(The Emerald Forest)
The brown-haired guy wander around the forest before he stumbles upon a guy with a mohawk, who got startle by his sudden appearance.
Brown-haired Guy: "Who are you?"
Russel: "I'm Russel. And you?"
Cardin: "Cardin. Cardin Winchester. Now follow me."
Russel: "Huh? W-Why?"
Cardin: "If you don't then good luck finding a relic on your own."
As he said this, Cardin starts walking away from him, shoving away some bushes and small branches. Russel, not wanting to be left alone in middle of the forest, quickly follows Cardin.
In the air, Ruby fires off a few rounds from Crescent Rose to slow her down, then turns her weapon into its scythe form to catch the branch of a tree in her blade and fall downward at a slower pace.
Weiss, armed with Myrtenaster, summons a white snowflake circle under her and leaps off of it to the forest below.
Ren descends (with briefly being seen next to him at a faster speed) and spins in the air, eventually using StormFlower's blades to spiral around the trunk of a large tree and hit the ground, brushing off his clothes before looking up to see Yang in the air.
Yang: "Woo-hoo! Yeah!"
Yang, soaring right over the treetops, is using her gauntlets and its fiery force to push her through the air further and further north, spinning and laughing with each blast, even when she crashes through the leaves of a tree and leaps off two trunks to tumble to the ground.
Yang: "Nailed it!"
Pyrrha, her weapon in sword form and armed with a shield, crashes through several trees and rolls on a branch, immediately shifting her blade into a rifle and looking through the scope at Jaune as he continues to scream and fall helplessly. Pyrrha coolly transforms her weapon again to its spear form, takes a moment to evaluate her throw, and rockets the javelin deep into the forest until a "THUNK!" is heard. In the distance, Jaune speaks.
Jaune: "Thank you!"
Pyrrha: "I'm sorry!"
In the middle of the forest, Ruby lands in a crouch, then darts off with a single mantra in her mind.
Ruby: ("Gotta find Yang! Gotta find Yang!")
She shouts out for her sister, but no response.
Ruby: ("This is bad, this is really bad... What if I can't find her? Who's going to be my partner? There's Jaune. He's nice. He's funny! But despite what he said, I don't think he be good in a fight. Oh! There's Blake. So mysterious, so calm. Plus, she likes books! Then again, I'm not sure I'd be able to hold a conversation with her. Oh, there's Y/N! He's cool. He's nice. Seems like a good fighter and...")
As she realizes that she's pondering over Y/N for a lot longer than need, she begins to blush a bit and shake her head. The moment Ruby spot Weiss in front of her, she skids to a halt as Weiss turns to face. Their eyes meet and silence befell on them. It ended when Weiss turn away and walks off.
Weiss: ("I didn't see her... I didn't see her...")
Ruby: "Wait! Where are you going?!"
Ruby stops and kicks the ground dejectedly.
Ruby: "We're supposed to be teammates..."
Weiss is seen struggling through the forest, giving an occasional grunt or "Ow!" as she pushes plants out of her way. She brushes herself off and sighs in relief when she hears a voice above her. She sees Juane trying to free himself from Pyrrha's spear.
Jaune: "Come on, come on! Stupid...!"
As he gives up trying to pull it out, he looks down and sees Weiss, giving an embarrassed wave. Weiss simply heads back in the direction she came from and Jaune groans in dejection. Weiss walks pass Ruby and then pulls on her hood.
Weiss: "By no means does this make us friends."
Ruby became overjoyed, arms raised in the air.
Ruby: "You came back!"
Jaune: "Wait! Come back! Who's going to get me down from here?!"
Pyrrha: "Jaune?"
Juane looks down to see Pyrrha.
Pyrrha: "Do you... have any spots left on your team?"
Jaune: "Very funny..."
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Y/N walks around the Emerald Forest, looking for the temple and find the things instructed by Ozpin's note.
Y/N: ("I would have found them by now if I wasn't sent so far away, Ozpin.")
He exhales before looks around the area while walking before noticing the presence behind him. He glances around to see a small group of Creep fledglings.
Y/N: ("What!? But Ozpin said-")
One of the young Grimm attack him but, Y/N managed to dodge out of the way, quickly taking out his dual pistols.
Y/N: "Damnit. I'll complain to him later. Once I make it out of here alive."
As he said this, Y/N glare at the Grimm as they growl at him before charging towards him.
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Meanwhile, Weiss trudging through the forest, with Ruby behind her.
Ruby: "What's the hurry?"
Weiss: "If I am to lead our team to victory and complete my mission, I don't want you slowing me down. I swear, if I get a bad grade because of your-"
A smiling Ruby suddenly appears next to her with rose petals around Ruby.
Weiss: "What the...?"
Ruby: "I'm not slow, see? You don't have to worry about me!"
Weiss: "When did...?"
Ruby: "Weiss, just because I don't exactly know how to deal with people doesn't mean I don't know how to deal with."
She puts her arm around a skeptical Weiss' shoulders.
Ruby: "You're about to see a whole different side of me today, Weiss, and after it's all over, you're going to be like, 'Wow! That Ruby girl is really, really cool... and I wanna be her friend'!"
Ruby disappears in a shower of rose petals, which Weiss waves away from her face just as she hears crackling and rustling in the bushes around her.
Weiss: "You may be fast, but you still excel at wasting time!"
There was no respond from Ruby.
Weiss: "Ruby?"
She then hears a deep growl and movements from the bushes. She turns around until she spots a large wolf emerging from the bush, approaching her.
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Somewhere in the Emerald Forest, Yang is walking and looking around, shoving bushes and lower branches out of her way as she does.
Yang: "Helloooooooo? Is anyone out there? Y/N? Blake?"
She doesn't get a single response, only mere silence.
Yang: "I'm getting bored here!"
She then hears a rustling in the bushes behind her and turns around.
Yang: "Is someone there?"
The rustling continues as Yang comes over and peaks inside.
Yang: "Is someone here?"
A low, inhuman growl is heard, and Yang's head rises up as she stares at the creature.
Yang: "Nope."
Yang quickly rolls to the side as a brown bear charge out of the green. She gets up and activates her Ember Celica, staring at the monster before another bear runs out behind her. She leaps over it, and its companion runs at her again, only to get knocked back by a fiery punch. The other bear and Yang charge at each other, and Yang manages to get under it and deliver several punches and a kick to send the creature back.
Yang: "You guys wouldn't happen to have seen a girl in a red hood, would you?"
The two bears merely growl at her.
Yang: "You could just say 'no'."
One of the bears stands on its legs and swipes at her twice, Yang barely dodging the attacks.
Yang: "Geeeez, you two couldn't hit the broad side of a ba..."
Before she can complete her insult, a single strand of her golden hair falls in front of her face and lands on the forest floor. She closes her lilac eyes, then open them to reveal her red eyes.
Yang: "You... You monster!!!"
An inferno surrounds Yang for a moment, and she rockets forward, unleashing a devastating combo of flaming hits and blows on the offending bear, making it fly through several burning trees. The other bear runs over, but stops short at Yang's gaze while a tree falls to the ground behind her.
Yang: "What! You want some, too?!"
The brown bear rears up and prepares to strike... right when a whirling noise is heard and the creature makes a befuddled noise, falling down a second later to reveal Blake Belladonna with her Gambol Shroud in the beast's back.
Yang pants in exhaustion while Blake recalls the back to her hand, sheathing it on her back and smiling to the side. Yang, now purple-eyed again, speaks to her new partner over the smoking remains of the bear.
Yang: "Eh, I could've killed it myself."
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Back with Weiss, she deflects the swipe from a wolf with Myrtenaster and getting pushed back into the middle of the surrounding pack. She holds out her rapier as she goes through her dueling motions and practices.
Weiss: ("Remember your training. Head up, shoulders back, right foot forward-not that forward! Okay, slow your breathing, wait for the right time to strike, and...")
She brings her rapier up, the revolver spinning into a fire dust chamber.
Weiss: "Now!"
Weiss dashes forward with her loaded weapon at the wolf in front of her, just when Ruby suddenly appears between the two in a blur of rose petals and a swipe of her Crescent Rose scythe, landing a hit on it.
Ruby: "Gotcha!"
Weiss widens her eyes and screams as she quickly has to stop, swinging the sword in a random direction and creating a line of fire that sets a nearby tree ablaze, followed quickly by the rest of the forest around the clearing. Ruby, distracted by Weiss' mess-up, is barely defended when the same wolf scratches at her weapon, knocking the younger girl into the heiress.
Ruby: "Hey, watch it!"
Weiss: "Excuse me! You attacked out of turn! I could have killed you!"
Ruby: "You'll have to try a lot harder than that..."
The duo wield their weapons as the pack of wolves whine and growl around them. Ruby reloads her scythe just as a flaming tree falls near them.
Weiss: "We have to go!"
She leads Ruby out of the blaze as it engulfs the grass and sets the pack to running back the way they came or suffering in the fire.
Ruby and Weiss stop a safe way from the smoke and flames. Weiss leans over and pants as Ruby looks behind her.
Ruby: "What was that?! That should've been easy fight!"
Weiss: "Well perhaps if you had exercised even the slightest amount of caution with the placement of your strikes, I wouldn't have set the forest on fire!"
Ruby scoffs at that.
Ruby: "What's that supposed to mean?"
Weiss: "I'm just surprised someone who talks so much would communicate so little during an encounter!"
Ruby: "Well, I'm sorry you need my help to win a fight. I'm just fine on my own!"
Weiss: "Well, congratulations on being the strongest child to sneak your way into Beacon. Bravo!"
Weiss begins to walk off on her partner yet again. Ruby, with an agitated shriek, unfolds Crescent Rose, slices a tree down to the stump, refolds it back, and follows her partner as the tree crashes behind her.
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Meanwhile across the Forest, Pyrrha and Jaune are making their way through the bushes. Jaune hears a noise far away and turns his head.
Jaune: "Did you hear that?"
Pyrrha: "Gunfire. It seems some of our comrades have encountered the enemy."
They keep moving forward, Jaune still staring in the sound's direction as Pyrrha raises a branch to pass by and accidentally releases it right at Jaune's face, flooring him instantly. Pyrrha look back behind her.
Pyrrha: "Jaune! I'm sorry!"
Juane lowers his hand from his cheek to reveal a gash from the wooden recoil as he gets back up.
Jaune: "It's okay. Just a scratch."
Pyrrha: "Why didn't you activate your Aura?"
Jaune: "Huh?"
Pyrrha: "Your Aura."
Jaune: "Oh, uh..."
He ponders for a moment before looking back at Pyrrha with a grin.
Juane: "I just like wearing the wound of my environment because it reminds me the importance of caution."
Pyrrha gave a confused look.
Pyrrha: "O-Okay, if you say so."
Suddenly, they get attack by an Ursa fledgling. It attacks Jaune and Pyrrha with its claws as Jaune only can keep at bay with his sword. The young Grimm swipe away Pyrrha as it now focuses on Juane. Pyrrha shout at Juane.
Pyrrha: "Jaune! Hurry and activate your aura already!"
Jaune replies back in a panicked tone.
Jaune: "I lied! I never unlocked my aura!"
Pyrrha's eyes widen as she charges at the young Grimm from behind. She lunges with her spear and pierce the back of its head, causing it to roar in pain.
Pyrrha: "Juane now!"
Desperately, Jaune gets a hold of his sword before stabbing it in its neck. This cause the Grimm to fall down lifeless as it begins to dissolve and some of its skeleton begin to be expose. After defeating it, Pyrrha chew him out about not telling her about his lack of aura. Pyrrha ponder for a moment.
Pyrrha: ("Does that mean he hasn't unlocked his semblance either?")
The blonde boy snaps back that Pyrrha took some hits back there as well.
Jaune: "What was that all about? If we hadn't defeat it together, we wouldn't be here."
Pyrrha takes a deep breath to steady herself calmly.
Pyrrha: "I won the Mistral Tournament 4 years running, but I was up against 'human' opposition. I barely have any real training against the Grimm outside of academia."
Jaune is surprised to hear this from her as Pyrrha continues.
Pyrrha: "That's why I came to Beacon. To fill this glaring hole in my skill set."
Juane: "Wow, I... I never knew."
Pyrrha: "Anway, Juane. I need you to close your eyes and concentrate on look inward within yourself."
He does so and she perform the Aura unlock.
Pyrrha: "For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death. I release your soul and by my shoulder, protect thee."
Once she finished, she steps back and stumbles. Jaune jumps forward to catch her.
Jaune: "A-Are you okay?"
However, she waves him off.
Pyrrha responds back.
Pyrrha: "I'm fine. I had to use some of her aura to unlock yours, but aside from the small amount of aura I gave you, all the energy that's protecting you is now yours. You have a lot of it, Jaune."
A yellow-like white shimmer surround him as it heals the wound from his cheek. Pyrrha smirks before commenting.
Pyrrha: "It's strange you didn't have your aura unlock already. Almost everyone going to a combat school that I know of has their aura active."
Jaune shrugs it off and responding softly.
Jaune: "My mother always did say I was a bit of a late bloomer."
He doesn't give Pyrrha time to speak as he enthusiastically trudges onward into the forest with Pyrrha following behind.
As this happening, Ren stops and narrows his eyes, looking around him while a King Taijitu rises up from the grass behind him and quickly surrounds him with its large, hissing body. Ren takes notice that it can hear him but, can't see him as it flails around the place. Ren adopts a fighting stance as the snake coils together in front of him and attacks with its long fangs. He leaps out of the way, the snake's mouth hitting the ground and instantly coming up again to hit a jumping Ren back with its snout. Ren lands in a crouch when the serpent encircles him again, and he unleashes his Storm Flower before jumping up and firing at the creature. The Grimm flows around Ren and tries to bite him again, but he flips over it and drives his weapons into its head, pausing a moment without sensing the serpent's white head behind him. The white head hit him, knocking into a tree and his aura flaring. Out of the bushes, Nora spring in, riding on a bear's back.
Ren: "Nora?"
Nora: "YEE-HAW!"
The girl managed to kill the black head of the King Taijitu with her hammer. She then picks up Ren.
Nora: "Hi Ren! Onward!"
She kicks the bear and on cue, the bear dash off with Nora and Ren, escaping from the King Taijitu's remaining head.
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Back with Y/N, he managed to kill all the Grimm in his way, leaving skeletons in his wake. He spots a Creep fledgling trying to crawl away as its legs is filled with holes. Y/N walk towards it, glaring at it as it tries to flee.
Y/N: ("Disgusting.")
He stomps the Grimm's body, halting it's crawling and then proceeds to shoot its head multiple times, killing it. As he takes a breath to recollect himself, he begins to walk away before he stops, noticing another presence nearby. He looks around to find out where this individual is.
Y/N: "You can come out now. I don't see the point in hiding yourself."
As he said this, a bunch of knives were thrown beside him. Y/N jump out of the way as some of the knives hit a nearby tree and some bushes. Now alert, Y/N point his pistols to where the knives were thrown.
Y/N: "I'm little busy so, how about you show yourself before I come after you instead."
After a moment of silence, a hooded figure slowly walks towards him out of the bushes.
???: "I wouldn't expect someone like you to remember me, Y/N."
Y/N: "Huh? How the hell you know my name?"
The figure didn't respond only extending his hands. Y/N's eyes widen as he gets launch by figure's semblance. Y/N quickly gets up before speaking.
Y/N: "Shockwave... no... no way..."
???: "So, you're finally remembering now, huh? It's been a long time, Y/N."
The hooded figure moves his hood away to show his Grimm mask over his face.
As he takes off the Grimm mask off, revealing a guy with dark brown hair and green eyes. Y/N is left in complete shock and his head hurt for a moment.
Y/N: "D-Darius...?"