emerald picked herself up and nodded.

"Yeah. I'll live, but these two are tougher than the others." Emerald said as Elder flew from the back and slammed into the door. Issei and Neo appeared, a bit worn out but still able to keep going.

"Man. What's your skin made of? You are a literal tank, and yet you have lousy aim." Issei said as Neo chuckled at the comment before Elder stood up and looked at his defeated minions, except for Tock and Cheetah, before growling as he pulled out a small grenade.

"Until next time, Neo," Elder said as he threw the grenade on the floor, which exploded into a massive smokescreen before the smoke vanished. Melanie and Miltia helped Emerald to one of the tables and tended to her while Junior was taken to Vale Hospital when the police arrived.

Neo and Issei gave their statement before Neo smiled at Issei and thanked him before messaging him.

{You know something. You're a cool guy. If being a Hunter doesn't work out, then I'm always looking for a new member to join.} Neo said as Issei chuckled in response.

"Thanks, but I think I'll pass for now," Issei said as Neo nodded and put the card away. The night went on, and Issei was glad to have met Neo since there was something about her that made Issei smile when he was around her, even though they just met, which is why Neo and Issei were shocked by what happened next.

Neo felt Issei take the bowler hat off her head and pat her head, making Neo blush at the feel of it and recalling the only other person who did this to her. Issei was about to take his hand back, but Neo stopped him.

{P-Please don't stop. I-It felt nice.} Neo said with a red face as Issei smiled and nodded before patting her head some more. At the same time, Neo smiled in joy and comfort as she let her guard down next to a total stranger that she just met.

But they didn't care since Issei and Neo felt safe near each other.

It was truly a good night indeed.

Scene.

Here we have it! Issei's trailer was to show Issei meeting his future teammates but also showcasing the other residents of the bar that'll show up in the series.

Issei's Hunter attire is a special Dust Coat that allows him to use all sorts of different Dust to create special weapons with the elemental abilities and even combine them. He also has Dust Gauntlets and Gloves that allow him to combine Dust with Shirō and the minions he summons, thanks to his training with Glynda and the other professors.

Issei's true skills and strength will be revealed in the Orientation, as well as the true strength of his second semblance.

His main weapon will also be revealed in the orientation chapter.

I hope you like it and see you soon!