A/N: Thanks as always to my good friend qazse for help with reactions and my brother Sai for both the script and the actual video "Ride on! Monster Rider Lore". Go check it out as you read along. And subscribe so he'll stop telling me to tell you to subscribe...
Sai and the Field Team Leader could be seen hanging out one day. "You know, Sai, I like hunting monsters and observing them in the wild as much as the next guy, but do you ever wish you could get closer to them? Or even ride them?" The leader asked wistfully, clearly wishing for a more harmonious relationship with the amazing animals.
"Yes. Yes. Yes! SO much YES!" Ruby cried out almost the instant the question left the Field Team Leader's lips.
"Right? It'd be awesome to jet through the skies on a Valstrax!" Yang declared.
"Ooh! I'd want to snuggle on the back of a Zinogre! It's fur is probably so soft and fluffy! And I'd get a charge from its Thunderbugs." Nora said.
"I know I can fly in my bird form, but that does get tiring. I wouldn't mind flying around on a flying monster." Qrow admitted.
"You do realize we have our own monsters we can and have already ridden, right?" Weiss questioned.
"I mean, yeah, nothing wrong with our monsters." Yang said, fist-bumping Raiden. "But it would just be cool to ride some other monsters into battle, too! Like a Nergigante or something! Or, heck, even just cruise through the country or something." She added, imagining herself sunbathing while laying on the hump of a Duramboros.
Sai was nodding along with this. "Oh, yeah, man. I hear you. But you know, there ARE actually people like that out there." He informed his superior said as he stood up properly.
However, the Field Team Leader apparently didn't understand him properly. "What, do you mean when we mount a monster? I mean, I guess, but that's us holding on for dear life while stabbing a monster. I meant riding the monster peacefully, spending time together and maybe even fighting together." He explained, apparently having been imagining a huntress jumping on the back of a Bazelgeuse, trying to bring it down.
"Um... Yeah, I'm pretty sure he was talking about the same thing you're talking about." Emerald said.
"Right? Sai clearly understood what he meant, so why would he be talking about anything different?" Ren agreed.
"Maybe he's just making sure Sai is on the same page as him?" Velvet tried to give the older hunter the benefit of the doubt.
The Sapphire Star was clearly starting to get annoyed, based on the stance he took. "Yes, I am hearing what you are saying. And I am telling you that there ARE people out there that ride monsters and fight with them." The host insisted with his hands on his hips.
And yet, even after that, the Commander's grandson STILL didn't get it. "Oh, I know! You must be talking about how hunters in Kamura use those bugs with their special silk to make a monster move like a puppet and fight for them." He theorized as footage of a pink-haired girl riding a large, purple Fanged Wyvern showed what he meant. "But that's not what I meant, either. I meant living in harmony with monsters, riding on their backs NOT against their will and petting them. You know, like having them as a pet." The Greatsword user elaborated once more.
"What!? They can do that?! That's awesome!" Jaune said, amazed.
"And that monster is pretty cool, too! What is that!?" Nora asked.
"Oh, I'm sure we'll get to that eventually." Razara said.
"But still, this guy has to just be screwing with us and misunderstanding on purpose now." Blake said in annoyance.
"Or he's just an idiot." Cinder added.
"I guess he's got the same listening skills as his grandfather. In other words, he doesn't have any." Coco said.
To say Sai was done at this point was MORE than an understatement. "Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth!?" He demanded- in a very different voice, for some reason- while stomping on the floor in frustration.
But clearly, the Field Team Leader was also getting fed up, thinking Sai wasn't understanding him. "Don't nobody understand the words that are coming out of your mouth, man." He told him, also in a drastically different voice than before.
Many of the more mature audience members facepalmed at this, but the less mature ones couldn't help but laugh. "Hey! Traffic Jam reference! Loved those movies!" Roman laughed.
"Chris Taker and Jackie Chun are comedic geniuses." Neo agreed.
"Still, it's disturbing to see a leader who doesn't listen to his people that much." Adam said, shuddering as he thought about his stubbornness and refusal to listen to reason, even from his own people, in the future Katana prevented.
"Well, to be fair, he has likely never thought of this dream of his to be an actual possibility, so he's likely not understanding that what he's saying can actually be achieved." Ozpin defended the Field Team Leader.
Sai was seen following several more dangerous monsters through their respective environments for a safe distance, wearing a Ghillie Mantle. "Monsters. They are fascinating creatures that we are constantly trying to learn more about to understand their place in nature and how to coexist with them. But at the end of the day, they are wild animals and while some are willing to tolerate humans until they are provoked, they are undeniably the minority, with the vast majority being predators that wouldn't hesitate to make a meal out of a human or Wyverian, while many more are incredibly territorial and will attack anything that violates THEIR turf. So, at the end of the day, directly interacting with these creatures is little more than a pipe dream." The host began, taking off his Ghillie Mantle in front of a Legiana, which IMMEDIATELY became aggressive.
"It is kind of a shame they can't get that close to monsters. Like, I get why the monster's would want them getting right up to them, but you'd think they would be fine as long as you kept your distance." Summer said.
"Unfortunately, nature is a dangerous place for predator and prey alike and everything must be treated as at least a potential threat. From there, it is a matter of their fight, flight or freeze response. And surprisingly, most creatures choose fight. And as for territory disputes, animals have to make sure that whatever enters their territory won't be a threat to their resources, like taking their water, competing for food and endangering or competing with them for mates." Penny added.
"Not to mention for many animals, especially in the case of predators, they can never be certain when their next meal will be, so they have to take any chance they can to catch prey and get a meal, while also being careful to not expend too much energy or take unnecessary risks that may cause severe injury during a hunt. And unfortunately, humans are easy prey, so they don't have to worry about any of that." Winter added.
The Sapphire Star was now more peacefully walking alongside a Viper Tobi-Kadachi. "However, while that is the situation for the majority of people in our world, it does not extend to all people. For you see, while we HAVE grown and learned to respect monsters and nature far more than the Ancient Civilization, their were still groups of people who believed we were being unnecessarily cruel with how we handled monster. But I have no idea what they're talking about." Sai began, before suddenly showing footage of himself hunting a Rathalos. "Got ya, bitch!" He declared, cutting the Fire Wyvern's tail off with a Greatsword.
"Aww, that's so nice..." Pyrrha said happily as the other members of the cinnamon trio cooed at the wholesome moment...
... Which was then ruined when Sai cut the Rathalos' tail off. "THAT'S NOT NICE!" The cinnamon trio all said in horror.
"Honestly, cutting the tail off was already unnecessarily cruel, but insulting it was completely uncalled for." Glynda said in disapproval.
"I mean, I can agree, that's mean to do to monsters, but it's also a pretty cool line. I wouldn't mind using that on some bad guys in the future." Yang admitted.
"Right? It's so great to use when you get someone over on someone." Razara said.
"Yeah, just check it out." Tekko said, showing them a couple of scenes from DBZA where said line popped up.
"Okay, yeah, that's pretty badass in that context." Qrow admitted.
"I'm convinced! That is awesome and I'm gonna do it when we go kick Salem's butt!" Nora declared.
"Agreed. It's certainly more satisfying against another sentient creature instead of a monster that doesn't understand you." Cinder agreed.
Then, an awe-inspiring festival was shown as a number of men in masks danced with flaming spears. "And so these people left the larger and more populated kingdoms and cities to make villages in secluded areas far from the curious eyes of hunters, where they would commune with nature and the monsters in it, learning how to bond with these magnificent creatures to become not Monster HUNTERS, but Monster RIDERS." Sai declared as another masked man approached the dancing spectacle on the back of a Velocidrome.
"How breathtaking! Their movements are wonderful. And they're so calm and poised, even while handling fire!" Weiss said in amazement.
"Yeah. And it's pretty cool to see a guy ride in on a raptor." Jaune added.
"I'm just glad they've learned to coexist with monsters." Velvet said happily.
"Agreed. It's lovely they've managed to become so close to such amazing creatures." Pyrrha agreed.
"Right!? Look at that guy! He's totally in sync with that Velocidrome!" Ruby said in awe.
"I quite enjoy communing with nature as well. I've made quite a few animal friends." Penny said, thinking fondly of her firefly friends.
A red-haired boy named Cheval shared a look of comradery with his partner, a Rathian. "So, now in their little villages, they seek to observe and understand monsters in nature rather than capture and study them, as well as more peacefully solve issues and disputes with monsters, rather than killing them or beating them up and relocating them like Hunters do." Sai began as a little boy was seen sitting next to a basking Royal Ludroth. "But while they do have weapons and such to do that on their own, it's easier with a friend, so they partner up with their very own 'Monsties', a term coined from the words 'Monsters' and 'Buddies'. It's kind of lame, but I digress." The host explained as a group of several riders on the backs of Velocidromes faced off against a Nargacuga that was strangely emitting black and purple mist.
"Aww, that's so sweet..." Ruby cooed along with the other members of the cinnamon trio...
... Before gasping at Sai insulting the term. "LAME?! HOW DARE YOU!?" The three of them shouted all at once, holding up torches and pitchforks.
"You know he's a FIRE demon, right? Torches won't do all that much." Razara told him. The three of them pause for a moment, before swapping the torches for super soakers. "Better." She confirmed.
"I don't know, sis. I'm with Sai on this one. It's kinda cringey." Yang admitted.
"Kind of? It's completely cringey. Your puns might actually be better than that." Cinder said, much to Ruby's aghast.
"How could my own sister and girlfriend say something so horrible?!" She asked in shock.
A massive chunk of glowing cyan ore was then shown. "So, you may be wondering how exactly they do this and if just anyone could, like could you jump on a Bazelgeuse's back and be best friends with it? No. No, You can't. Don't do that." Sai warned as a Huntress leapt onto a Bazelgeuse's back.
"What is she thinking!? Is she insane?!" Ironwood asked.
"And seriously, of all the monsters she could pick, she chose the literal bomber plane!?" Ilia questioned.
"If I had to hazard a guess, she was just informed riding monsters was possible and she attempted to do so without knowing all the details. Excitement can get the best of people when they see or hear about something they want to do more than anything." Ozpin theorized.
"Then lets hope he tells us the details soon." Hazel said.
The ore was shown again. "It's unknown when or how, but what IS known is that at some point before they even officially became Riders, the people of these villages found a strange type of glowing ore that somehow resonates with people and monsters alike. It seems to calm and pacify the beasts, allowing people to get near them and form a connection with them. A Kinship if you will." The host spoke before showing several smaller stones outfitted to accessories on a Rider's person.
"Kinship ore. Kinship stones. Oh! Like Kinship attacks! So this must be what makes it all possible!" Summer realized.
"So, it needs a special rock in order to work? That kind of makes it less special, don't you think? Like it takes away from the 'natural' bond somehow?" Neo questioned.
"Well, they did mention the ore calms the monsters down, so maybe that's part of the reason? But that's probably the full extent. It's a lot easier to bond with something that's calm and peaceful instead of one trying to eat you." Ren theorized.
"But I gotta say, they know how to accessorize. Maybe I could get one of those on the back of one of my gauntlets." Yang said.
A pair of riders and a Felyne faced off against a Kulu-Ya-Ku. "And thus, this ore was dubbed Kinship Ore and riders broke very small chunks of them off and made them into specialized accessories, most commonly worn on the back of one's hand, known as Kinship Stones." Sai explained as a boy with a red and silver pompadour posed with his hand raised to show off his Kinship Stone.
And then they saw the main Rider posing with his Kinship Stone. "Aww, he's cute." Pyrrha cooed.
"But what's up with that pompadour?!" Nora laughed along with a few less mature teens.
Even Tekko and Razara were rolling on the floor in laughter. "What was he thinking!? His old, slicked back hair was so much cooler!" Tekko cackled.
"I know, right?! I doubt he can even see with that thing!" Razara laughed as well.
But that laughter was turned to squeals when their mother gave each of them a sharp swat on the butt. "Girls! It's not nice to mock your little cousin like that!" She scolded.
"Cousin? So he's-?" Blake started.
"Another of Sai's children, yes. His son, Nasai." Katana confirmed.
"Is he a vampire, too?" The cat girl asked excitedly.
"No, his mother is a blood demon named Nisha." She explained.
"But seriously, Razara had a point. That thing's huge. It's AT LEAST gotta be blocking his upper peripheral vision." Jaune said.
"I think it's distinctive. Helps him stand out." Yang corrected.
"Yeah. And if the kid decides to make a name for himself, it will make him easier to remember. No one's forgetting that hair." Roman agreed.
"Yeah. There's definitely some charm to it. My compliments to his stylist." Coco added.
"Those are actually kind of common. That pompadour in particular is the Barroth Pompadour. A lot of riders model their hairstyles after certain monsters." Katana explained, magically changing her daughters' hairs to several different styles, many looking like monsters such as Congalala, Nargacuga, Arzuros, Barioth and the Raths, listing the name of each hairstyle as well. She eventually stopped, leaving Tekko with the Funky Kut-Ku style and Razara with the Brachydios pompadour.
"Moooooom!" Both girls complained, before magically fixing their hair. Although, Razara's original hairstyle turned out to be the Barioth Braids.
"Whoa! All of those were so cool!" Ruby said with stars in her eyes. "I want the Spiky Rathian! Or even the Spiky Nergal." Ruby said.
"I want that Funky Kut-Ku style!" Nora added, much to everyone's shock.
"Okay, we wasted a lot of time on this. Moving on." Katana said.
Nasai was then seen flying through the sky on the back of a Rathalos. "But this alone is still not enough, simply having this won't just let you start riding a Bazelgeuse. Seriously, stop doing that." Sai pointed out as the Huntress jumped on a Bazelgeuse again. "Having a Kinship Stone does not automatically make all monsters friendly and let you jump on their back. Trying that would be a good way to get eaten. Instead, most riders go out to monster dens and... 'procure' an egg from the nest." Sai explained as his son dug through a nest until he found an egg.
Many of the less mature cast laughed at the huntress jumping on the explosive Flying Wyvern a second time, while the more mature ones sighed. "Okay, seriously, that woman MUST have a death wish." Winter said.
"Yeah. Unless she's properly hunting it- which I kind of doubt, based on the lack of stabbing- she needs to stop doing that." Glynda agreed.
"Okay, I'm not the only one that thought something was up with the way he said 'procure', right?" Emerald asked, getting nods of confirmation from Roman and Neo.
"So, Riders start out quite early, then, don't they? Nasai seems to be younger than Ruby." Ironwood noted.
"Well, they raise their monsters from babies, so they grow up together. It's a great way to help with the Kinship." Katana made up a reason.
The boy was seen digging for more eggs after this. "And you can tell what kind of monster you get from the egg's design. Herbivores have short, wide, horizontal streaks. Bird Wyverns have small splotch patterns. Fanged Beasts have... Different splotch patterns. Leviathans have wavy horizontal lines. Flying Wyverns have tiger stripes. Brute Wyverns have horizontal jagged lines. Fanged Wyverns have VERTICAL jagged lines. Amphibians have streaks like Herbivores, but thinner and vertical. Temnocerans have vertical lines from the top of the egg to the bottom. Piscine Wyverns have spots all over. Palamutes have a Shuriken design- that's right, dogs come from eggs. And Elder Dragons have giant stars on their eggs." The host explained as Nasai had an egg of each kind in his hand, text below labelling them as an Aptonoth, a Pukei-Pukei, a Kecha Wacha, a Purple Royal Ludroth, a Tigrex, a Fulgur Anjanath, a Tobi-Kadachi, a Zamtrios, a Nerscylla, a Cephalos, a Palamute and a Nergigante.
"Aww. Those eggs are so cute!" Velvet cooed, earning nods from the other animal lovers.
"Yeah. I'm digging the tiger stripe design on the Flying Wyvern eggs." Qrow admitted.
"I bet Blake likes the shuriken on the Palamute eggs. Right, miss Ninjas of Love?" Ilia asked teasingly.
"Considering he just said a dog hatches out of those eggs, no." Blake declared.
Suddenly, a record scratch was heard as an Elderly Wyverian Researcher was shown. "Wait, I thought Nergigante are born from the fallen spikes of an adult Nergigante, how did he find an egg for one?" The scholar questioned, looking to Sai for answers.
The sound of crickets could be heard as the two stared at each other... before Sai suddenly aimed a pair of guns at the researcher. "Interrupt my story again, Reggie! See what happens!" The Sapphire Star threatened, shooting out to the sides to prove his point.
"Whoa! That's a bit extreme, isn't it!?" Weiss cried out.
"Pretty standard when it came to Salem." Hazel said.
"That just proves why it's too extreme!" Weiss insisted.
"I mean, it will definitely stop people from interrupting you." Yang said.
"I have a feeling he just didn't know the answer." Adam chuckled.
A young blonde girl named Avinia could be seen walking through the forest. "Now, I should note, this is not the ONLY method of obtaining a Monstie, just the most reliable. There is an account of a young girl named Avinia who got lost in a forest one day and snuggled up to the first thing she saw: A Barioth." Sai explained as Avinia was seen clinging to the Ice Tusk Wyvern. "I don't think I should have to tell you why that's a bad idea, but here's a list." The host said in a snarky manner, actually putting up a list of why that was a bad idea.
"That must be so warm!" Velvet said sweetly.
"I know, right?! It's such an adorable moment!" Ruby agreed.
"She must've been scared, so it's nice to she see was brave enough to do that." Pyrrha said.
The then they saw Sai's list why that was a bad idea. "Or... Maybe it's not so nice." Jaune said, particularly worried about the point of how big cats and dragons are particularly brutal hunters.
"He's just joking... Right?" Ruby asked.
"I'm afraid not, Ruby. As I said earlier, wild animals must treat everything with suspicion, so going up to one and hugging it would likely cause it to panic, thinking your grabbing it to bring it down and kill it, so they'll likely attack to defend themselves." Penny said.
"Precisely. Which is why, Miss Rose, regardless of how much you love these animals, you are NOT to approach any sleeping monster in the wild to 'snuggle' with them should you encounter one on a mission or training exercise." Glynda told her sternly.
"Or at home! Do you understand, young lady?" Summer added, equally stern.
"Aww... Yes, ma'ams..." She groaned in disappointment.
Avinia was seen walking through the forest once again. "Then people eventually found her and brought her home, then she went out to the forest again and was attacked by a Gypceros, but saved by that very same Barioth, who decided to go with her and be her Monstie. Definitely the longer and more dangerous method, but it can work. So, either steal eggs and raise the baby that hatches, or go out into the wilderness, hug a wild animal and hope it doesn't eat you. I'll leave the choice up to you." The Sapphire Star as Avinia and the Barioth walked off together.
"Yay! The Barioth remembered her!" Ruby said happily.
"How incredible. It was already willing to risk its life to defend a girl it had only met once." Pyrrha said in amazement.
"They really are like animals. It reminds me of all the amazing stories you hear about people saving animals and vise-versa." Velvet added with a smile.
However, their lifted spirits were brought down when Sai rather bluntly stated the method of acquiring the eggs. "So, they steal the eggs? That's terrible." Pyrrha said.
"Yeah. We'd basically be taking unborn babies from their mommies." Ruby said, hugging Summer.
"Don't worry, Ruby. Many of these monsters are reptiles, which are not well-known for being good parents." Penny tried to assure her.
"And didn't Rage mention Astalos will eat their own young? Sounds like a mercy, taking them away from that." Weiss added.
Then, many less mature members of the crew laughed at Sai's two options. "Let's see, take an egg and don't get hurt in any way, or hug a wild animal and risk getting eaten... Tough choice." Yang said sarcastically.
"That second one definitely sounds like you, kiddo. And don't lie, you've said you wanted to hug pretty much every monster you've seen so fair." Qrow said as Ruby looked away sheepishly with a blush, knowing full well she'd do that.
"What is wrong with my family?" Summer asked, shaking her head in despair.
Nasai could be seen riding a Nerscylla as a bow-wielding hunter his age named Kyle followed him. "So, you may be thinking to yourself 'Wow! This is revolutionary! So, why don't riders go around everywhere and teach hunters and the rest of the world about kinship!' Well, the thing about that is, uh... Bad things happened that way." Sai explained as a group of riders were having a confrontation with some hunters. "You see, most people in our world are so used to seeing monsters as threats, the idea of befriending and riding them was completely outlandish to them. So, hunters and the people of most regular settlements were highly suspicious of riders, even going far as to attack them." The host informed as an older Avinia stated that people have attacked her before.
"WHAT?!" Ruby, Jaune, Velvet and Penny all cried out in shock.
"Okay, I understand being a little bit questionable, but outright attacking them!? That's absurd!" Weiss cried out.
"Even dismissing their ways like that is ridiculous. I mean, if you're looking at someone riding a monster, how are you going to say riding a monster is impossible?" Cinder questioned. That'd be like questioning if the Maidens exist seeing one of them call lightning from the sky!
"It may not be right, students, but it is understandable. As Sai himself said, they've only known monsters as threats for the longest time, it's hard to see them as much else." Ozpin told them.
"Especially considering they can be a danger to not just settlements, but the balance of nature itself, like with Deviljho's or Elder Dragons." Ironwood said.
"Exactly. Now imagine if someone told you that you didn't have to kill those monsters after that's how you've dealt with them for so long. Or even that you could have those same walking natural disasters as pets. You'd think they were insane. It would be like someone telling us we could domesticate the Grimm." Winter said.
The confrontation between the riders and hunters was shown again. "Meanwhile, riders tend to see hunters as savages who brutalize and savagely kill beautiful creatures of nature. This is the reason Riders live so far away from most hunter controlled settlements, to protect their monsters and themselves from people who would fear or kill said monsters. And potentially even the Riders should they get in the way. In fact, taking it a step further, one could even argue into the extremes, these villages made it a rule that, should a child grow up and become a rider, they can never leave the village, so that they'll never stumble upon hunters and the secret of riders doesn't get out." Sai explained as the chief of a Rider village told a young blossoming rider as much. "As you might have guessed, this means very people know about riders, even other rider villages are left unaware of each other." The host went on as Avinia was surprised to meet a rider who wasn't from her village.
Now it was the adults' turn to be shocked. "How could they think something like that!?" Summer demanded.
"Well, like he said, they are kind of killing beautiful creatures." Ruby admitted.
"We admire these creatures as much as you do, Miss Rose, but it is important to remember, they are still dangerous. Lives are at risk when these monsters lose control. Some of them even threaten life with their mere existence. Sometimes, the only option is to slay these creatures. It should only be the last resort, of course, but it can't be ruled out as an option." Glynda told her.
"Yeah. Not to mention, hunting these things are dangerous. Heck, Rage says in every video how most of these things could kill you. So these hunters are risking their lives to protect people, other monsters, the environment, or even the balance of nature. Just like what Winter said, it'd be like if people called us out for risking our lives, killing Grimm." Qrow told her.
"If someone said something like that about Gretchen... I'd tear their heads off." Hazel growled.
"And moving far from hunters doesn't help their situation, either. That's just running away. That's what the Faunus in Menagerie do, hide away and ignore what's happening in the world around them. That's what allowed Sienna and I to get out of control in the future." Adam added.
A/N: This went on too long. Had to break it up into two parts.