Black RWBY Academia

by stringdog

What if the characters from RWBY and Black Clover were in the MHA universe, how would the story be told then? Well, it's time to find out in this three-way crossover set entirely in the MHA universe in a retelling of the story with additional characters and the roles that they will play in the war between All for One and One for All.

47. Chapter 47: Duty of Huntsmen

Here is the forty-seventh chapter in this story released in accordance with my release schedule for this story. After an informative and easy first day of their internship, Ruby and Weiss are ready to kick it up a notch and go out into the field for a simple three day reconnaissance mission with Yang, Blake, and a pro Huntsman Hero. They don't know the location yet but surely it can't be too bad, right? After all, it's only a simple recon mission, what could possibly go wrong? That is all that I have for the administrative stuff I have for y'all and while there are no questions to answer here there is one guest review that need a response, one of which will involve a question to y'all, so I will do that now. Do keep them coming as your support is the best motivation for me to keep producing chapters at this kind of rate.

To Guest, (guest), thank you for your review and support. Yup, the Huntsman internship has begun with less fanfare and near death experiences compared to the Quirk Knight one but it's early yet, there's still time for all that. Yeah, if I ever do a spinoff fic that looks at the current 3rd years' first year at U.A. we might see that incident and all that Blake had to go through, along with some other fun moments but regardless it was probably not a great time for Blake though I'm sure they had good fish for her. JNPR are just making a cameo at the moment, they're role will increase in later arcs but for now the focus is on RWBY and the first time the 4 girls are all together on a mission which starts now. Do keep reading and enjoying my work.

That is it for this slightly shorter than usual pre-chapter note so it is time to sit back and enjoy the forty-seventh chapter in Black RWBY Academia.

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to these three great franchises.

Chapter 47: Duty of Huntsmen

"Why hello girls, who's ready to explore a ghost town and potentially fight for their lives!"

Ruby, Weiss, Yang, and Blake just stared at the man who'd greeted them at the start of the walkway to Beacon. Ruby and Yang had similar looks of confused horror, Weiss was white eyed, and Black was slumped forward in resignation at the reveal of which professional Huntsman hero would be looking after them this week. This was especially prominent with Ruby and Weiss as it was their internship but even Yang and Blake were thrown as work study students by who was before them as he was the last person associated with Beacon that they'd expected to be their supervisor for this mission.

They'd been told the day before what their mission for the week was, it would be a good entry into field work for Ruby and Weiss and show them a key aspect of Huntsman hero work in Japan, and as none of them were pros they were going to be supervised by one for it. Yes, Yang and Blake as third years had their provisional licenses and could act as pros in an emergency but they usually only did local patrols in Vale or Musutafu, or help out with general small town guard duty without supervision.

In the past Ozpin had sent out teams of four work study students to towns to work unsupervised the way rural Huntsmen did when they were fully licensed pros. However, an incident the year before where a team of third years from U.A. had failed to protect the few survivors of a Grimm rampage that had wiped out their town had forced that policy to change. Since then there was always a supervisor.

That hadn't bothered the girls as both Ruby and Weiss understood that they could learn a lot from seeing a pro Huntsman in action while Yang and Blake were well aware of the incident, Blake was good friends with one of the four involved in it and still recalled how depressed she'd been after the failure, and so understood that having a pro with them was a good thing. They'd made sure to tell Ruby and Weiss about what to expect from a supervisor as they'd worked with Glynda and Peach while at Beacon and learned a lot from them so the younger girls were eager to learn as well.

That was just part of what they'd been told as they were shown the massive complex that was the Beacon Huntsman Agency. It was basically a town with a European architectural flair to it that sprawled over the area and took a good few hours to cover as Ruby and Weiss were given a tour.

During it they were shown the various training facilities for both Quirk and Quirkless combat, lecture halls for planning and studying new species of Grimm as part of Beacon's philosophy was that there was always more to learn, the dining hall, library, communications tower, and lastly the dorms. That was where members of the agency lived while there so it would be where Ruby and Weiss would be staying during their internship as well.

The dorms for them, as students, were four to five person rooms that weren't segregated by gender so Oscar was with the four third years he'd be joining while Ruby and Weiss were assigned to the same room as Blake and Yang. Usually Pyrrha and Nora would be with them so that there was a gender segregation leaving Ren and Jaune in the other room as that was easier but with the assigned teams for the missions this worked best.

Ruby was more than fine with it though Weiss was a bit nervous sharing a room with the others as she'd never done anything like that before. As such Weiss was shocked when Ruby decided that they'd turn the four beds into bunk beds so that they had more space almost as soon as they were there.

It helped that as this was where Blake and Yang usually stayed while at Beacon, which was basically Friday to Monday evening every other week due to their work study, so a lot of Blake's books were already there and they could be used to support putting Yang's bed over hers on one side of the room. It also explained where some of them went from their apartment in Musutafu though Ruby didn't note that.

With Ruby's bed, they used ropes and power tools that for some reason Yang had stashed in the room to hang it from the ceiling over Weiss's. It was a bit precarious but Ruby when declared it structurally sound Weiss accepted that it was. After all, Weiss knew full well that her best friend was actually the number 2 student in their class in both math and physics so Weiss trusted her assessment of the situation. Oddly, Nero was third in the class in those subjects and only a few points behind Ruby which had surprised, and annoyed, Weiss as she was fifth in them.

Still, it worked and after the general meeting in the auditorium after their tour in which they learned a lot more about the relationship between Beacon and the Quirk Knight agencies around them and how to deal with them they retired for dinner in the large dining room and then bed. Thankfully the beds, mainly Ruby's as that was the big concern, held and would be left as such should Ruby and Weiss decide to do their work studies here as well.

Overall, it had been a good, easy start to their internship with plenty of learning about the inner workings of a Huntsman agency and what its main location does. Now, though, it was morning and all four were ready for the field work to begin.

In that vein, Yang and Blake were naturally in their spring hero costumes for it which Weiss hadn't seen before. Ruby had but it was still a contrast to the winter styles the girls had.

For Blake that consisted of black sleeveless vest with coattails done up by a silver button just below her bust and over a high collared white sleeveless crop undershirt with white spandex shorts that came to her upper thigh that had black zippers on the front of each leg. She completed the look with black low heeled boots and full stockings that started black at the point they met her compression shorts and gradually became dark purple when they reached her ankles.

To accessorize, Blake wore black ribbons wrapped around her hands and forearms, a black sleeve on her left arm held in place by a silver cuff over he bicep, and a black scarf around her neck. In the past she'd worn a black bow on her head to cover her cat ears as there were some rural locations they'd gone to that weren't the most welcoming to heteromorphs but she no longer bothered with that as she no longer felt the need to hide her ears. That and her class had shown her that there was nothing wrong with them so she shouldn't have to hide them at all.

Meanwhile, Yang wore a short sleeved tan jacket with golden brown piping and black cuffs that was done up over low cut yellow crop top that showed off a fair bit of her ample cleavage. To add to it the jacket and top weren't long enough to reach her navel leaving her midriff exposed. Additionally, like Blake, Yang had also opted for compression shorts only hers were black and barely came below her ass. Over this she wore a low slung brown belt with a pouch on the left hip and two flaps that came over her thighs over it while an asymmetrical white skirt thing ran around the back.

Finally she wore knee high brown boots with thigh high orange socks though only the left one was pulled up to her thigh while the right one was only pulled up to just below her knee. Yang accessorize all of this with a lose orange scarf, black fingerless gloves, and a purple bandana around her left knee.

Naturally both girls were armed with named weapons that they'd built themselves as was the tradition for those within the Huntsman branch. In Blake's case this was a specialized short sword in a sharp sheath that she could duel wield if needed that was affixed to a magnetic plate on her back with a long black ribbon from the end of the handle. It could also turn into a pistol though when not in use it stayed as a sword. For Yang it was a pair of yellow cuffs over her wrists that could extend to cover her forearms as gauntlets and were loaded with special shotgun shells for mobility and close range destruction.

Weiss had no clue what Blake's fighting style would be as the girl had favored evasion via her Quirk in the Sports Festival when Weiss watched it, though Blake had mentioned the day before that she used her Quirk a lot in her fighting style, but Yang's style was clear, she was a close contact brawler. Ruby had said that Yang took after their father and utilized a mix of various marital arts when she fought so Weiss was intrigued by how Yang would factor in her weapon to this style though from what she'd seen of Yang's Quirk an up close and personal fighting style certainly benefited it.

This was all about to be seen as the girls were ready to go on their field mission with their assigned Huntsman. This was made more so after saying goodbye to the others who had left earlier than them as Glynda was already present so they didn't have to wait for their pro to arrive like the girls did. That had led to this moment where they were meeting their assigned Huntsman and their reaction, which was understandable given who was before them.

That was because they all knew the man before them. After all, Mr. Oobleck was a teacher of theirs at U.A. who while a known Huntsman pro was mainly just their history teacher. He was even wearing his usual style that he was well known only now he wore a brown trench coat over it and an old school safari hat of sorts on his head. He had a massive brown bag on his back and looked positively excited as he stood before them with a large Toyota Land Cruiser designed for off road exploring behind him.

"Mr. Oobleck?" Weiss asked recovering the fastest from the shock. "You're the one supervising us? Don't you have classes to teach at U.A.?"

"Given my expertise in this area and as this is primarily a reconnaissance mission I have been assigned to look after you while you shadow me on my gathering of data and as such the Principal has found a substitute for me this week so you don't need to worry about my classes." Oobleck said as he began to pace before them arms behind his back as he walked. "I have everything we need right here as we will not be establishing one base of operations but rather traversing several miles of abandoned urban wasteland as we ascertain the situation at hand and making camp in any advantageous location that we may stumble upon. I have all the essentials, the sat nav is programed and the route planned to get to our destination."

Oobleck paused and suddenly got directly in Weiss's face. This made her flinch as she wasn't expecting it but he just added the final thing he wanted to say to her.

"Oh and it's Dr. Oobleck to you Miss Schnee." Oobleck said. "I didn't earn my PhD for fun now did I?"

With that said he pulled back as Weiss just stared at him and processed his rant. This was Huntsman work as recon missions were a standard duty for them as Huntsmen were usually the first to be sent into potentially dangerous areas to make sure that it was hospitable and to clear out Grimm and allow for settlement, investigation, industry, or anything else that the area might be used for. Still, it was a bit much to take coming from a man who they only knew as one of their teachers at U.A. Yes, all their teachers were also active pro heroes but some like Oobleck were harder to visualize than others.

"Right, now before we go I must ask either Miss Rose or Miss Xiao Long to hold something for me while I drive." Oobleck said as he backed up from them and reached behind his back and pulled out a cylindrical tube that he shook and a black object in the shape of the tube slid out and Oobleck caught it before it hit the ground. "This was sent to me by a colleague on Patch to you at U.A. but as I said that I'd be the one in charge of Miss Rose's internship and that Miss Xiao Long would be there as a work study student I decided to bring it with me. I am sure you know what it is."

With that the small object gave a happy bark and wiggled before it burst out of its shape to reveal that it was a small black headed tricolor Pembroke Welsh Corgi wearing a red collar with a gold pendant on it. It gave another bark of excitement as it recognized Ruby and Yang at once.

"Zwei!" The sisters cried in unison as Blake leapt up and left a shadow clone her wake as she fled to hide behind Yang while Weiss blinked at the sudden arrival of a dog.

"What are you doing here!" Yang added.

"I don't care this is great!" Ruby added. "I've missed you Zwei!"

"Your father is busy and wanted to send Zwei to U.A. for you but thankfully I was able to intercept him as he arrived yesterday after you left." Oobleck said as Zwei barked again. "As we will be investigating an abandoned urban jungle that will likely be teaming with death and hostility due to its history, maybe more if the rummers of an organized crime group using it as a base are true, so bringing a dog along with us is a genius move. Canines are historically known for their perceptive nose and a greater sense of sound than anyone without a sound based Quirk or heteromorphic trait could perceive so they are excellent companions for hunts such as ours! Your father should be praised for his forethought in sending Zwei."

"Yeah dad does this all the time." Yang said as Zwei, who was still being held up by Oobleck, barked again at the praise he was receiving. "Usually he'd bring Zwei with him but sometimes he can't so he'll send him away."

"It's classic dad." Ruby agreed. "Though I don't think he imagined us bringing Zwei with us like this."

"Sending a dog in the mail?" Weiss asked still confused by the whole thing. "Is that even legal? Or possible?"

"Don't worry, Zwei is fine." Ruby said smiling. "He's special."

"Special?" Weiss asked her continued confusion over everything outweighing her desire to cuddle the adorable dog that turned out to be Ruby's family's dog.

"Yup, see Zwei here is a bit like principal Nezu." Yang said gesturing to the still happily barking corgi. "He's got a Quirk. It doesn't make him speak like the principal can but he is smarter than your average dog."

"Precisely, I called Tai on my way to confirm what it was myself." Oobleck said as Zwei happily barked in agreement. "And it will come in handy today."

Zwei, Quirk: Indestructible Body. For whatever reason, Zwei was born with a Quirk which is exceptionally rare in animals. In his case his Quirk made his body indestructible allowing him to perform things no other dog can like rolling up into a tight ball, being ignited and used as a flaming battering ram, or fitting in a cylindrical tube so that he can be mailed to someone. It has also heightened his intelligence to the point that he can use mechanical tools and can understand humans well. He is very loyal to his family and their friends and has already begun to develop a close friendship with Dr. Oobleck."

"That I didn't see coming." Weiss admitted. "It's seriously rare for animals to have Quirks, you're lucky to find him."

"Yeah we didn't know at first." Ruby admitted. "But we found out when he was still a puppy. He's…"

"Now we must hurry girls, our schedule is packed and we're already three minutes behind." Oobleck said interrupting Ruby as he threw Zwei, who barked happily as he was tossed, at her. "Come on, it's a 3 hour drive to our destination and you need to understand where we're going so get in the car."

"Shotgun." Blake said as Oobleck zoomed off to the car almost as fast as Ruby could move with her Quirk. "Keep that thing away from me."

"Blake doesn't get along with Zwei." Yang said as Blake used her Quirk to flee around Yang and ran for the car where she leapt into the front passenger seat only a few seconds after Oobleck got into the driver's seat. "Being part cat an all. Zwei loves her, he sees her as a chew toy."

"I just don't like dogs; it's got nothing to do with my ears!" Blake shouted back from the car while Zwei barked in agreement, he did see Blake as a great chew toy and they were allies in some regards as they both hated vacuum cleaners. "Just keep him with you and don't let him touch my stuff."

"So let me get this straight." Weiss said as she looked at the corgi that was now in Ruby's arms and turned his face to look at Weiss, smiling and panting with his tongue lolling out. "This mangy, drooling, mutt is going to live with us forever. Oh yes he is, yes he is. Aren't you adorable Zwei? Yes you are, yest you are."

"Huh so she has a soft spot for dogs, did not expect that or that she had this side of her for anyone that wasn't Ruby." Yang said as Weiss devolved into baby talk while stroking Zwei's head causing him to pant happily and nuzzle into her hand. "That's good for you Ruby."

"What?" Ruby asked confused looking at her sister. "Weiss is a softie in general, you just gotta get to know her. Plus it's great that she gets on with Zwei, we can take him for walks together when she visits Patch."

"Right." Yang said wondering if Ruby was dense or denying things to herself just like Weiss was but as much as Yang wanted to push she didn't. "Anyway we should go."

"Yes, let's go potentially save the world with Dr. Oobleck!" Ruby said as she began to walk to the car forcing Weiss to stop petting Zwei but Weiss knew that they had a long car ride with the adorable corgi who was almost as adorable as his owner, not that Weiss would admit that to herself let alone anyone else, so she'd get to pet Zwei during the ride and maybe even get some cuddles with him. "Man that doesn't sound good when you say it out loud."

"It's just a recon mission." Yang said as they walked. "What could possibly go wrong?"

"Don't jinx it." Weiss said as they neared the car. "This is Ruby and mine's first taste of Huntress work, I'd like it to be as uneventful as possible. A few fights with some Grimm and learning about recon and investigation work, that's all I want."

Yang just grinned as they piled into the back with Ruby taking the middle as she was the smallest, Yang on one side, and Weiss on the other. There was enough space that it wasn't uncomfortable and with Zwei on Ruby's lap none of them really minded as he was just happy and getting all the cuddles from the three girls.

"Good it's now four minutes but we can make up easily." Oobleck said as they began to drive away from Beacon. "This will be interesting."

"I must admit, I never really saw you as a fighter Dr. Oobleck." Yang said as they pulled onto the road that led down to the highway. "You're our world history teacher and one of the Sports Festival announcers, our field training with Grimm is conducted by Mr. Port so it never really clicked for us. This is the first time Blake and I have been paired with you for field work."

"Yes I do see myself as more of an intellectual than a fighter but I assure you that I've had my fair share of tussles over the years." Oobleck said a hint of excitement in his voice. "I am a U.A. graduate myself after all and while I did continue my academic pursuits and achieved a PhD which is rare within the hero world no matter the branch, I am not alone in that goal. Many heroes are not what you'd expect but don't worry we are all well trained and can handle our own in combat. We wouldn't be licensed if we weren't."

"Like the mushroom?" Ruby asked only really focusing on the tussle part. "You've eaten a fair share of those over the years? Aren't they expensive."/

"Those are truffles Ruby." Blake said from the front. "And some are."

"Like the sprout?" Ruby asked getting even more confused.

"Those are Brussels." Yang said.

"Isn't that a city?" Ruby asked only getting more and more confused.

"Yes, the City of Brussels is the capital of Belgium and there is actually a region called Brussels, well Brussels-Capital region, as well which the city is in of course." Weiss said. "In fact the name Brussel sprout derives from the name of the region in Belgium due to the heavy cultivation of them there in the 13th century. A bit more general than say champagne which is only given to sparkling wine that originated in the Champagne wine region of France but you aren't wrong in that Brussels is a city Ruby."

"Thank you for the history lesson." Yang said a little sarcastically.

"Excuse me for trying to educate you." Weiss said defensively. "And besides, my family is of German origin so I'm expected to be well versed in European history."

"I found it interesting." Ruby said smiling as Zwei barked patting Weiss's leg and giving her a genuine smile. "Thank you Weiss."

"Your welcome Ruby." Weiss said her cheeks a little pink wanting to take Ruby's hand but refraining and instead petting Zwei as he sat on Ruby's lap. "Learning is always important."

"Miss Schnee is on the right path there with the importance of learning, especially history." Oobleck said as he drove. "I am an expert in the field which is why I was tasked with this mission for history is of the utmost significance where we are going. Additionally my dabblings in the field of archeology may come in handy on this assignment as well."

"What does history have to with this?" Weiss asked a little confused. "I thought this was recon to make sure that an area was clear of Grimm and to see if it was being used by a criminal group."

"What a preposterous question you silly girl." Oobleck said surprising Weiss but showing that she'd touched a slight never with her questioning of history. "History is the very backbone of our society. The liver as well and probably the kidneys too if I were to wager."

"Ok and why is it important?" Weiss asked, the old her would have taken offense at being called a silly girl but she ignored that now and pressed on to learn more from her teacher. "For this mission in particular that is. I understand that history can be important but I fail to see it in a simple recon mission."

"Because we are heading to a part of Kansai that is the sight of one of the greatest failures in Japan's recent history following the advent of Quirks and subsequent Quirk Wars that the advent caused." Oobleck said getting into it now though this was what he was passionate about and it was important to the mission so the girls needed to understand it. "So now is a good time for a history lesson girls because it will be critical to the mission. What can you tell me about the Mountain Glenn incident?"

"The Mountain Glenn incident?" Weiss asked confused. "I'll be honest, I've not heard of that."

"Right, you're not from this part of Japan so you wouldn't know." Ruby said. "We studied it at Signal when I was in Junior High because it's one of the worst tragedies to befall this part of the nation. If I recall, it was a massive Grimm attack that cost hundreds if not thousands of lives back during the chaos caused by the advent of Quirks."

"We studied it a bit more in depth last year." Yang said recalling Oobleck's lesson on the incident as it was a major Grimm incident in Era of Quirks. "The ultimate plan for it was that it was going to be a network of tunnels connecting various major cities in Japan using a national underground system. It was called the Mountain Glenn Network because of the settlement that was the designated hub for it was called Mountain Glenn due to the location of the settlement."

"I didn't know about it before coming to U.A. but you made sure we knew it when you taught it last year D.." Blake said. "It began after a location was deemed safe by the Quirk Knights at the time and which was a rough midpoint between their headquarters in Hosu City and Vale where Beacon, the largest and oldest Huntsman Agency was located. It was deemed that connecting the centers of the two branches at the time, this was before the Providence Accords that legalized normal hero work worldwide, via a safe underground passageway would be ideal."

"Back in those days just traveling out of the major cities was dangerous." Yang said a grin on her face at the thought of danger though the current standards were nothing compared to the time before All Might. "Grimm ran rampant all over the countryside because of all the negativity that the Quirk Wars were causing and the large amount of criminal groups only fueled things back then. The main one was the Meta Liberation Army but there were others."

"Between the Grimm, which back then were only known to be on land, in the air, and in a few cases that could be managed at sea, and the various criminal groups that were basically unopposed any form of land or air travel was perilous." Blake said while Ruby and Weiss listened intently, even Zwei stopped panting and cocked his head to listen. "There was a lot of fear and travel was limited. Huntsmen and Quirk Knights didn't have the numbers or support to keep things stable, they were more of a band aid on things than an effective countermeasure. A solution was needed to connect the nation and stabilize things to begin a counter offensive. If I recall the solution was originally proposed by the Wizard King at the time."

"Yes, the 9th Wizard King, Jester Garandros, was the one who proposed the project though he did so in conjunction with the head of Beacon at the time." Oobleck said. "That said Jester didn't live to see it as shortly afterwards there was an incursion from the Diamond Company, an international threat from what is essentially a rogue nation and which is one of the oldest that we've faced since the advent, that was part of a larger plot to kill Jester orchestrated by his right hand who was actually a spy for the Diamond Company. This is was because the Diamond Company is a prerogative of the Quirk Knights and still is to this day. It failed and Jester killed his friend but the actions caused him to lose it."

"Right they call him the Mad King, we learned that when we studied the Quirk Knight history last semester." Yang said. "Didn't he try to wipe out the Diamond Company."

"Yes and it cost him his life, he's one of the three major cautionary tales within the Quirk Knights." Oobleck said but even he was unaware of the true story behind Jester's actions, the nature of the betrayal that was meant to kill him, and who actually killed him as it was covered up to protect a greater, multi-generational, scheme that was now on its 9th generation. "But that is a lesson for another day. Back to Mountain Glenn as that is what's relevant right now. Jester laid the groundwork and that was expanded on by the 10th Wizard King working with the head of Beacon as a way around the perils of ground and air transport. What happened next?"

"Didn't it work for a while." Ruby said. "I recall in class being told that for a few years the system held together well and Vale boomed. It helped Patch as well if I recall as the settlement there was founded and stabilized because of how well Vale was doing. It was one of the first successful new settlements during that chaotic period."

"Yeah I remember that as well." Yang said. "The tunnels ran from the settlement which was growing into a large town with one running to Hosu and the other to Vale. There was an underground complex as well that was basically a town in its own right that housed the hub and many felt that it would soon become a city."

"It was going to be the first successful city with a full above and below ground infrastructure." Blake said recalling her notes from Oobleck's class on Mountain Glenn. "A new way to live in the new era we found ourselves in, one that was safer than before."

"That sounds really expensive." Weiss noted. "How'd they manage it? I know these days with 80% of the world possessing Quirks and the developments in technology that have occurred since the world stabilized things that would normal take decades can take only months or even weeks but if this was back before All Might and the peace he brought then there would have been less to work with back then."

"The Quirk Knights are exceptionally wealthy, at least at the top of their ranks, and from what I recall House Vermillion was the main backer of the project." Blake said, Oobleck just smiling at how she was correct. "Though other wealthy families in Hosu, Vale, and the surrounding area pitched in like the Ida family and I think the Yaoyorozu family did as well. Between the money and at least one good Quirk it was up and running quickly and within budget. It was an example of the good that could be achieved with Quirks."

"All true and it was actually one of the first successful uses of Quirk for such an infrastructure project." Oobleck said. "It took less than a year for the two tunnels to be set up and the high speed rail to be installed. It ran for about a decade with no issues beyond the expected minor ones that were well within predictions. As such, Mountain Glenn was growing, Vale and Hosu, and by extension Tokyo, were safe and prosperous, and as a result of the travel the areas around the two cities became some of the first to be truly stabilized though there was still plenty of chaos all over the nation at the time."

"Right that was what led to the expansion which was the ultimate plan of it anyway." Blake said her voice lowering. "Other cities wanted to be part of the network from the get go but it needed to be proven successful hence the decade of operations before it was expended. It was successful though so it was decided to expand it and basically create a large subterranean infrastructure that could move people and goods around the nation safely between a network of hubs modeled after Mountain Glenn. The theory was sound as it had worked for Vale and Hosu and led to stabilization so it should work all over."

"But it didn't." Weiss said as she began to see where things were going. "Or else this wouldn't be a history lesson."

"No it didn't." Blake said with a sigh. "It was as they were excavating the tunnel to the second planned hub that they hit it and learned a horrible truth. Grimm can also be subterranean. We know that now and have plenty of countermeasures for subterranean Grimm but back then they were unheard off."

"So of course fate decided that the first contact with such Grimm would occur when the expansion project plowed right into a massive nest of them." Yang said. "No one saw it coming and to make things worse it was a species that had never been seen before and so there were no known strategies for fighting them. To makes things even worse, that particular species of subterranean Grimm had ended up massing in a large cave complex that was so deep underground that no one noticed. It was only because of the project that we were even that deep to hit them and hit them it did. The moment that the cavern was breached the Grimm flooded out, overwhelmed the construction crew, and rushed to Mountain Glenn."

"Thankfully word did get out and Hosu and Vale sealed off the ends of their tunnels while an evacuation order was sent to the settlement but by then it was too late for the settlement." Blake said. "It was overrun before word reached them and the panic and terror caused by the subterranean Grimm attracted the Grimm that lived above ground as well. Hundreds died and it is still to this day the worst singular Grimm disaster in the nation's history though the Oniyuri incident about 50 years ago is a close second. It's why now whenever there is underground efforts we get called in to make sure no Grimm are there and led to a deeper study of Grimm now that there were subterranean ones as well."

"All correct girls, you remember my lesson on the subject well and I see that Signal has not let its history course falter as well." Oobleck said when the girls were done. "And now Mountain Glenn is abandoned and sealed off as a dark reminder of what life was like here before the rise of All Might and the stabilization of the nation. It's a no go zone because of that reason and kept as is so that we never forget. There are still bad attacks, the most recent being the one that wiped out Lower Cairn last year, but thankfully they are few and far between. This is why history is important so that we don't repeat the mistakes of the past and why continued learning even once you're pros is a must."

"I see." Weiss said as she took it all it. "You are right Dr. Oobleck, I retract my earlier statement about this mission."

"It's good to see that you're willing to learn Miss Schnee." Oobleck said.

"Are all the Grimm still there?" Ruby asked shifting the conversation away from the past and to the present. "It was a while ago and from what I recall from class, most Grimm species don't tend to remain in one location once there is no negativity there."

"That is unclear and the main purpose of our expedition." Oobleck said. "We are to go to the overground settlement of Mountain Glenn and see what the status of the Grimm infestation is. Theoretically it should be moderate but there are various things that could either increase or decrease the expected numbers."

"It is a good place for a hideout if there are no Grimm there, or at least enough that can be managed by a criminal organization." Blake said understanding now. "The benefits of clearing it out, at least enough to use the tunnels, are too great to pass up. That said there could be more Grimm because a criminal group is there so I guess if the numbers are higher or lower than what would be expected that should be an indication of whether or not there is activity there."

"Exactly, that is the double edged sword of setting up shop in the boonies." Oobleck said with a grin at Blake understanding the true nature of the mission as they turned off the highway, the impromptu history lesson having eaten up a good chunk of time. "There are a lot of places to hide out here and few normal heroes to patrol them as they are based in the big cities where there is plenty of active crime but their negative emotions can attract Grimm which will disrupt their hiding and thus must be culled. This is really true with hateful organizations like the Creature Rejection Clan or the White Fang though those are two groups who have fueled each other over the years."

"That's an understatement." Blake muttered her own experience with the White Fang ran deep though she didn't talk about it and she knew what had led to their change. "Groups like the Creature Rejection Clan are why the White Fang became what they became though thankfully these days bigots like that exist more on the fringes than in the mainstream."

"Yes the shameful treatment of heteromorphs in our society has led to what the White Fang became, we created them and should take responsibility for that." Oobleck said seriously. "That fear and hatred only exacerbated the Grimm problem as well, which was already bad due to the Quirk Wars and high crime. It is something that as Huntresses all of you will have to deal with so be ready for that."

"Fear is a good teacher." Blake said with a sigh. "If there was one good thing about the Grimm infestation it's that it's forced people to change their views on heteromorphs as their bigotry and hatred of us simply because we looked different only made things worse. Menagerie helped though and being safe there made it one of the earliest safe zones during the Quirk Wars."

"That is one of the benefits but unfortunately those views are coming back as we get Grimm under control." Oobleck said. "However, this isn't about that right now. If there is a group there then they'll be a standard criminal organization, the benefits of exploiting Mountain Glenn are too appealing."

"Benefits?" Weiss asked. "Like the lack of general heroes I take it?"

"The general lack of hero reach in the countryside is one major benefit that is true." Oobleck said. "As is the fact that there are the limited numbers of Huntsmen and Quirk Knights available to seek them out as we tend to focus more on protection law abiding citizens and their settlements though the Quirk Knights do spend a good amount of time patrolling for such groups. Regardless, the benefits have led to many of the groups that operate with bases in the countryside to employ tactics and skills similar to Huntsmen and Huntresses so as to fend off the Grimm. It's because of this that if there is a strangely low number of Grimm in a supposedly uninhabited area that we can infer the possibility of a group setting up camp there."

"That's why over the years our training has evolved to enable us to combat humans as well as Grimm." Yang said. "Because even clearing out a Grimm infested area might result in the revelation of a hideout."

"And a place like Mountain Glenn would be perfect." Weiss said connecting everything now that she had a bigger picture. "Especially if they had training to handle Grimm. There are many ways to get training to combat them thanks to the changes in the laws regarding weapons that the emergence of Grimm caused."

"Precisely." Oobleck said as they turned off the road and onto an even more remote road that snaked towards a ridge of mountains in the distance. "The smuggling alone is worth the risk. Vale, as one of the four Huntsman cities, is a major center for the trade of Dust which has a high black market value as you know and because of its status it is a lot easier to acquire weapons or weapon parts in Vale than just about anywhere else in Japan. It is heavily regulated of course even with the lessoning of general weapons laws that the rise of Grimm have caused but the emergence of certain underground figures like Roman Torchwick have made things tough."

"Torchwick?" Ruby asked. "He's involved with this?"

"There is a good chance that he is, yes." Oobleck said. "Well his goons at least as our intelligence on Torchwick points to him having his fingers in many criminal pies. In fact Miss Xiao Long helped shut down one of their fronts, Junior's Club, in Vale last semester but as you know from the USJ incident, Torchwick is now associated with some major players and he's the prime suspect for the Mountain Glenn hideout due to his escape from that incident."

"Yeah that was really annoying." Ruby said. "We had a great shot at him as well."

"It is a shame that he managed to escape but that's what can happen with a Warp Villain on your side." Oobleck said. "Torchwick's got the resources, connections, and skills to ensure that he was saved. However, he overplayed his hand by showing up there and now needs a place to lay low for a while and rebuild."

"Which would necessitate a place where no one would look for him." Blake noted. "A place where he can hide out and rebuild."

"Correct and Mountain Glenn is perfect for that if he can clear it out and protect it." Oobleck said. "We believe he can and if he's got the right people he might even be able to slowly grow it so long as he learns from the past. That is one of the biggest fears that the higher ups have regarding a potential hideout in Mountain Glenn and why deducing if it is active part of our reconnaissance mission. This is not something that we can let fester, we must investigate to see if it can be cut off before it becomes a serious problem."

"I can see that." Weiss said thinking on everything and absorbing it all. "If they got such a system up and running it would cause a massive explosion in crime, one that the normal heroes won't be able to handle alone."

"Yes so we must be thorough in out investigation." Oobleck said. "And try to avoid engaging the group. We've tangled with them in Vale as you know but this would be different. We don't have the forces to match them so our just is simply to investigate and report what we find. This is one of the many duties of Huntsmen and an important one at that due to the Grimm threat that is involved."

"I'll always remember that club." Yang said with a grin. "That was fun to destroy though Junior and those girls got away."

"If I recall you went overboard there young lady." Oobleck said sternly. "Cost a fair amount of damage that had to be sorted out."

"It wasn't that bad." Yang said defensively. "And besides, it was in a run down and abandoned part of town so if you think about it I did that place a favor as I gave Vale an excuse to rebuild and revitalize it."

"Yang, you got forced to take a special class on mitigating damage because of it." Blake said. "Something no Huntsman track student had every managed to get. Also it's still a rundown part of Vale as I recall."

"Well I am special." Yang said. "And it's not my fault the city didn't see my value there."

"Why is none of this surprising to me?" Weiss asked.

"Because you've known Yang long enough to know it." Ruby said.

"I barely know her!" Weiss pointed out. "And I already feel like I know enough."

"I'm just that good, princess." Yang said with a grin.

"Be that as it may that won't be a problem this time around." Oobleck said cutting off the chatter as he turned off the local road and onto a winding road that climbed towards a mountain in the distance, one which had no traffic at all, not that they'd seen a car since the last turn. "The settlement is abandoned and most buildings are damaged and crumbling following the incident so there is no need to hold back or worry about collateral damage should you have to engage in combat with Grimm."

"Sweet!" Yang said excitedly as they came out to a barrier and guard station that blocked their path which marked the first thing they'd seen that wasn't nature in a while. "Just my kinda of mission."

"That is part of why you were assigned to this Miss Xiao Long." Oobleck said as he came to a stop and rolled down his window the moment he was by the guard station which prevent Yang from responding. "Hello officer, I'm Dr. Oobleck, a licensed Huntsman Hero here with some work study students and interns from U.A. We have a mission in Mountain Glenn."

"Right, I got word in that there was someone coming to do an investigation for Beacon." The bored sounding officer on duty said as he looked at Oobleck from his command post. "Few come this way, no point in seeing that tomb and besides the whole area's off limits to unauthorized personnel. License and paperwork please."

"Certainly." Oobleck said as he pulled out his hero license and the orders from Ozpin that detailed his mission and authorized his entrance into the cordoned off zone around Mountain Glenn. "Here you go officer."

"Ah, I thought the name was familiar, you're the Caffeinated Professor." The officer said taking Oobleck's license and looking at it. "You're work on the history of the Quirk Wars makes for good reading while bored up here but you're not known for your field work though."

"Caffeinated Doctor actually." Oobleck said as the officer handed back his card. "And this is just an investigation to ascertain the current level Grimm activity in Mountain Glenn."

"Well there's definitely some there, we can hear the howls from here every now and then." The officer said glancing over the paperwork to confirm that it was all legit before handing it back to Oobleck. "Thankfully, they don't bother coming up here. Boredom isn't a negative emotion so we're not appealing to them."

"A few is good, I do have students with me after all so I can do some teaching while here." Oobleck said as he took the paperwork and put it away. "They need experience and there are few places like Mountain Glenn that offer the rare urban Grimm combat."

"Best of luck to you then." The officer said as he hit a button and the gate rose. "Better you than me. That ghost town gives me the chills."

With that slightly ominous note the gate finished opening and Oobleck drove forward crossing the cordon and entering what had become known as the Mountain Glenn Exclusionary Zone. That referred to the area around the overground settlement that had been cordoned off and made off limits to any without authorization from the HPSC.

It helped that most of it was only accessible by air due to the mountains that surrounded it so it was hard to access given how easy it was to notice aircraft. Additionally, there was only one road in which was what Oobleck had taken and it crested a small ridge between two of the mountains before following a series of switchbacks that led down into the settlement that had been built in the valley below.

Part of why Mountain Glenn was set up here was the inaccessibility by land and the natural defenses that the mountains offered it from both Grimm and criminal gangs alike. Other than the one road down you would have to hike over mountains, which posed many natural dangers to any who were inexperienced, or go through them and the latter was too hard with the forests around the base of the mountains.

That meant the only ways in were either by air or under the mountains as the sole road was designed to be easily visible with no trees near it making vehicular approach quickly detectable. Admittedly, nowadays it was easy to fly a chopper or special airship in but no one did it because it was too easy to detect and even then, no one wanted to come to the ghost town that was above the tomb known as Mountain Glenn.

It was because of this history that the girls either knew of, or had just learned in Weiss's case, that they fell silent as Oobleck navigated down the switchbacks to the sprawling settlement that filled the valley below them. Once it may have been lush and vibrant settlement with a river flowing through it and trees around it offering natural parks for the inhabitants of the settlement but now all that remained was a ruined concrete jungle that was a testament to the destruction that Grimm could wrought upon an area.

As such there were really no words that needed to be spoken as they reached the end of the switchbacks and crossed a bridge into the city. Even with no one there, Oobleck slowed the car down and slowly navigated it using the satnav to a specific point in the city that he'd chosen due to the latest reports on Grimm activity in the area. It took a few minutes but finally they got there and the doctor came to a stop.

"Right here we are, the southeast quadrant of Mountain Glenn's above ground settlement." Oobleck said as he stopped the car in the middle of a ruined street, hollowed out and broken buildings all around showing a mix of residential and commercial uses along with rusted shells of buildings that had been under construction at the time the settlement was abandoned. "Time to get out."

With that he turned the engine off and stepped out of the SUV. The girls did the same clambering out and forming up in a line before the car and looking around the urban wasteland all around them. It was a literal ghost town, no one was around and the silence was oppressive. The only sound was the wind as it whistled through the broken buildings.

"Ladies, you may still be students but two of you are provisionally licensed heroes so you can use your Quirks as you deem fit within the course of your duties while the two who are interns are authorized to use Quirks in any capacity but to combat another living being." Oobleck said from behind them and they all turned to look at their teacher noting that he now held his large coffee thermos in his right hand. "That means that from this point on you need to do as I say. Do you understand?"

They did and all four nodded seriously to confirm that they'd do as Dr. Oobleck instructed. Even the fact that while he'd been speaking he'd pressed the top of his thermos to his chest and then pulled it away leaving a coffee stain on his shirt didn't get a smile from them.

This was what they had all signed up for and they had to be ready. The who place felt oppressive despite being empty so they were under no illusions as to how serious the current situation was. As such Yang cocked her arms to extend her gauntlets over her forearms, Ruby pulled Crescent Rose off her back and expanded her to her scythe form and Weiss drew Myrtenaster in her left hand. Only Zwei seemed happy as he barked and sniffed around in a circle.

"What are your orders doctor?" Blake asked, she was the only one who'd not drawn or prepped her weapon but she was ready to act at a moment's notice.

"Excellent, straight to the chase just what I want to hear." Oobleck said with a smile. "We are currently in the southeast quadrant of the city which is believed to be a hotspot for Grimm activity based on the last report we got from this area and the main reason why the Coral Peacocks have asked us to come in before them as they aren't a strong Squad when it comes to Grimm elimination. There are several possibilities and explanations for this uptick and behavior, one of which being Grimm."

"Er what?" Ruby asked confused. "But if this is a hotspot for Grimm then surely Grimm is the explanation."

"Correct but I meant that in the literal sense as there is a creature Grimm approximately 100 yards behind you at this very moment." Oobleck said his tone remaining calm and neutral as he spoke. "So it looks like the reports were right that Grimm activity is here."

"What the hell!" Yang said as all four girls turned to see a Beowolf Grimm just casually strolling onto the street from a side street as if nothing was amiss. "Damn, that's really casual for a Grimm."

Instantly all the girls were on edge with Ruby and Yang cocking their weapons and Blake drawing her sword in her right hand though she kept it in sword mode. They were ready for this and about to attack the Grimm but before they could do anything Oobleck intervened.

"Don't attack yet." Oobleck said his voice low and serious. "Don't forget that there are any number of reasons why Grimm would congregate in a particular area, the most likely of which is their attraction to negativity. There is still a lot of residual negativity here which is one of the reasons why the area was cordoned off and abandoned but there are other emotions at play as well. Sadness, envy, loneliness, hatred, all could be at play and if there is a hidden group here then they could be attracting Grimm here even more. This is part of the investigation that we are to undertake and the fact that we can see one Grimm already indicates that if there is a group here they're not focused on complete eradication."

"I get that but what now?" Ruby asked. "Can we attack that Grimm or not?"

"No, we won't attack it but rather wait." Oobleck said. "Can any of you explain why we wait? This is as much a learning experience as it is a combat mission."

"Beowolf Grimm aren't solitary Grimm the way that say a Geist Grimm would be." Weiss said her Grimm Studies coming to her with ease, especially Grimm common in this area though Beowolf Grimm were common all over Japan, and make up for how she treated Ruby in their first Grimm Studies Class. "That means that it's a scout or possibly lost from its pack."

"And the pack size will give us a sense of the scale of the attraction to this area." Blake added. "The bigger it is, the greater the attraction, and therefore the fresher and stronger the negativity. A criminal group would be rife with negative emotions like hatred, anger, vengeance, and other emotions that Grimm like so a large pack could indicate their presence. Conversely, if the group is trained in Grimm elimination then the pack might be smaller than what one would expect in an area such as this."

"Both of you are correct and that is why we wait and track." Oobleck said. "That way we can ascertain what has brought the Grimm here and whether or not we need to call in for backup and coordinate with a Quirk Knight Squad to exterminate all the Grimm that are present and flush out a hidden group at the same time."

"How long do we wait though?" Yang asked though for once she wasn't showing any impatience.

"It's uncertain as lone Grimm like this have been known to stay isolated from its pack for up to months at a time." Oobleck said. "Naturally we don't have that much time to track it due to you girls still being students, however the confines of this settlement help us as it can't move that far. That said it could be hours or days and take up the whole week so it could…and there's the whole pack right behind it."

"What!" Weiss exclaimed as it turned out that the first Grimm was just the front of the pack as three more Beowolf Grimm appeared behind it and moved through this area.

"And now they've seen us." Oobleck said his tone perfectly calm and neutral.

"What!" Weiss exclaimed again.

"And now they've seen us!" Oobleck repeated this time shouting in Weiss's ear causing her to flinch and getting the attention of the pack of Grimm that was just down the empty street from them.

"Does that mean that tracking is out of the question?" Ruby asked.

"That would be an accurate assumption, yes." Oobleck said as the Grimm snarled at them quickly identifying them as humans and thus target.

"So what's the plan then?" Yang asked as the Grimm roared and charged their group.

"Why your first task now that we are in Mountain Glenn and have engaged Grimm." Oobleck said with a grin as he looked at the girls while the Grimm closed in. "Show me what you can do."

I think that's a good place to end the chapter on, a nice little cliffhanger to tease what is to come. I had planned on this being longer and going to the end of the day when they make camp so covering the whole start to the mission and Oobleck's questions and advice but it was getting to the point that it could be broken up at this moment and it feels better this way. Next up Ruby and Weiss's internship takes off and the Mountain Glenn adaptation kicks into high gear. I am sure that y'all can see where all this is leading and it will get there in good time. Finally, I know that in Black Clover Jester is the 16th Wizard King but remember that I've had to shorten the time period in this story so several unnamed Wizard Kings have been cut out and as a result Jester's number has gone up in the order. There is going to eventually be more to Jester and the others but that is all in due course. That is all that I have for y'all, however, so I will leave this chapter off here. If you like this story please follow, favorite (this story and me) to keep up with it and leave a review or PM; your support is what helps motivate me to keep up this work and any questions posed before the next chapter is uploaded I will try to answer. Until next time.

Stringdog