~Third Person~
"-o—————————o!!"
As (Y/N) stopped yelling at the top of his lungs, everyone stared at him as they all wore sweat-drop expressions. Even the comical bead of sweat was present. Not long after a brief moment silence, he would clear his throat and fix his posture.
"Sorry...Got excited."
"Right...Professor Oobleck...? And Port?"
"Yes! I'm afraid those bags won't be necessary, girls, seeing as you've opted to shadow a Huntsman on what is now essentially a reconnaissance mission. I can assure you, we will not be establishing a single base of operations; rather, we will be traversing several miles of hazardous wasteland and making camp in any defendable locations we may stumble upon. I packed all of our essentials myself, plotted our air course, and readied the airship! And..."
The former of the two, would pace back and forth with one arm wrapped behind himself. His other was currently wagging in the air at his points. Points that were being told at speeds the girls and even Pilot were having issues following along. At the end, he would zoom right up to Weiss's face as she yelped out since he was leaning in with a glare.
"-it's Doctor Oobleck! I didn't earn the PhD for fun, thank you very much!"
"Uh..."
With a quick retreat, DOCTOR Oobleck would give way to Professor Port who stepped up to the group with a hearty laugh. His arms behind his back, he would pull one out and shoot it straight into the air with his index finger held up. Weiss would look over at Blake m, who had a disturbed expression before turning to her boyfriend. And a complete opposite was the fact he was grinning giddily as he even seemed to vibrate a bit.
"As for myself! I am the Huntsman Young Pilot (Y/N) will be shadowing-!"
"Let's go!"
"My boy, we will be taking on a Search and Destroy mission yet, we will try to avoid the Destroy part. You see, Grimm have played a roll in human and faunus existence from the moment they were conceived. However, they are also the key to our survival for we would not lasted this long had it not been for our ability to combat this set of grizzly opponents! After all, that is what my class is all about!"
Port would strike a small yet, high and mighty pose where his hand was over his tie as his face shone with confidence. Something that seemed to gravitate (Y/N) towards the Professor as Weiss looked almost betrayed. However, he was stopped when Doctor Oobleck nearly crashed into him. Causing the young Pilot to yelp out and stumble backwards into his place next to Weiss.
"Come now, children; according to my schedule, we are already three minutes behind...-!"
Doctor Oobleck took a small pause before bursting off at speeds that not even (Y/N) had ever seen before. And in a cartoonish manner as well, as he then stopped in front of the VTOL Bullhead that was going to take Team RWBY to their mission. Port made his presence known to (Y/N) as he gave him a nice firm friendly manly man of a whack on the back that made him jump yet, unwavering in standing.
"We can take out time! Not really as hinted by Miss Goodwitch. However! Our method of transportation is smaller and off-road so, there truly is no rush!"
And now it was Port's turn to leave as he turned towards what was the Academy's administration building.
"This is awesome! I get to go demon fishing with Port! Shhhh~ I'm hunting Grimm."
(Y/N)'s enthusiasm was only fortified when he let out a staggered and reverberating laugh much like a certain cartoon hunter. Of course, this went over the heads of everyone as Ruby tried to cheer up her team.
"Well, alright, then! Looks like we're going to save the world with Doctor Oooobleck-! Okay, yeah. When you say it out loud, it sounds worse..."
Ruby had actually captivated her team yet the moment Oobleck arose in the sentence? They all let their heads drop down. A sight that made (Y/N) chuckle out before they all collectively heard a familiar set of voices. Well, one was more modular than the other.
"Save the world!?"
"PILOT, I OBTAINED THE MISSION INFORMATION FROM HEADMASTER OZPIN. PROTOCOL TWO: UPHOLD THE MISSION. CAPTURE GRIMM SPECIMENS ALIVE."
Turning around, they were met with Team JNPR and Athena who definitely stood out like a sore thumb yet, snuck up on them like a soft-pawed cat. Making (Y/N) tilt his head before ultimately gained a confident smile as he held a thumbs up to her. Something she instantly returned with one of her own. Meanwhile, Nora seemed struck with drama as she waved her hands at the air.
"You're going on world-saving missions without us!? I-I'm hurt...Sad! Maybe a little hungry!? That last one isn't your fault, though. Ren."
Nora turned to Ren with a glare as he simply crossed his arms and looked away. (Y/N) chuckled out softly at the two. Just then, Jaune spoke out as he put his fists on his hips.
"Sounds exciting! Where are you guys going?"
"Oh! Nowhere. Just...outside the kingdom."
"She lied as naturally as she breathed."
"Hey! So are we!"
Nora, in her everlasting sugar rush nature, spoke out giddily as Pyrrha finally spoke up.
"Ren and Nora wanted to shadow the sheriff of a nearby village."
"We set out tomorrow."
"Then you can party with us tonight!"
Right after, and seemingly out of nowhere, Neptune and Sun would walk up to the two teams, Robot and its Pilot with a small hop.
"We're shadowing a crime specialist! All inner-city detective stuff~ We get junior badges~"
Neptune would speak with a cocky grin and wave of his hands before (Y/N) looked over to Jaune. Being caught completely off guard by how Jaune was fawning over this "cool" revelation as literal stars twinkled around his head. Soon after, Sun would speak up in a more softer tone.
"We normally go to the city with you guys. Which means stuff's always exploding, giant robots fighting and junk so, we thought this might be a better way to check out the kingdom when it's, you know... normal."
"As much as I hate to admit it...We do have a nasty track record with Vale..."
"Well-"
"Four minutes, Ladies!"
Before Ruby could even put a word out, she was cut off by Doctor Oobleck who zoomed out of the Bullhead. Yelling in the distance towards Team RWBY, Ruby would cringe as she was cut off before Doctor Oobleck zoomed back into the Bullhead. Looking up, Ruby had a very awkward and embarrassed smile. One that was replicated by a few amongst the group, including even Pyrrha albeit more pitying than anything else. However, the Pilot would try his best to try and suppress laughter. Leaning against Athena as he whacked her leg softly with a fist to calm down as she looked down at him.
"Well...wish us luck!"
With that, the two and a half teams, Pilot and Giant Robot, would wave farewell to one another before (Y/N) turned to see a smiling Weiss in front of him. A smile that turned into a soft frown as (Y/N) chuckled softly. Reaching to Weiss's hand, he held it softly as the Ice Queen's smile returned a bit.
"I'll be fine. I'm more worried about you four. We go to Vale, giant robots and explosions. So I worry about a ruined city."
"You don't exactly have a promising resume too, you know. Need I remind you that you're fighting an Evil Interstellar Company?"
(Y/N) would let a comical "hmph" that mimicked Weiss's own before the two giggled out from his impersonation. Not long after, Weiss grabbed his Flight Suit's collar and pull him down to her level. Sharing a nice gentle kiss, the Pilot couldn't help but smile into it before having to pull away with a groan as Yang yelled out to Weiss.
"Hurry it up!"
"Indeed, Miss Schnee and Mister (Y/N)! There is a mission at hand and we are now five-six! Minutes late!"
Groaning out as they reluctantly pulled away from one another, Weiss turned and began to run off as (Y/N) hopped up into the air. Grabbing onto Athena's metal hand as she held it out above him. Pulling him up into her chassis, he took his spot in her cockpit. Taking one last glance at Weiss before the hatch shut and Athena began to walk towards the Academy's parking lot.
~First Person~
Okay. Guns? Check. Gear? Check. Any last second changes...? Fuck-! Wait no, never mind. Got it right here. Giving my Data-Knife a twirl in my hand, I slid it right back into its sheath before taking a deep breath. Something my motherly robot detected right off the bat.
"I SENSE YOU ARE NERVOUS, PILOT. THE MISSION AT HAND SIMPLE YET, MINOR NERVOUSNESS HAS SHOWN TO IMPROVE RESULTS."
"I know. And thanks. Just pray we don't screw this up somehow."
Giving her a thumbs up, from within her chassis, she knew what I was doing as she held her own up in front of my view. Wasn't long after that we came to a stop in front of the Academy's parking lot as Athena opened up her hatch before I hopped out onto the nice black asphalt. Besides a few cars here, and a few cars there, alongside the currently shut-off street lamps, there was nothing. Up until Athena and I heard "The Flight of the Valkyries" by Richard Wagner. What? Surprised I know classic music? I do! Sorta fitting too when I used Athena's Northstar load-out before it got wiped from her Data-Core upon entry.
Looking to one another, I would put a finger in my ear and rub it a bit as I tried my best to pinpoint where exactly the music was coming from. Although, it wasn't long after that I got my answer when Port, who I saw through the windshield, jumped into the parking lot with a skid and screech of his tires. Tires that were on what I recognized to be a 1944 Willys MB Jeep. Although highly modified as its color was a nice red that matched Port's attire. On top of that, the trimmings around the Jeep were a nice golden brass. The tires, if they weren't already for off-road purposes, also gave way to custom suspension system that I could see from where I stood. And in the back? Was a tone of stuff for camping, off-grid survival, hell even a ton of small...cages...?
Looking up at Port, he would give me a large toothy grin as his eyes remained shut before I knew exactly what was up. Putting on my helmet, I used a nice boost from my jump-kit to land in the passenger seat next to him. Standing up, I grabbed onto the windshield bars with a giddy cackle.
"Let's go!"
"But what about Athena?"
Oh...Right. Looking at Athena, I tilted my head as she gave me a small slouched chassis gesture. That's when I thought for a bit before snapping my fingers. Making Athena perk up as her eye squinted on me a bit.
"Athena? You know where the site is right?"
"CORRECT. HEADMASTER OZPIN HANDED OVER MISSION DETAILS."
"Perfect! We'll see you at the site! Let's go...! Again!"
And with that, the Professor slammed his foot on the gas as the wheels had to whirl and screech out before finally shooting off out the parking lot. With a set of giddy laughter, I looked behind me to see Athena running after us. This...will be one kick-ass mission~!
It wasn't long after, and by that I mean about an hour or so drive, that we arrived to where we were going to be camp out. Or Base of Operations, as Port called it. After building a nice fire, I was setting up what was going to be our tents for the night as Port unloaded the car. Of course, Athena was no where around, currently, because our Jeep was much faster than her running yet, I know for a fact she'll be here in a couple of hours. Looking at Port, I noticed he was placing those small cages in a neat stack on the edge of the camp.
"Hey, Professor? You said we need live specimens, right? Aren't those cages a bit...I don't know, small?"
"Ahah! Great observation yet, that is because these cages are in their compact mode! Observe~!"
Picking up one of the cages, he tossed it into the air before pulling out his blunderbuss axe chimera known as Blowhard. Without a missed beat, he shot the cage as a small yet, loud yellow projectile hit said cage. Causing it to expand and almost combust midair before landing with a nice crash. Now being a cage that I've seen plenty of times in class. Again...they have this kind of stuff yet, not space travel? Kinda odd but, cool. Looking at me with a grin, he chuckled softly.
"I...see...Well guess I'll continue."
"Indeed~! We have much to prepare and we still have to travel into the wilderness! Which...reminds me...Pilot (Y/N)? Accompany me. For what I have to show is far more important than a tent we will use in many hours from now."
Looking at him with a cocked eyebrow through my helmet, I shrugged before setting the poles of the tent down. Dusting off my hands, I soon followed after him as the two of us travelled into the woods with Port carrying a compact cage just in caee alongside his Blowhard. I had my Mastiff too so, we were giving off a vibe of, where I come from? Is a clear signal of "Fuck around and find out." It wasn't long after a short ten minute walk that I began to hear something in the distance that sounded like a continuous roar and splash. A waterfall. Hearing this, I looked over at Port who gave me a soft smile as I jogged up ahead to be met with a nice opening.
The opening was just...pure green and a nice sprinkling of orange to show the change in season. The trees were just nice and burly still despite the seasonal change stated from before. Turning my head towards the actual waterfall and the basin it filled, to see crystal clear waters. Most likely this was all fresh-water and safe to drink alone. And from where I stood? It was temping to just jump into the basin and let the nice river take me a few feet down. Seeing Port come into view, I turned to him as he took a deep breath and blissful release of the nice crisp clean air.
"Brilliant, isn't it? In a world full of darkness, where the sins of humanity take a physical form to hunt us down, to destroy our very way of life. However..."
Just then, I turned my Mastiff on what I thought was grimm since there came the snap of a twig. Yet, I was just met with a doe with a little fawn following right behind it.
"-many forget that, there is indeed beauty past all the danger grimm bring forth upon this land. Beauty that, hopefully one day, we can fully embrace..."
Hearing Port...my mind slipped away as I was now standing on top of a huge skyscraper overlooking all of Angel City with a single blink. Looking around, my eyes and self were in awe over the city's Angel statue in the distance. However, I soon jumped when I felt a hand get placed on my shoulder. Looking at the hand, it led up to a fuzzy blacked out face yet, an echoey voice.
"One day...you'll understand. Understand why I work for the people I work for. But trust me when I say, I'll leave a better world behind, Avi-"
Before the figure could call out whatever it was going to say? The memory faded away as I groaned and grasped my head lightly before jumping when I felt Port's hand on my shoulder.
"My boy, are you alright?"
"Y-Yeah. Just a small headache."
"Ahah! You must be hungry then-!"
The Professor had perked up immensely yet, another rude interruption rang out when we heard a set of growls. Growls that made us turn to the source to see a large Ursa Major and a common Ursa next to it. Now this was cause for alertness as I raised my Mastiff back up towards the demon bears. Making them growl and lurch forward as if prepared to charge. With a small sigh, Port would twirl Blowhard in his hands before catching it by the barrel.
"Until that day, where we may rest easy? We fight to secure tomorrow..."
"I call dibs on Yogi bear..."
Port would cock an eyebrow at me since I bet he didn't know who Yogi was but, I was well acquainted with him. Enough that I dashed towards the Major with my Mastiff held high and pulling at the trigger as the Major yelled before roaring out and charging straight at me. The second one was about to join in up until I heard a hearty laugh alongside a red-gold streak shoot by. The lesser Ursa being out of the picture, almost literally, left me to an obvious unfair fight since it was about two and half times my own height. Don't even get me started on weight.
Major, with some rage filled and pellet-drilled speed, charged forward with a roar as it ducked its head down to block its face along with probably throw me up into the air with a bash. So, I played right into its plan as I took out a gravity star with a flick into my left hand alongside a single shell for my Mastiff. Its snout would hit the bottom of my feet as I was then launched further up enough that I was in the clear of my plan. Chucking the star down with a roar, it imbedded itself into the Major's bone-plate face mask as it roared out before the thing activated. Sucking the bear up, it would flail its limbs in its face before I shot that single loaded shell from the Mastiff at the very edge of the grav-well. The pellets, whipping around, would end up hitting the bears eyes as it roared before, and unfortunately because I was in kill-mode, the grav-well blew outwards with enough force that I heard a nasty snap. Witnessing the Major's head get bent backwards as it went limp. The most grisly thing being the fact it stayed on its hind legs as it began to ashen...Yikes.
"Ah...shame."
"Y-Yeah. Went a bit over-kill. Sorry, Professor."
"Do not fret, my boy! We will be here for a week! A week to capture all the Grimm the Academy could desire!"
Looking at the Professor, I jumped lightly when I saw he was standing in front of an enlarged cage. A cage that held that ordinary Ursa alongside its Major yet, it was unconscious...Hm. That'll come in handy to know. Alongside the cage he tugged came a small harness that he used to attach more of those collapsed cages on his back. Reloading my Mastiff so it was completely full, I soon heard Professor Port let out a small sigh as I looked up. Now the Major's body was completely gone.
"Shameful, isn't it? Yet, all for a better tomorrow. Today and the next, until we leave and even then some? We will be fighting so others may rest easy with their loved ones and friends-"
We soon heard growls to the side as we turned to see about six lone ordinary Beowolves that soon surrounded the two of us. Getting back to back with Port, I slammed the last shell into my Mastiff with malicious intent as the Hell-puppers snarled at us. Port sighed out as he gave Blowhard a nice twirl from its stowed position with him now holding it at his hip.
"Until then? Let us show the Darkness what a true being of Light is about."
I was about to blast away when we all heard what sounded like hard compressed blasts following by streams of deep whistles. In other words? I'll let Athena translate this.
"SALVO CORE ACTIVATED."
Looking up into the sky, glowing orange dots with streams of white soared up into the air before coming back down towards us. Thinking quickly, I reached behind me and tossed an A-Wall down at my feet. Grabbing the Professor by the shoulders, I forced us to duck as that volley of rockets came down in front of us. Poor Puppers didn't even know what him them by the time they heard it since they were now reduced to smoldering craters the length of an average human. The force was enough to knock me and Port down with yelps as the Beowolves that were behind us got thrown backwards.
After the Salvo was done and over with, I recovered first as I shook my head to get rid of that ringing feeling in my ears. However, I guess one Hell-Pup was faster as I heard a growl followed by a demonic bark as I came face to face with a Beowolf that lunged at us. Bringing up my Mastiff, I was prepared to blast it's face off when a familiar robot hand swooped in grabbed the Beowolf by the head. Making it yelp and flail around before I looked up to see Athena as the wrangler. Holding it high into the air, she then looked down at me with her eye focusing in while I gained a large grin.
"Took you long enough!"
"APOLOGIES, PILOT. BUT I HAD TO WRANGLE OTHER GRIMM ALONG THE WAY. WE WILL GO CAGE THEM LATER. PILOT?"
As if I had read her mind, I looked to a now recovered Port who shook his head as well before I yoinked a collapsed cage from him. Kicking it on over to Athena after pressing the button, it would extend out right beneath her fist before she let go of the Beowolf. Causing it to land with a nice crash in the cage as Athena shut the cage door on it. Reaching behind herself, she would pull out the Tone Titan load-out special, a 40mm Tracking Cannon. And with that load-out, she also had a ping dart at the ready. Giving her a nice little signal towards the tree line, she fired away the dart as I helped the Professor up. Right after, a sonar ping would rise out from the location as I was met with the sight of the rest of the pack and the Alpha right on cue.
"Six Beowolves. The rest of the pack."
"Splendid! Capture as many as you can, my boy and Miss Athena! En Garde!"
Holding Blowhard behind his back, Port suddenly shot forward with a small twirl as a Beowolf was slow to lunge out first. I...What? Watching him grab the Beowolf by the neck midair, myself and Athena would only stare on as the Beowolf's limbs shot forward thanks to the whiplash effect. Slowing down in the air, Port would growl before letting out a roar as he twirled to throw the Beowolf against a tree. Once that made it let out a shrill yelp before a cage rolled up underneath it as it was peeled off the tree by gravity. It wasn't long after that the cage would open up and expand as the Beowolf would land inside it with a nice metallic thud.
Blinking in awe at what I just witnessed, I shook those thoughts away as I immediately whipped around with Athena. Jumping up into the air, Athena's fist shot right underneath me to slam into a Beowolf's front. All I saw was its head and neck be pushed into its shoulders alongside a very nasty squish of a sound. It grew even more gruesome when its body slammed into a tree as the corpse was cut in two from sheer force.
Landing on Athena's hand, I instantly kicked back a Beowolf that tried to climb onto her hand to reach me. Something she didn't like as a ping dart soon found itself lodged in the Beowolf's chest. Pinning it down as it let out a yelp before a set of sonar pings were sent out. With a swift spin of my Mastiff towards its direction, I'd pill the trigger to send two of the four pellets right into its eyes and effectively killing it. At least I hope it did. Regardless, I looked around to be met with two more Beowolves tried to pull the same move and climb up to grab at me yet, I also spotted the Alpha in the background as if waiting for the perfect moment to jump in to attack.
"Athena!"
Without even responding, I she would hop her hand upwards as I was given the chance to dash forward. Giving me a nice little boost forward yet, I needed more to catch this Alpha so, she shot her extended palm out towards me as I was mid air. Keeping it completely flat, I landed on it with a pleasant boosted slide that shot me forward even more. Meanwhile, Athena then clenched her hand into a fist and slammed into one of the Beowolves as I swear I heard Port laugh before another Beowolf cry rang out behind me.
Now landing in the tree-line where I had seen the Alpha trudging along, I whipped my Mastiff to the side before whipping it behind me. Although the moment I did? That Alpha leapt out and swiped the barrel away from it as I pulled the trigger. Causing only two of the left-sided pellets to hit its abdomen that didn't do much other than make it roar out in pain before swinging down at me. Being chucked to the side with a heavy grunt, I would even twirl before smacking into the ground with a roll. Growling out with a quick recover by swinging my legs around, I used that same moment to fling myself backward with an assisted boost from my jump-kit. Just in time to avoid being impaled by a set of claws that got imbedded into the earth where I once was.
The Alpha would let out a low growl as I ripped the claws out from the ground as some pieces of dirt got flung out. Looking around for my Mastiff, it laid nearby yet, not near enough to reach without a few yard steps. In other words, fuck me and my luck. Growling out louder to try and assert dominance over the situation, I would smirk with a grim little chuckle. Something that seemed to intrigue the Alpha as it tilted its head.
"Eat gigawatts, asshole."
Right on cue, the Alpha would roar and cry out as Athena shot an energy siphon bolt right into its back. Making it seize up as she soon appeared from the trees and punched the damn thing through about five of them. Looking at me, she would hold her vortex shield out as my Mastiff's gun metal made it get swooped into the fray alongside a few pebbles. Standing up fully, I would hold my arms out as she deactivated the swirling blue shield so the horizontal shotgun could land in my arms. Catching it with a small grunt, I soon slung the thing around my shoulders and hooked it to my back.
"PILOT, ARE WE NOT GOING TO ENGAGE THE ALPHA BEOWOLF?"
"No. We are. Just needed a team exercise."
"...UNDERSTOOD."
~Third Person~
Athena had noticed what her Pilot had inferred as she would place the 40MM Tracking Cannon on her back as her Pilot cracked his knuckles. Stretching his limbs out as Port would standby in the cover and night with curiosity as to how these two would handle the situation at hand. The Alpha, now standing up fully with a shake of its head as it growled to look at the two. Despite being outnumbered and most likely out-skilled now, it growled out even louder before roaring out with its head lurching forward in an attempt to give dominance back to itself. However, it was only met with a set of boots hitting its muzzle in a brutal dive-kick.
Forcing it to spin around, it was soon met with Athena dashing right past it as she held her left fist high up into the air. Yet, this maneuver wasn't meant for her since (Y/N)'s grappling hook and line would imbed into her armor plating as he swung down past it with a prolonged "WOOHOO!" Fixing itself from its dazed state, it barked out as it jumped onto Athena's leg before lunging up into the air. A move that Athena didn't seem to mind since she just yanked her fist and Pilot downwards. With the latter dodging the lunge via the activation of his Phase Module. As (Y/N) disappeared with a low hiss, as well as a white mist, the airborne Alpha would fell one of its legs be tugged downwards. Athena had grabbed its leg with her free hand. Yanking it downwards into the ground, it let out a small cry as it bounced off the dirt and up into the air yet again.
After all this torture that was a one-sided ass beating, it was soon met with a set of knees slamming into its back. This time, it could not make a single sound since its air was forcibly pushed out by this hit in particular. Slamming into ground, it simply laid there as the Pilot landed next to it with a small dusting of his hands.
"Whew! Good work out! Athena?"
"PILOT, COMBAT EFFICIENCY HAS RECEDED TO NORMAL LEVELS. IN CONCLUSION, WE DID GOOD."
Holding a thumbs up towards (Y/N), who promptly give Athena a thumbs up in return as an uproarious laughter rang out. Looking at Port, he began to clap his hands as he continued to laugh proudly at the display he just witnessed.
"I have heard rumors of your teamwork with Miss Athena, Pilot (Y/N)! But seeing it first hand? It was marvelous!"
"Thank you, Professor. Just a normal day for her and I! Right, Athena?"
"INDEED, PROFESSOR PORT. MY PILOT AND I HAVE TAKEN ON MUCH LARGER AND MORE DANGEROUS TARGETS IN THE PAST."
Port, in a similar and hearty fashion to his young apprentice, would hold a thumbs up as Athena responded with the same gesture. (Y/N) couldn't help but let out a small chuckle as he looked on yet, he soon noticed something. The current apprehended Alpha was far too large for the cage that they brought into the forest.
"Uhm...Professor? How do we capture this Alpha?"
"Ah! Yes, about that...an Alpha that is captured alongside it's pack, will bring nothing but unrest to the holding pens in the Academy. I still have the scars to prove it...after Goodwitch found out about it..."
This made (Y/N) do a double take as he tried to decipher what he just said yet, the Professor soon perked up.
"So! It's best we dispatch it before the rest of the captured pack grow angry."
Right on cue, a shot rang out from Athena's Tracking Cannon as (Y/N) turned around to be met with the ashening body of the Alpha as the Cannon's barrel was smoking. Athena, looking towards her Pilot, would only hold another thumbs up as he chuckled.
Now back at the campsite, a sizable fire pit laid in the middle of camp as Athena was crouched in the regular Titan standby position. Her Pilot standing in front of her as he wiped down the front of the chassis's hatch with a small rag. His helmet was replaced by a set of oil stained goggles as he whistled softly. Yet, Port was nowhere to be seen...Up until he came out from the tree-line holding a wild boar's corpse over his shoulder. Dropping it on a tarp before raising up Blowhard as if ready to butcher the wild not so little pig.
"Yikes...I really need to look after you more, A..."
"MY COSMETIC APPEARANCE IS MERELY THAT. COSMETIC. IT HAS NO IMPACT ON COMBAT EFFICIENCY."
"True but...I just like having you look all nice and pretty."
Running the rag over a large mark on her chassis, it was obvious this mark was from the fight with Scaletta and his Scorch Titan. Despite her shields never dropping, the heat was enough to burn the top layer of the armor plating. Yet, that mark was soon covered in a slick oil that covered the mark's grooves.
"There. That should be good till tomorrow. Once we get back to Beacon? I'll change the plating."
"THANK YOU, PILOT. I WILL NOW COMMENCE OS UPDATES. I WILL BE OFFLINE FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD."
"Understood. You do that because tomorrow? It's going to be a full day of hunting."
Patting her chassis, he hopped back as Athena's singular eye would turn off as a low hum resonated from her. Looking back at Port, who was currently cooking up some flank of pork meat, his mouth would water up almost instantly. Noticing me watching, he would only chuckle as he held out the now cooked up flank towards me with a kind eye shut smile.
"Join me in our well deserved meal, Pilot (Y/N)!"
"Don't have to ask me twice!"
Slipping the goggles up onto his forehead, he would spring over what was a fallen log with the assist of his jump-kit. Landing on the log, he sat like a good boy as Port handed him the flank on a plate that was sizzling gently. The aroma was something that made (Y/N) gain a large smile as he looked for utensils.
"Uhm...Professor...? Utensils?"
"Ah! No worry, my boy."
Walking over, Port would grab a hold of (Y/N)'s Data-Knife and pull it out from his chest-sheath before holding it out. Something that (Y/N) blinked in confusion as he grasped his own blade yet, he soon realized as he let out a small single laugh. Stabbing the flank, he held it up to his mouth and bit into it. Pork is naturally flavored and this pork had a gamey yet, very much welcome taste. Humming in content as he tried not to let his mouth get burnt, (Y/N) tried to not smile too so the pieces wouldn't come out.
"Oh...Oh my lord. That's amazing!"
"Hah! I an glad you enjoy it! Despite not being a creature of Grimm, it still posed a great challenge!"
Port would sit nearby on a log of his own as he too had a flank piece with a cooking fork stabbed through it. Bringing it up to his mouth, he took a nice hearty bite despite the piece was still sizzling with natural oil. Yet, looking at (Y/N)? He then noticed how the boy was already done as he stood up. Walking over to the already butchered pieces on standby for cooking, he simply stabbed his Data-Knife into one and walked over to the open flame. Holding out the piece in order for it to cook as he smiled happily. A smile that was welcome to Port.
"My boy...You have progressed a lot. From courting Miss Schnee and becoming one with social life? I must say... I am proud."
(Y/N), upon hearing these kind words, felt a giddiness in his heart that he could only call genuine happiness. From the friends he made like Coco, Velvet and Cinder to genuinely falling in love with, what he felt like, the girl of his dreams. All of this made him feel at ease that all the hardship and suffering was finally paying off.
"Thank you, Professor. I genuinely have taken the steps to better my life from where I was. Still, I need and would like to hold onto my military past. After all, that little feat couldn't have been accomplished without it."
Referring to how him and Athena took on that Alpha, it was accompanied by a smug little grin that made Port let out an uproarious laugh. Taking the cooked pork back to his log seat with a chuckle, (Y/N) wasted no time to eat as Port calmed down from his laughter. Yet, the mood soon took a swift turn after he sighed.
"Now I must do a part that is required...Why did you become a Huntsman-in-Training?"
~First Person~
This...made me choke up a bit, not literally as I hadn't taken a bit yet but, I still froze up a bit. Looking down at the pork in front of me, I began to think on a lot and most specifically my time in the IMC, Apex Predators, Militia...Now...It all made me feel something I haven't felt in a long time because I now noticed something. Confusion. Confusion of not being able to remember being a kid. Still, I needed to answer.
"I...my time in Atlas made me realize that...this life is cruel and unforgiving. It will force me to do things that I never dreamed of yet, here I am...A giant murder bot and a gun on my hip..."
Lifting my arm a bit, I revealed my holstered Wingman as Port looked on in silence. I knew that my words were piercing him a bit yet, like he said, its his job.
"And all that...made me finally come to terms with who I am...A Fighter. A Protector...A Pilot...Something that people back home look up to in order to have a light in the darkness. A mantle I willingly pick up because I don't want kids like my past self to live through the things I did..."
Now just staring into the pit of flames in front of me, I gripped my Data-Knife more fiercely as I resisted the urge to toss it into the inferno. But that yrge to fight on, that urge to protect, to use Athena the way I see fit to help...that feeling stopped it.
"I can say...without a doubt...you will lead to that change, my boy...I believe in you. And so does Miss Rose from the looks of it."
Port was right...Ruby...she looked up to me not just like an idol but, also like a bigger brother. It felt...nice. Although, I soon chuckled and looked up at Port with a smile.
"I'll drop dead first before something happens to her. To hunting the Darkness!"
"And to a great hunt tomorrow!"
We would raise our pork-chops into the air as a soft of impromptu salute and toast to one another. Tomorrow will be a busy day...I feel it.