Midoriya Izuku carved his way through a group of Beowolves and a couple of Ursa before appearing in the center of a pack. One Beowolf was about to leap at the boy, only to freeze as he saw Izuku in the blink of an eye in the air right before its eyes. Before it could do anything, Izuku's fist punched through its head creating an explosion of black mist. He followed up by activating the seventh user's Float quirk and flew above the pack, staring down at them with narrowed eyes. He outstretched his arms, discharging tendrils of Blackwhip toward the Beowolves, coiling around all of them tightly.
Izuku lifted them in the air as he descended back to the earth's floor. Bringing his wrapped-up targets down with him, until he brought his arms downward and slammed all of the wolves to the ground. One by one the creatures disintegrated on impact. Leaving nothing of their remains behind. Izuku perked up upon hearing a loud shriek, causing him to glance up in time to see three Griffons flying down, their talons raised in preparation to claw at him. Izuku leaped to the center one and dealt an uppercut to its head and crushed its skull.
He grabbed the Griffon by its talons as it fell and used his strength to slam it down into the second to knock it down hard onto the ground. Izuku landed on his feet and then felt Danger Sense buzzing in his head. He swiftly turned around to punch through the body of the third Griffon and sent it crashing into two Beowolves from the force of his punch alone. Danger Sense buzzed the young hero's head again, causing him to turn to his right and find the source to be Boarbatusk.
The Boarbatusk rolled towards Izuku akin to a rolling bowling ball. But Izuku anticipated this, as the young hero sprinted towards the rolling Grimm and then leaped forward. He raised his right thigh, twisted his torso, and kicked the creature with immense force. Sending the rolled-up Grimm slamming into a pack of incoming Beowolves and Ursa, like a row of bowling pins. Another Boarbatusk tried to charge and ram Izuku while his back was turned, but he rolled his body around and grabbed it by its tusks.
Izuku's black iron boots dig in to halt the Boarbatusk's advance. He used his strength to easily rip out the tusks, following up by using one to uppercut the creature, sending it flying a hundred feet in the air before tossing the Boar's tusk to the side and discharging a web-like tendril of Blackwhip at a Griffin that flew down toward him. Pulled himself forward and scored a straight punch to the Griffin's cheek. The creature exploded in a black mist from just one blow.
Danger Sense quickly alarmed Izuku and he back-flipped out of the way of a massive claw swipe. Two Ursai charged after him, breaking the air with a great roar. He rolled to the side as the second Ursa swung for his head. The second Ursai tried to charge at Izuku again, raising its giant paw in the air. Izuku gritted his teeth and dodged underneath another claw swipe, sending a Detroit Smash into the Ursa's chest.
A blast of wind pressure from his Air Force gloves accompanied the punch. Three more were beaten into the Grimm, forcing it to stumble backward on its hind legs. Izuku followed it up with a jump, spinning a sidekick into its chin. The main ursai roared in anger for what the boy did to its brethren, stepping forward to take another swipe at him. Izuku vaulted back out of range, his black iron boot retreated behind him as it illuminated brightly in red.
Izuku leaped forward fast toward the Ursai in the blink of an eye. Leaving behind a red ring of energy before it faded, and genuinely shocked the Grimm. The creature didn't have time to react as he saw the determined face of Midoriya Izuku shooting towards it, then plunged himself out and through the creature's chest as though he was a giant bullet. The creature exploded in a black mist while the young hero landed in a crouch position. He rolled his body around, leaped high in the air whilst activating Float, and shifted his gaze toward the other Ursai.
Black tendrils of Blackwhip discharged from his fist, wrapping around the Ursai's torso. Anchoring his arm back, he brought the monster up in the air to his view. Izuku pulled the Ursai toward him, rearing back his right fist and striking at its face, caving in its nose. The Ursai fell as the tendrils uncoiled its torso, and it bounced across the earth's floor for a few meters and laid still before disintegrating.
Izuku landed back on the ground and immediately found himself facing the Alpha Beowolf that lashed out its claws at him. He dodged from one slash to another and slid under its legs while subconsciously shooting out a dark tendril at its left leg to trip it up. Izuku leaped into the air to slam a Manchester Smash down onto its back while it was stunned, causing it to roar in pain before jumping into the air again to deliver the final strike to its skull, shattering it and killing the head of the pack.
The remainder of the horde watched in shock as the Alpha died before their very eyes. They began to bark and roar out of panic, not knowing what to do since their leader was slain. Izuku charged up more power from One for All, and leaped forward at one Beowulf with his fist pulled back. The next few minutes were spent with the young hero dispatching every Grimm on sight, to ensure that none of them escape.
After said few minutes the Emerald Forest clearing returned to life. Izuku began to hear nocturnal animals, familiar animals, and he exhaled. His chest rose and fell, his breathing evened out and he relaxed completely.
"Well, these creatures are just as the books say they are," En commented, his spiritual form appearing next to Izuku. Hikage materialized behind En and walked past him.
"And they all come in great numbers. I can't help but wonder where these creatures of Grimm originated from." Hikage mused, folding his arms.
"Maybe a queen spawn them," Daigoro suggested, appearing beside Hikage. Izuku and the predecessors looked over to Daigoro with bewilderment.
"A queen?" Nana echoed.
Daigoro turned his gaze toward them.
"Think about it," he said. "The queen ant is the founder and leader of an ant colony, and her main role is to lay eggs. So maybe these bunch of savages have come from a hidden colony, one that only God knows where it is, with a Queen that orders them."
Izuku turned away from Daigoro and cupped his chin thoughtfully.
"So what you're saying is, these creatures have some kind of mastermind?" Bruce summarized.
"Yeah, that's about the gist of it," Daigoro confirmed.
Izuku suddenly felt Danger Sense buzzing in his head. He turned to his left, finding the source to be far away from his position. Heading straight towards...
Oh, no, Ruby, Izuku ruminated.
Izuku immediately activated One for All throughout his body and sprinted forward.
The eight companions disregarded caution in favor of swiftness as they swiftly traversed through the forest. It proved advantageous when one's aura could be employed to enhance their physical capabilities. Even Jaune, whose aura had been dormant until Pyrrha activated it earlier that day, managed to exert himself to keep pace with the more seasoned warriors. The density of the trees gradually diminished as they neared a cluster of ancient ruins. The ground beneath their feet transformed into a dusty path as they dashed between two archaic suspended stone roadways.
Approximately five hundred yards ahead, a footbridge spanned a mist-filled gorge, leading to a towering dilapidated stone edifice. Beyond that lay their ultimate destination. In unison, they cast their gazes upwards, just in time to witness the Nevermore alighting upon the summit of the tower, emitting a deafening screech. The young individuals swiftly sought refuge behind scattered debris as a barrage of feathers inundated the area. A cacophony emanating from the edge of the forest diverted their attention; another deathstalker was relentlessly pursuing them.
Except this one was bigger than the last one.
Nora slung a grenade launcher she affectionately named Magnhild from her back and jumped for cover. Rolling into a kneeling position, she aimed and fired at the Nevermore. One of the rounds nailed it in the neck, and explosions of pink dust and shrapnel forced the Grimm back as her friends bolted for the bridge.
She chuckled but jumped when the deathstalker came up from behind her, claws swinging wildly. It was pushed back by Ren and Blake, who each knocked a claw backward with swipes from their weapons. Weiss appeared from behind her and wrapping an arm around her waist, launched them forward with a glyph.
Ruby, Pyrrha, Jaune, and Yang had now crossed the bridge, but the deathstalker was gaining on them. Shifting her spear into a long rifle, she took a knee and aimed at the scorpion.
"Go, go!" Pyrrha yelled as she opened fire. Ren joined her, his twin machine pistols emptying their clips to give Blake some breathing room. The scorpion halted in its tracks which Ren deduced that it wasn't fond of heights.
They sprinted across the bridge, their goal of the tower within reach. But the Nevermore circled back around, lowered its head, and delivered a headbutt into the bridge. Breaking off a large piece of it and separating the students.
Ruby, Weiss, Yang, Jaune, and Nora ended up on the side near the tower. Ruby instinctively pulled out Crescent Rose to shoot the Nevermore as it flew away; while Jaune looked back to see Blake, Pyrrha, and Ren facing the Death Stalker alone, and it was not going well. Jaune short-sprinted toward the end of the broken bridge, worry plastered on his face.
"Man, we gotta get over there! They need help!" Jaune was worried.
Nora ran to his side. "Let's do this!"
"Yeah…but uh…" Jaune looked down into the chasm, noting how wide a gap separated them from their fellow students. "I can't make that jump!"
Jaune's worry increased when he saw Nora merely smirking at him. She suddenly knocked him back with Magnhild before converting it into its hammer mode. She leaped into the air and slammed it into the ground, shattering that part of the bridge, while also catapulting Jaune over the gap.
"No! No! No!" Jaune screamed.
Nora then positioned herself on top of Magnhild's mallet and fired its grenade to send her soaring over the gap as well. She used the gathered momentum to pull up on Magnhild and slam it into the Death Stalker. She saw its stinger about to lunge but fired a grenade again to push her off.
"Ahhh smash!" Yelled Nora, swinging her hammer down on the deathstalker's head. It buckled under the impact but regained its footing and knocked her back with a claw. She collided with Blake, knocking her off from the bridge.
Blake quickly threw one piece of Gambol Shroud while firing to provide an extra boost to embed the blade into a piece of the bridge. She followed it up by using the ribbon to swing herself under the bridge and vault herself toward the Nevermore, producing a shadow-clone to further close the gap, where she sliced at the Nevermore's face repeatedly. She produced another shadow-double to land on the Nevermore's back, rushing down and slicing with her weapon before leaping off its tail feathers to land on the perch of the castle ruins alongside Ruby, Yang, and Weiss.
"It's tougher than it looks!" Blake said.
"Then let's hit it with everything we got!" Yang stated as she readied Ember Celica.
Ruby briefly looked down toward Jaune's group fighting against the Death Stalker. She briefly looked in the direction from where she and her group left Izuku, worry plastering over her face before it was replaced with a determined countenance. Deep down she was worried for him, but she knew that he could handle himself. They needed to focus on their objective.
Ruby, Yang, and Blake fired their long-ranged gun attacks from their respective weapons, while Weiss swung Myrtenaster to send waves of fire, ice, and lightning at the incoming Nevermore. But the flying Grimm seemed to pass by or tank several of the attacks before flying down to ram the supporting pillars of the tower, causing the entire structure to collapse. But the girls remained calm as they used their respective Semblances and weapons, however they could leap from each piece of falling debris before landing on the bridge.
"None of this is working!" Weiss noted, which Ruby agreed with.
Ruby redirected her gaze back at the soaring monster. The Nevermore was still flying around them in a circle, which she deduced was probably waiting for the right opportunity to strike. The creature was taking its time; it knew they had nowhere left to run. Ruby's eyes narrowed at the flying beast before turning her gaze to her companions.
"I got an idea," said Ruby. "Blake, I need your ribbons."
"Got it," she answered.
Yang rushed forward, loading a clip of explosive rounds. Together they opened fire on the Nevermore, fire erupting around the bird as they peppered it with shrapnel. Unable to get close through their shots, it circled and waited, screeching at them in anger.
Back at the bridge, the deathstalker stabbed forward with its tail, sending its enemies stumbling as the stone continued to break apart.
"We need to get closer! Pyrrha, with me!" Said Jaune as they rushed forward.
Pyrrha arrived first, ducking under a claw swipe and repelling it with her shield. She in turn stabbed forward with her spear at its face, Jaune joining her to block the other claw as it swung in to strike her. Switching it back to sword form, Pyrrha vaulted over him and with a spin, sent a slash through the scorpion's many eyes.
Ren ran forward next, firing a few rounds and stepping to the side as the tail crashed next to him. With honed reflexes, he grabbed onto the stinger before it could retract, emptying the clip into the weak spot. Nora covered them with several more shots from her grenade launcher.
Upon hearing the shots, the Grimm swung both claws forward, knocking Pyrrha and Jaune back as it protected its face from the explosive rounds. Pyrrha waited in anticipation, watching the creature swing its claws back open to clear the smoke, then threw her spear with expert aim into its large, right eye. The Grimm flailed in pain, swinging Ren loose and into a pillar, knocking him out.
"Ren!" Nora cried in concern.
Jaune groaned as he cleared his vision, then noticed the stinger was barely hanging on by a tendon, poison, and black blood dripping freely from the wound.
"Pyrrha, the stinger!"
"Done!" She answered, throwing her shield like a disc and severing the barb completely. It embedded itself into the creature's mask.
"Nora, nail it!" Commanded Jaune.
She nodded, weapon back in hammer form, and turned to Pyrrha. "Heads up!"
Pyrrha complied just in time when Nora jumped, landing on her shield like a platform. A pull of the trigger from Magnhild sent her flying into the air, Pyrrha ascended with the shot to give her extra force. Nora rode her hammer like a flying broom, giggling and giving a mock salute. She fired another round, sending her spinning back to earth with twice the force she'd normally have, burying the stinger as deep as possible into the deathstalker's head.
The force sent them flying over the corpse and onto the safety of solid ground. The monster gave a death rattle as it fell into the gorge with what was left of the bridge. Ren stumbled over to them, holding his side from a cracked rib, and promptly collapsed. Finally able to rest, the group looked towards the tower as their friends continued battling the Nevermore.
A lull in the gunfire prompted the bird to go back on the attack. Yang jumped as it charged her, planting herself into its beak. Yang clamped her fist whilst anchoring it back, preparing for a devastating blow
"I. HOPE. YOU'RE. HUNGRY!" She yelled with each shot into its open maw.
With severe injuries to endure, the avian creature found itself in a precarious situation, its throat aflame with the agony of buckshot wounds. In a momentary lapse of control over its wings, it careened towards the precipice of the cliff. Yang swiftly disengaged and joined Ruby, while the Schnee Heiress gracefully gilded forward, her weapon Myrtenaster poised and emanating a radiant glow of icy energy. The nevermore convulsed in anguish, desperately attempting to regain flight. However, as its wings flapped with great effort, Weiss deftly thrust her weapon forward, impaling the creature's tail and securing it in place with a sudden surge of ice. Sensing the imminent conclusion, she promptly withdrew to prepare for the final strike.
Blake and Yang promptly executed Ruby's plan, with the former expertly embedding Gambol Shroud into one of the pillars, while the latter deftly seized the ribbon and secured it to another. The concept was simple yet ingenious: to fashion a colossal slingshot, utilizing Ruby herself as the projectile. Ruby skillfully propelled herself backward, her weapon Crescent Rose resting upon her shoulder as she pulled the ribbon taut, akin to drawing back a bowstring. Weiss, having rejoined the group, swiftly conjured a gravity glyph and skillfully retracted her teammate, the audible strain of the ribbon becoming increasingly palpable as it stretched to its utmost limit.
"Of course, you'd come up with a plan," Weiss scoffed.
"Think you can make the shot?" Asked Ruby.
Weiss snorted. "Can I?"
There was a pause between the two. "Can yo-"
"Of course I can!"
In perfect synchronization with Weiss, who had released the glyph, Ruby discharged a round to grant herself additional speed. With a scythe poised for the neck, she propelled herself towards the Nevermore. Colliding with the bird with an immense force, she managed to tear its tail into two pieces, firmly planting her feet into the cliff face. Wasting no time, Weiss swiftly flicked her sword, causing a line of white glyphs to materialize in front of Ruby. With a resounding roar, she activated her semblance, propelling herself upwards along the wall in a flurry of rose petals, steadily increasing her velocity.
Her companions stood in awe as they witnessed Ruby effortlessly hauling a bird that was easily two hundred times her size up a sheer cliff wall, utilizing the recoil from her weapon to aid in the ascent. The bird futilely struggled as they reached the summit. Firmly grasping the shaft of Crescent Rose, Ruby emitted one final cry and swung, severing its head in a gushing fountain of black blood. With a breathless landing, she turned to observe the remnants of the bird tumbling down the side of the cliff.
The cloud of rose petals surrounding her scattered with the wind.
"Wow..." breathed Jaune. His friends all had the same thought as they watched the Nevermore's body tumble into the mist of the gorge.
Blake, Yang, and Weiss all stood in the middle of the ruined tower staring up at Ruby in her moment of victory.
"Well, that was a thing," said Yang to break the silence.
Somewhere behind Ruby there was a powerful thump, and the ground shook.
Ruby quickly rolled her body around. She gradually raised her head and saw the black gargantuan hooves that clutched the earth. Her gaze ascended to the long tree trunk legs, up to the massive heaving chest and its long trunk. Her eyes crawled higher, and she saw the behemoth's giant white tusks and a white and red patch on their foreheads. Sharpened white bones protrude out of its back, with a massive row of them going down its spine.
Ruby gazed upwards and noticed the creature's head towering twenty feet above. its small red eyes peered into her own, and the giant Goliath lowered its head. Its chest exploded with the roar of surging wind, then it raised its head. Followed by an echoing loud bellow as its black trunk flailed. The roar got all the first year's attention and they all watched in horror as the behemoth raised its hoof high above the ground.
"Ruby!" Yang cried, reaching out with her hand.
A streak of green blur speeds past the group.
Said blur became clear as it slowed down. Ruby and the others blinked in surprise when they saw Izuku hovering above the Goliath. Izuku thrust both of his fists downward, discharging tendrils of Blackwhip that found purchase and coiled around the Goliath's body.
Izuku grunted as he brought his arms up. Pulling the behemoth up fast in the air above his head then uncoiled the tendrils off of the creature's waist. He glanced up at the behemoth high above him, his eyes narrowed in determination.
'Shoot Style...' He mentally channeled as he propelled himself toward the Goliath.
Izuku zoomed right in front of the Goliath in an instant. He raised his right leg, charging up a kick containing the potency of a hundred men. Anchoring it back, preparing for a devastating blow.
"St. Louis..."
He swung away with incredible speed.
"SMASH!"
Izuku delivered a powerful kick that propelled the Goliath forward. The sheer strength of the attack sent the Grimm soaring through the air. As the Goliath propels further away, it breaks the sound barrier, leaving behind nothing but a glimmer in the sky as it cuts through the clouds. Izuku landed gracefully on his feet right next to the shocked Ruby, while Jaune's group looked in shock and amazement.
"Wow…" Jaune looked in awe, while Pyrrha and Ren's mouths hung open. Even Nora had been rendered speechless.
"Holy crap…" Yang muttered as she stood with Blake and Weiss, the former holding her hands over her bowtie for some reason.
Weiss was rendered speechless by the power Izuku had displayed before all of them. Blake was recovering from the ringing she felt in her ears, that her friends didn't seem to feel. She thanked her lucky stars that no one had noticed her.
Izuku turned to his right to meet Ruby's silver eyes. She held her hands near her cheeks, her silver eyes sparkled while emitting a squeal, as though she was ready to explode with joy.
"Izuku!" Ruby practically screamed, quickly stepping up to Izuku. "That was awesome! Oh, was that your ultimate move?! You knocked that thing so far away! You're so awesome!"
Izuku chuckled a little while rubbing the back of his nape.
"It was nothing, really," Izuku said, glancing to the ground before shifting his gaze back to her. "Were you and the others able to complete the exam?"
Ruby nodded.
"Yeah. It was a challenge for me and the others, but we all pulled through," Ruby replied optimistically.
Izuku nodded in acknowledgment. "That's great to hear, Ruby. You know, I can say the same to you. Before we arrived at the Forest Temple, you were amazing back there."
Ruby glanced at the ground while poking her index fingers together.
"You really think so?" Ruby asked somewhat bashfully.
"Yeah, without a doubt," Izuku confirmed, smiling confidently at Ruby. Ruby felt heat rising from the nape of her neck to her cheeks.
There was a pause between the two of them.
"Izuku...you know that school motto you once told me back at the hospital? You know, the one you and your friends at U.A always say to keep your spirits up?" Ruby asked, glancing at the ground while poking her index fingers together.
"Yeah," Izuku replied.
Ruby shifted her gaze back to Izuku with a smile.
"Can we...do it? I thought it was a cool motto, and I thought it'd be cool if we did it together." Ruby explained.
Izuku blinked in surprise then smiled back at Ruby.
"Sure." Izuku nodded.
Ruby's smile widened.
"Go..." Izuku raised his fist.
"Beyond..." Ruby raised her fist.
Izuku and Ruby closed their eyes while smiling and exchanged a fist bump.
"Plus Ultra!"
All the first years returned to Beacon where they had gathered in the auditorium for the official formation of their team. Among them was a group of four young men that stood before Professor Ozpin as the holo-screen above showed the students' names and faces, as well as their team names. Izuku stood next to Glynda while watching the ceremony.
"Russel Thrush, Cardin Winchester, Dove Bronzewing, Sky Lark. The four of you retrieved the Black Bishop pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team CRDL. Lead by... Cardin Winchester," Headmaster Ozpin announced at the induction ceremony, their faces and team names displayed on the holo screens above their heads.
Team CRDL bowed in respect and left the stage.
"Jaune Arc, Pyrrha Nikos, Nora Valkyrie, and Lie Ren." The four in question stepped forward. "The four of you retrieved the White Rook pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team JNPR. Lead by... Jaune Arc."
Jaune flinched when he heard his name.
"L-Led by?" He said under his breath.
"Congratulations young man," said Ozpin.
Pyrrha smiled and lightly punched him on the arm, knocking him over much to the amusement of the audience. Team JNPR took their leave.
"And finally, Blake Belladonna, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, and Yang Xiao Long. The four of you retrieved the White Knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team RWBY. Led by... Ruby Rose."
Both Ruby and Weiss jumped in alarm. Even Blake rifted a brow. They all didn't expect Ruby to be named the leader. It steadily dawned on Ruby what had just happened and a wide smile grew on her face.
"I'm so proud of you!" Squealed Yang as she wrapped her sister in a big hug.
Ozpin allowed a small smile to show.
"Yes, this is looking to be an... interesting year."
LOCATION: Central Hospital, Back in the Academia world...
Uraraka's eyes slowly fluttered open. She blinked in bewilderment as she was greeted by a low, gentle light streaming in from one side. Once her vision adjusted, she found herself staring at the ceiling. She drew in a breath. The cogs in her brain were returning in full circle, but she felt a stinging sensation against his eyes.
Uraraka rubbed them with her hands. Her head felt groggy as she slowly sat up. She blinked a couple of times to re-adjust his eyes to the dimly lit room and looked around. The room was full of an arrangement of "Get Well Soon" balloons, and flowers. She even saw a note on a small table beside her bed, written in Yaoyorozu's writing.
The note read:
Get well soon, Uraraka.
Her mouth felt dry. She turned to see a red button on the side of the hospital bed. Above it, the instructions read: "Press for assistance." Uraraka figured being thirsty required assistance so she pressed the button twice.
Suddenly, she heard footsteps down the hallway. The door opened and slammed into the wall as a team of nurses gathered around Uraraka's bed. The nurses seemed to be inspecting every part of Uraraka.
"She's good." One of the nurses chimed. "You all can come in now."
As the nurses left, a small group of two genders squeezed their way into the room. Uraraka felt a smile spread across her face as she recognized them. Momo, Mina, Jiro, Tsuyu, and everyone in Class1A gathered around Uraraka's bed. Each student took turns exchanging hugs with her, being gentle not to hug her too hard due to her still not fully recovered from her battle with Toga. Uraraka looked at them and blinked in bewilderment; they looked happy but also…sad?
Uraraka blinked. Someone among the group was...missing.
"Where's Deku..?" Uraraka managed to croak out as she tilted her head in bewilderment.
Silence.
Uraraka's worry started to rise.
"Guys..?"
A/N: Well, well, well, that's chapter 10 young readers. Next chapter will feature Izuku stopping dust thieves around Vale, him adjusting his stay in Beacon, and more. I'm not gonna lie though, after looking at some of the characters' weapons in the RWBY universe, as well as Izuku from the fantasy world, I've thought about letting him get his own sword. It'll be a way for him to adapt to this world's system.
But that isn't to say he would stop using his fist and legs through Full Cowling. He'll still use One For All, along with the nine quirks in his arsenal when the situation calls for it. I also still haven't decided whether or not I let Izuku have the chance of having his aura unlocked, but in the next chapter I promise I'll announce my decision once I've finally decided. But what do you guys think? What do you think will happen next? With all of that said, I'll be taking my leave.
See you all in the next chapter, young readers!