As the computer terminal started up, Evan started to think.
"If I'm ever going to become strong enough to defeat Frieza, then I'm going to need some help. Plus, after what happened with that masked lady on the tower, it's clear that I still need to improve, regardless. Getting stronger helps me to both become a better huntsman, and a more powerful warrior! Although, my increases in strength are going to be a lot less than before. This planet's gravity is a lot weaker than how it was back on Vegeta. I need something that can increase the level of gravity to something similar to Planet Vegeta's normal gravity if I'm to ever see significant increases in my power level. And I think I know just the man who can help me with that." Evan thought to himself as the computer terminal finished loading.
"Hello, Evan! It's so nice to see you again! How has Beacon been so far?" Pietro asked as he appeared on the screen.
"Hey Pietro! Beacon has been awesome. I've become acquainted with some of Penny's friends that she met while I was still in Atlas. They're really nice, and they have been helping me through some stuff." Evan explained with a small frown.
"That's wonderful to hear! I'm overjoyed that Penny's been able to expand her circle so much!" Pietro exclaimed as his expression changed to a more concerned one as he listened on.
"What exactly has been happening with you?" Pietro questioned.
"Well…It's just that this tournament's been really stressful, and I got to make sure that I make everyone back at Atlas proud! I'm not sure if I could ever live it down if Elm and the others found out that I was eliminated from the Tournament by some random team in the first round. The point is, I'm just thankful that Ruby and her team have been so understanding and were willing to help me through it!" Evan stated as his frown shifted into a smile.
"I promise to tell you everything about who I really am, once I'm back in Atlas. I just can't risk anyone overhearing stuff like that out here in the open." Evan thought to himself as he looked around the library, seeing students casually walking by.
"I'm not surprised! Some of the world's top huntsmen and huntresses in training are competing in that tournament. From what I've seen, you and Penny have been doing great so far!" Pietro's voice exclaimed through the speakers.
"Yeah, it's a shame that only one of us can move onto the next round though…" Evan said with an embarrassed look.
"True. So, how has my E.A.G. been holding up? Any malfunctions or mishaps with them during practice?" Pietro inquired with a hint of curiosity.
"The gauntlets? Nothing from what I can tell. You're stuff's top notch, Doc! On a similar note, there's something that I wanted to ask you about." Evan stated.
"Oh, and what is that?" Pietro asked as he pushed his chair forward, closer to the screen.
"It's just that…A…thought came to mind a while ago. Considering my…impressive abilities, I was wondering if it would be possible to create a device that could increase the gravity in a given area. Something like that could really increase the physical attributes of an individual in a short span of time. Do you think something like that can even be done?" Evan asked.
"A machine that can raise gravity…Hmmmm…It's entirely possible to design a device like that, and in fact, I've seen some of my fellow scientists suggest something along those lines. Using gravity dust and the proper machinery, it could be done! However, a machine like that has never been made due to natural limitations of the human and faunus body alongside other various safety concerns." Pietro elaborated.
"Well, I think I'm a little farther beyond what is considered normal for a faunus, especially with my semblance." Evan replied with a wink at the end as he lowered his voice.
"I suppose when you put it like that…I haven't had anything this interesting to create in so long! I'll need to get some assistance from my fellow companions in the proper fields…Get the appropriate amount of dust crystals…Start re-examining some of the original blueprints…you know what, I'll do it!" Pietro declared.
"Thanks a million, Pietro!" Evan exclaimed.
"You're welcome, Evan." Pietro said with a warm smile.
Checking the time on his scroll, Evan's eyes widened in alarm as he turned back toward the screen.
"Sorry, Doc, but I need to head out soon, the next match is starting up, and I don't want to miss it! I'll see you around!" Evan said as he got out of his seat.
"I see, well, I hope that you enjoy the rest of the Vytal Festival. I'll get to work on that gravity machine while you're away. Considering how the basic designs and blueprints are already made, it shouldn't take very long to actually create the final product. It should probably be finished by the time that the Tournament is fully concluded, if I were to give a date." Pietro explained.
"Cool. Thanks again, Pietro! See ya!" Evan replied as he waved him goodbye and turned off the computer. Turning toward the library exit, Evan sprinted out of the massive space.
/-/
Shuffling past the rows of packed seats, Evan managed to reach Ruby and the others. As the young student sat down in between Ruby and Jaune, Ruby lit up as she saw him.
"Evan! Oh, I'm so glad you were able to make it! You're right on time!" Ruby exclaimed.
"I'd say he's a minute and a half late, since the announcer just finished explaining the rules." Weiss stated.
"Come on Weiss, the fight is what matters in the end anyway." Ruby argued back.
"Hey look, they're deciding the opponents right now!" Jaune pointed out as the large holographic screens displayed the two fighters: Yang Xiao Long vs. Mercury Black
"Kick his butt, sis!" Ruby yelled out.
As spotlights shined onto the two teenagers, the crowd cheered both of them on.
"Three! Two! One! Fight!" The announcer declared.
Both fighters began to fight as Yang focused on mostly punching and firing off ammo, while Mercury mostly relied on dodging and kicking.
"Yeah! You got this Yang!" Blake cheered.
"Show him what Team RWBY can do!" Weiss declared.
"Hit him with everything you got!" Evan yelled out.
As the fight raged on, Evan smelled delicious food lingering in the air. Looking over toward Jaune, he saw Nora munching down on a bucket of popcorn.
"Hey Nora, can I have some of that?" Evan asked.
"What?! No! Go get your own, this food is exclusively property of Nora! No one is getting a single-" Nora stated before Ren reached over and grabbed a small handful.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing, Renny? This is my food!" Nora accusingly questioned.
"That may be true, but who was it again that paid for it?" Ren passively inquired.
Nora looked like she was about to implode for a moment before she finally relented.
"Fine. I'll graciously allow you and Jaune to have some, but no one else can get any! He's the enemy, and we can't let anyone else but Pyrrha win!" Nora declared.
"But I'm not even participating in the Tournament anymore." Evan said.
"No excuses! You might use the energy from the popcorn to come up with an ingenious scheme to take down Pyrrha. Then, you'll tell Penny all about it, and our chances of winning go down the toilet!" Nora replied, much to Evan's bewilderment.
As Jaune scooped up a handful of popcorn, he turned toward Evan and smiled.
"Here. Nora's just being ridiculous." Jaune said as he quietly offered Evan the food.
"Thanks." Evan replied as he gratefully accepted the gift.
Quickly, the fight ended as Mercury's aura was reduced to zero on the holographic screens. With only a small amount of aura left, Yang stood victorious while Mercury laid on the ground in defeat.
However, in a shocking display, Yang, using one of her gauntlets, turned and shot Mercury in the leg. As the audience's cheers turned to surprised gasps and then boos, Mercury cradled his injured leg as he yelled and screamed out in pain.
"AHHHHHH! MY...MY LEG!" Mercury cried out.
"Yeah, that's what you deserve for trying to-" Yang began to mockingly speak as multiple soldiers and robotic Atlesian knights circled around the two fighters and raised their guns on her.
"Yang Xiao Long, stand down, now! We will not ask again!" One of the soldiers yelled out.
"Why?!" Yang questioned.
"Mercury!" Emerald called out as she rushed over to the teen's side.
"Em...I don't...I...Why did she...Agghhh!" Mercury screamed out as he held his injured leg.
Confused, Yang stared up at the holographic screens, displaying her cruel act for all to see.
Evan and the others said nothing as they looked on at the scene in shock and horror.
/-/
Inside the medical airship, Mercury was laid out on a stretcher, screaming and crying in pain. Turning toward Emerald he raised his left palm up to his forehead.
"Oh my...my tiny, little heart can't take all this pain...Just...Just give the news to me straight, doc." Mercury mockingly asked. Emerald responded by punching him hard in the arm.
"Yow! Damn it, Emerald, why'd you go and do that?!" Mercury angrily questioned as he pulled himself up from the stretcher and held his bruised arm.
"Hey, my semblance is all mental. Messing with a single mind like Xiao Long's is easy. Two minds is when things start to hurt. Anything more than that, and a headache will be the least of my worries. If we stuck around any longer, those guards might've started to see through the illusion." Emerald said as she gripped her head in genuine pain.
"I just hope that blondie didn't miss up my legs too badly. I practically made these metal prosthetics by hand, and parts are not exactly easy to come by." Mercury replied as he lifted his pants up to show twin robotic legs.
"Cheer up Mercury, our plan is going swimmingly. You all did an excellent job selling it, and that includes you." The black haired lady replied from within the co-pilot seat.
The pilot turned toward them, her magenta colored eyes changing into a brown left eye and a pink right eye, as she nodded in agreement.
"You really think that it worked?" Mercury asked.
/-/
As Evan leaned against the wall, he knew that this was an opportunity to finally tell the General everything. But as he stood there, he froze up, words unable to formulate as he heard the General become more irritated while he continued to discuss the situation with Team RWBY.
"Sorry Miss Xiao Long, but there's nothing else we can do." Ironwood said.
"But I'm telling you, Mercury retaliated back once the match ended!" Yang angrily claimed.
"I would like to agree, but the video footage tells a very different story." Ironwood calmly stated, although small bits of irritation were beginning to come through.
"I know Yang! She may act aggressively on occasion, but she wouldn't ever hurt a student for no reason!" Weiss replied as she gestured toward the student.
"Absolutely!" Ruby argued.
"*Sigh* I can tell that you're all good students, and the teachers here understand that you wouldn't do such things normally..." Ironwood explained.
"I think that this incident was merely the combination of adrenaline, exhaustion, and stress. I know from experience that when in the thick of battle, you mind may make you...see things that aren't true. Even when the war has long since ended..." Ironwood continued on as he glanced toward his shoulder momentarily.
"I'm telling you, I wasn't hallucin-" Yang began to say.
"Listen to me Xiao Long!" Ironwood yelled out, interrupting her. Hearing the loud and commanding voice of the General made Evan jolt forward from his position, for a second. As silence filled the room, Ironwood took a moment to compose himself before continuing.
"Regardless of what really happened, it's out of my hands now. Millions of people around the world saw you injure an innocent person, and a lot of them are outraged at what occurred. Because of that, and I'm sorry to say this, but you are disqualified from the tournament." Ironwood finished as he turned and walked out of the dorm.
"You trust me, r-right guys?" Yang questioned hesitantly.
"Yeah, sis!" Ruby stated.
"Of course." Evan added.
"It was never in doubt." Weiss firmly replied.
"What about you Blake?" Yang asked as she looked toward her.
"I...I do want to believe that you're right…but..." Blake replied as her voice trailed off.
"What!?" Evan shouted out.
"Huh?!" Ruby exclaimed, also baffled at the response.
"Excuse me?" Weiss asked accusatively.
"Blake?" Yang weakly said, as tears formed in her eyes.
"I can't believe this!" Evan exclaimed as he stormed out of the room.
Exiting out into the hall, he saw Penny standing outside the room, looking toward Evan with an unsure expression.
"H-How did it go?" Penny asked.
"Everyone believes that Yang didn't mean to do it. Well, everyone except Blake, that is. I-It's just, so damn…*Sigh*, I'd rather not talk about it." Evan explained.
"If that's the case…Hmmmm…Have you thought about it?" Penny questioned.
"About what?" Evan asked.
"You know…Talking with the General about your...history, I mean." Penny elaborated.
"Of course I've thought about it! I'm just…not sure when is the right time to tell him. He seems really stressed right now." Evan stated.
"I can imagine. Especially considering how large amounts of Grimm have been approaching the city recently. Not even the massive amounts of reinforcements from Atlas have helped much to eradicate all of them. He must have a lot on his mind." Penny replied with a troubled look on her face.
"Well, when do you think is an appropriate time to tell him?" Evan questioned with an unconfident look on his face.
"I don't know. But, with something like...that, I'm not sure if there's ever a good time. You just have to tell him. The longer you wait to tell him, the worse that you're going to feel. If you tell him while we're still in Vale, you'll have all of us to help back you up!" Penny stated as she took hold of Evan's hands.
"Promise me that you'll do it. Can you promise me that?" Penny questioned as the two looked into each other's eyes.
"I promise." Evan stated.
"Thank you, Evan." Penny said with a small smile and wrapped her arms around him in a comforting hug.
As the door to Team RWBY's dorm opened, Evan and Penny stepped back as Ruby, Weiss, and Blake walked out.
"I didn't think this would be how the tournament unfolded…" Weiss said as she put her hand on her face.
Evan stared Blake down, causing her to look away from him. Ruby moved forward and began to speak.
"We managed to sort things out. Blake has some…issues with trusting people in her past. We talked it out, and she's willing to give Yang a fair chance." Ruby explained, causing Evan's angry expression to shift into a more understanding one.
"Okay…If that's true, then…I'm sorry for judging you so quickly." Evan said aloud.
"It's alright. I can see how you might've reacted the way you did." Blake replied.
The door opposing Team RWBY's dorm slowly opened as Jaune leaned out, while the rest of his team stood close to him.
"How's everything been? How is Yang holding up?" Jaune asked with concern in his voice.
"She...needs some time alone." Blake replied.
"Apparently Mercury and his whole team are heading back to Haven Academy for the time being, or at least that's what I've heard." Ruby explained.
"If you guys need anything, we'd be willing to help out however we can." Ren said with a look of concern.
"Well there is one thing…Pyrrha?" Ruby replied as she looked toward her.
"Yeah?" Pyrrha muttered out.
"Make sure you win this whole thing for us, alright?" Ruby said with a small smile.
"Yeah, give 'em hell out there!" Evan exclaimed.
Pyrrha looked away for a moment, before turning back to face her with a confident look on her face.
"I'll...I'll try." Pyrrha stated.
"We'll be cheering you on from the stands in case you do get picked tonight!" Ruby exclaimed.
"Same here!" Evan replied.
"I...I think I'm going to sit this match out. After that whole Grimm fight in Vale and the preliminary fight...I'm just exhausted." Blake said.
"I agree." Weiss replied with a nod.
"Would you be up to grab some coffee?" Weiss looked around as she asked the others.
"I'm fine." Penny replied.
"No thanks. I'm not trying that poison again." Evan stated, causing the others to lighten up slightly.
"Heh, I think I'll have some tea instead." Blake said with a smile.
"I'll have my coffee as I usually have it, cream and five sugars." Ruby replied.
"That is an exceptionally sugary option, Ruby. How is your body even able to handle all that?" Penny asked.
"Well, all you have to do is burn off all of the excess energy as soon as you drink it. What I normally do is…" Ruby began to explain as the group walked down the corridor.
/-/
Sitting in the stands, Evan watched on as the next match was being decided.
"Ok everyone! Let's check the screens and see who's been chosen for this next fight!" The announcer declared.
The holographic screen began to scroll through all of the opponents until it landed on two fighters.
"It seems that Penny Polendina is up tonight, and her opponent is...Pyrrha Nikos! Will our contender from Atlas Academy be able to take down "The Invincible Girl!"? Only one way to find out!" The announcer yelled out enthusiastically.
The two opponents walked out into the ring as their friends cheered them on.
"Go Penny! Take her down!" Evan exclaimed.
"You got this Pyrrha! Take home the gold for Team JNPR!" Nora yelled out.
"Three! Two! One! Begin!" The announcer declared.
Instantly, the two fighters began their fight as Penny summoned her wired swords as they swirled around her and launched toward Pyrrha. Pyrrha, using her sword and shield, pushed through and deflected the blades. Both fighters clashed their blades as they leaped through the air and continued to attack each other. Pyrrha, dodging past one of the weapons, slammed her sword at Penny's chest, knocking her across the arena.
However, before she could get the chance to continue her assault, Penny rocketed forward by firing the lasers from her swords and using them as an extra boost of speed. Slamming into Pyrrha, Pyrrha was sent flying momentarily before backflipping to right herself on the ground once more. Using her wired blades, Penny knocked Pyrrha's sword and shield out of her hands. Pyrrha, using her magnetic semblance, attempted to retrieve her metal weapons, only for Penny to knock them away once again. Holding her numerous swords above her, Penny prepared to launch them at her opponent. Pyrrha, with a shocked look on her face, readied herself. As Penny sent the swords toward her, Pyrrha used her semblance to push them all away.
As the swords were sent flying, the metallic wires returned to their owner as they almost instantly began to wrap, curl, and tighten around Penny's arms and waist. With ease, the wires cut through and sliced Penny to pieces as she collapsed to the ground, alongside her swords. Pyrrha, along with the rest of the audience look on in silent horror at the lifeless body of Penny, with only the sounds being made were the sparks of electricity going off from the exposed wires and circuits that were now revealed inside Penny's torn limbs and body parts.
/-/
And there we are! 20 whole chapters in! I can hardly believe it myself. Thank you all for reading through my story! Apologies for the delay, time got away from me. My weekend is going to be very busy, so the next chapter will be released sometime next Wednesday.