Chapter Text
Ruby Rose was no stranger to being called on by authority figures.
Being an introverted, kill-happy weapon-loving girl had landed her in the principal's office or a lecture one too many times to not be familiar with them, whether to scold her or convince her to step out of her shell.
This time, however, was different as she wasn't the only student being called on.
"I swear to Oum, Ruby, this better not be about you again." Wiess groaned from Ruby's side, her seemingly perpetual scowl fixed on her face as she spoke.
"I didn't do anything this time, though! I swear!" Ruby quickly defended herself from the accusation, frantically shaking her head in the negative and causing her red hair to sway.
"Yeah, cool your jets, Wiess cream. Rubes didn't do anything to land us trouble this time." Yang also jumped to her defense with a casual wave of her hand. "Besides, if Ruby was the issue here, then how'd you explain Jaune's team being here?" she said, pointing at the other team that was also accompanying them.
"Maybe Professor Ozpin has a mission for us?" Pyrrha proposed, trying also to make heads or tails of the situation.
"Oh! Do we have to take out some baddies? I want to take out some baddies! Right, Renny?" Nora said excitedly as she punched the air like she was fighting off a group of criminals.
The boy just sighed at his friend's antics but didn't deny her or try to stop her.
Ruby also perked up at the idea but wasn't as animated with her reaction as Nora was, mostly because she knew Wiess would have called her childish because of it.
"I hope that's not it," Jaune muttered nervously, clearly not liking the idea of going on a mission to fight anyone just yet.
"You can't be a proper huntsman with that kind of attitude, Jauney boy," Yang spoke, slapping the boy on his back at his comment and getting him to straighten up.
"Right, right, sorry," the boy apologized with a shake of his head, forcefully getting his bearings together as his gait became more confident.
"We'll just have to see what Ozpin called us for, no big deal," Ruby said as both teams came to a stop outside of the Headmaster's office, while the small redheaded leader of RWBY pushed the door open.
"Welcome, team Ruby, Juniper," Ozpin greeted as the group of young adults walked in.
"Excuse my rudeness, Headmaster, but is there a reason you called for us?" Blake was the first to speak up, wanting to know why they'd been summoned.
Ozpin raised a hand to stop Goodwitch, who was about to move to reprimand the hidden Faunas girl before speaking. "You are excused, Miss Belladonna, and I called you all here at the request of someone."
"Someone called for us?" Jaune inquired, confused. "That they did, and they sent two people whom I'd like to introduce you to," Ozpin answered before turning to the last three occupants of the room. The first was one whom they were knowledgeable of, either due to status or personal connections with the man, Qrow Branwen.
As for the other two, however...
"Took you damn extras long enough to get here." A boy with spiky ash-blonde hair clicked his tongue at them in annoyance, his hands folded over his chest as he glared at the newly gathered students.
"Extras?! Oh, you wanna go pomeranian!?" Yang barked back at the boy with irritation at his comment, both blondes glaring at each other like they were natural enemies before the boy's companion came forward to diffuse the situation.
"Sorry about him, we're under a lot of stress from this whole thing, so old habits are resurfacing." The new voice caught everyone's attention, causing them to turn to the brunette girl who stood beside the rude blonde, a nervous smile on her face as she addressed the others in the room.
"Yes, I understand that from what little I've heard of your circumstances," Ozpin said before turning back to the assembled teams. "These two individuals are Bakugo Katsuki and Ochaco Uraraka, respectively, and they have been sent to deliver and watch a special movie alongside us."
"We're going to watch a movie?" Ruby asked, not sure whether to be excited by the prospect or disappointed.
A hand tousled the girl's head, causing her to look up and see Qrow grinning down at her. "This ain't no normal kind of movie, kid. So why don't we all settle in and get ready?" He said, gesturing towards an area that had already been set up for the viewing experience.
The two teams looked among themselves as the teachers and newcomers moved to take their spots before eventually following suit.
"This better be worth our time." Wiess quietly mumbled.
As soon as they had all gotten comfortable, the screen came to life.
Enemies of the world
"Enemies of the world? Are we watching a movie about Criminals or something?" Jaune asked aloud, curious about the choice of name for this 'movie'.
Nobody answered the blonde leader's question, as they were also confused about the decision to choose such a name.
"Well, I didn't expect you all to start the viewing so early. The boss would be pleased." A white haired young man appeared on screen, adjusting the fancy suit he wore.
"Who's that?" Nora whispered conspiratorially as the two teams observed how both the new arrivals and teachers seemed to recognize the person on screen.
"You don't gotta worry about who I am," He waved off, surprising them as he seemed to actively hear them. "Just a worker for the psycho in the big chair, you know? He was actually the one who wanted you to watch this 'movie', so pay attention, okay? It might be more... eye-opening than you might realize."
The audience shivered slightly at his words, while Qrow frowned, "Well, that isn't ominous at all..." he said as the feed cut away to begin the 'movie'.
The Grimm were as annoying as ever.
No matter how much she killed and killed and killed, the damn beasts just swarmed her, feeding off her irritation in a vicious cycle that tested her fraying patience.
"Is this one of our protagonists?" Blake wondered as she watched the unknown individual on screen.
"That seems to be the case." Pyrrha responded before pausing, "Wait, 'one of' our protagonists? Do you think there will be more than one protagonist?"
Blake shrugged, "Its name is called enemies of the world, so I would assume so."
"Good one, catching that little tidbit, Blakey." Yang butted in and congratulated the girl via an arm around her shoulder, causing the girl to try and squirm out of her grip.
Meanwhile, the adults who sat away from the students widened their eyes in shock as they saw the girl on screen.
"Oz, that's..." Qrow hissed through his teeth as he stared at the impossible sight in front of him.
"The message that came with this movie did say some secrets will be revealed, not to mention that warning..." Ozpin trailed off, eyes narrowing as it dawned on him just how much might actually be revealed in this viewing.
"Should we remove the student?" Glynda asked, her semblance already flaring up to remove the students, only to find her semblance being blocked by something.
"Is there a problem, Glynda?" Ozpin queried as he looked towards the woman who stared back at him with alarm.
"I can't use my semblance."
"What!?"' Qrow asked, equally surprised, while Ozpin's eyes narrowed further.
"It seems whatever power sent us to watch this 'movie' is very insistent we don't try to hide anything, huh?" He said, eyes glued onto the screen as his mind raced to formulate his next actions.
AH, but they didn't care for that, did they? It was no wonder Ozpin was so wary of the witch Salem.
"Professor Ozpin, do you know who this Salem person is?" Pyrrha asked, curious as to why this movie was bringing up real-life people.
"No, I don't miss Nikos," Ozpin lied straight through his teeth, not even bothering to look at the redhead who just like the other teams ate up his lies without so much as a thought.
The newcomers, however...
"They're hiding something," Bakugo growled, eyes narrowed on the group of adults in front of him as he let out tiny sparks from his hand.
"I know," Uraraka agreed, still staring at the screen. "But we won't get any answers out of them anytime soon."
"I don't need you to tell me the obvious round cheeks, besides, what they got going on doesn't matter to me, we came here for one purpose and one purpose alone." He said, while also turning back to the screen.
She was strong and had an endless army of soulless monsters that thrived off negativity.
"Talk about a powerhouse," Yang whistled, impressed at what she was hearing from the villain's side.
"You think they'll break her legs? I hope they'll break her legs," Nora said excitedly, already liking the setup of this 'movie'.
Ren, however, stared at the screen with pursed lips.
Something about this 'movie' felt off.
Another Ursa charged her and here at last her temper slipped its leash. Her hand raised in the direction of the beast and it was swallowed in a great blaze.
Fire had come easily to Amber after she'd awakened the power of the Fall Maiden; the others had taken their time, but she'd eventually gotten a hold of her powers, given the time she'd spent learning under Beacon Huntsman.
Create blizzards? Call storms? Burn forests?
She could do all that and more.
"She's really strong, huh?" Jaune said in a small voice, both he and Ruby in awe as they watched the raging inferno the woman had been able to summon with a mere flick of her hand.
"Is this a story based on that old Seasonal Maiden fairytale?" Ruby asked, recognizing some overlap between the old fairytale she'd loved and the 'movie' she was watching.
"That looks to be the case," Wiess nodded along to her leader's assessment, much to the girl's surprise, which she ignored. "Though I wonder if this is a scrapped movie?"
"Me too." Blake also jumped in, "Movies like these usually have some kind of following, but..." She showed the group of students her scroll where she searched for the name of the 'movie' and found nothing. "It's like it doesn't even exist.
"That's impossible, isn't it?" Pyrrha wondered, knowing more than most others in the room, how the media worked. "There's not even a mention of it anywhere?"
"Nope, not at all."
Ren, who sat silent during the whole thing, found his mind racing to put together the puzzle pieces as his gaze flicked over to the group of adults, who he saw were overhearing the conversation and discussing things among themselves in hushed tones.
Something wasn't right.
In truth, the only reason she wasn't drunk on power, believing herself a God, was that she knew she was still not at the peak of her strength, and the agents and Grimm sent after her as a constant reminder of that.
To say little about those who commanded them.
"So she's being targeted by both Professor Ozpin and this Salem chick, I guess that explains why it's called 'enemies of the world,'" Yang said with a nod.
The girl was the shitlist of two of the most powerful people in Remnant and so it was no wonder why it probably felt like everyone was after her.
"This is hitting a bit too close to home for my liking," Uraraka muttered bitterly.
"Reminds you of Izuku, huh?" Bakugo said more like a statement of fact rather than a question. He already knew he was right because he had the same feeling watching this girl.
"Too much, way too much.
"It didn't stop her from falling into power trips from time to time when she was bored or agitated, though.
Case in point...
"Perish." Lightning fell from the clouds onto the Beowulf pack stalking her, the concussive blast of the attack killing them in an instant.
"She's extremely powerful, to call a lightning bolt down so easily..." Pyrhha said as she watched the protagonist walk off without looking so much as drained from using two destructive abilities in rapid succession.
Still, though, as entertaining as pretending to be some kind of elemental Goddess was, Grimm were still, well, Grimm.
That was to say, ridiculously stubborn and mind-numbingly irritating.
"They really are annoying sometimes," Ruby said with a pout, as much as she liked killing Grimm the damn bastards made it nigh impossible to do anything fun outside. The rest of the gathered audience nodded in agreement, except one.
"I disagree." Nora huffed, "They make for really fun horses!"
Yeah, no one dared to give her an answer to her objection, except for Ren, who lightly slapped the back of her head.
"LEAVE ME ALONE ALREADY!"
See! Someone agreed with her.
...
Wait...
"And so our next protagonist shows up," Yang said in an over-the-top fashion as they heard the new voice.
"That voice!" Uraraka said, slapping Bakugo's hand insistently as she stared at the screen.
"I know, I know, I have ears to round cheeks." The boy said as he pulled himself out of the girl's range while his eyes remained glued to the TV screen, both leaning forward in anticipation.
Amber's eyes narrowed, power rising in her body, ready to lash out at the perceived threat. Had Ozpin sent one of his agents again so soon? She had just dealt with the last one a week ago!
The owner of the voice stumbled out of the brush with a sputter and she took him in at a glance.
Fluffy green hair and eyes, symmetrically freckled cheeks, a ragged green... outfit? With a yellow scarf wrapped around his neck.
'He's younger than I expected... and wears a lot of green'
"Eh that's our protagonist?" Yang asked in curiosity, "He doesn't really look like mu-"
"Deku!" Two voices cut the blonde girl off and startled the rest of the audience as both Bakugo and Uraraka stood up, looking overjoyed and distressed at seeing the boy on screen.
"You know of this young man?" Ozpin inquired, eyes shifting to the two. "Know him?" Bakugo barked out with a laugh, yet it wasn't filled with amusement, but frustration. "We've been looking for the damn nerd for years now!" His hands sparked and crackled, and his muscles kept twitching as if he wanted to do something but didn't know what.
"What the hell are you going on about now, Sparky?" Yang looked over at them with the others in confusion. "Looking for him? You do know he's just an actor, right? Not a real person?"
"No, he isn't." It was the brunette's turn to reply as her left hand tightly held the forearm of her right arm with a grip strong enough to make her knuckles go white. "He was taken from us. He's real, and we're his friends, so why is he here and not-?"
"upp, upp, upp, None of that, please? We can't be having spoilers so soon." The white haired young man appeared back on screen, cutting off the movie as it paused while he spoke to the audience.
They all watched in shock as both of the Newcomers suddenly found their mouths unable to open and had their butts forced back onto their seats.
"What is the meaning of this!?" Glynda glowered at the screen as she pieced together that this young man must be the reason why she couldn't use her semblance.
"They were going to ruin the surprise. Just like you were planning to do just moments prior," He said casually while double-tapping a small earpiece he wore, listening to something on the other side that caused his expression to sour. "Besides that asshole- I mean my boss just told me that you'll being getting you answers veeeeerrrrryyyyy soon. So have a bit of patience, will you? This 'Movie' doesn't like to waste time after all ~"
A shiver ran down the backs of the audience at the odd way he said the movie, making those who knew it was more than just a simple film sweat in nervousness, while those who believed it was fiction began to doubt themselves.
Ren especially couldn't help but glare at the backs of the adults who seemed the most vigilant, the intensity of his stare only increasing when Ozpin continued his next line of dialogue.
"Why are you showing us this? This is an invasion of privacy, and can reveal things to our students that they shouldn't know." The Headmaster said gravely.
"So?" He said dismissively, "The truth was gonna be revealed anyway with the direction of your world, so better they get used to what they actually have to deal with now, you know? Get the upper hand. Besides, your views on this world are a bit outdated, Ozma~"
The adults within the room froze at that name, while the others, like Ren, were growing to become a bit more distrustful of both what they were watching and the adults who were their superiors.
"Ozma?" Jaune whispered under his breath in confusion, staring at the headmaster with a complex expression on his face. Jaune knew that he wasn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed in comparison to the rest of his classmates, yet even at the beginning of Beacon's school term, Jaune couldn't help but wonder about Ozpin's true intentions.
He'd accepted someone like him into the Beacon after all, with documents that at best were half-assed and clearly demonstrated that he didn't belong there, and that wasn't even considering the fact that he didn't even show up for the entrance exam. So then why was he let into such a prestigious academy with virtually nothing to his name? And more importantly, why were Ruby and Blake admitted into the school, given Ruby's age difference and lack of experience in comparison to the rest of her team and Blake's history as a literal terrorist?
'I'm missing something here, aren't I?" The blonde couldn't help but wonder as he turned back to the screen, he wasn't the smartest tool sure but as they say when you have nothing the only thing you can do is gain, get experience and grow, and if there was one thing no one could deny, it was his potenital.
Jaune's distrust in Ozpin grew almost tenfold the more he thought about the man's strange behaviour that he had previously just written off as the man being a free spirit.
No, not written off. He'd always known something was wrong with man but could never pinpoint it, and so, he'd left it alone... now, however...
A seed of doubt was planted in her heart. Was he really one of Ozpin's men? he looked young, hell, he looked her age!
A rookie, perhaps?
'No,' she shook her head, and she remained on guard. Whoever he was, she wasn't going to allow him to lower her defenses so easily-!
"It's good that she isn't too trusting," commented Qrow, who also scanned over the boy and didn't recognize him as any huntsman he'd seen.
"Are you okay, Tenko?" the boy spoke to the child as if not realizing she was there, and it was only then that Amber realized the child who clung to his back like a spider monkey. No, not clung, she realized, the child, a little boy with black hair and red eyes, was wrapped in the scarf that he used as a make-shift harness to stick to the greenette.
"I'm fine, Nii-san."
"Awww, he's so cute!" Ruby gushed at the sight of the cute child, and the rest of RWBY, JNPR, and even the adults agreed with her as well.
Bakugo and Uraraka, on the other hand.
"No way..." The gravity heroine couldn't help but gasp out, the name of the boy, and his image was far too memorable for her to forget, as the image of a white haired young man superimposed itself over the face of the child.
"The nerd actually pulled it off... but how? Didn't the brat die?" Bakugo couldn't help but ask himself, replaying the final moments of the war in his head as his eyes narrowed suspiciously on the screen and everything that had happened moments before. Did this 'boss' who brought him here have anything to do with the Hero's situation, or was something else at play?
"I don't trust this shit round cheeks." The boy growled, causing the girl at his side to cast a curious glance at him. "This whole situation feels off, so just keep your eyes peeled in case we have to kill these extras." The brunette just nodded silently before returning to the 'movie'.
Her defenses wavered, allowing her naturally kind persona to take over as she approached them.
"Are you two alright?" Her question finally seemed to get them to recognize her presence. Tenko, if she was remembering his name right, shrank back behind the older boy who looked at her surprised.
"I can relate, kid," Jaune said sympathetically to the onscreen boy, fucking social anxiety!
"Ah, yeah, we're fine, miss," he trailed off, evidently unaware of who she was.
Well, at least he was polite, still, she wasn't exactly a manners person.
"And it would do well for the rest of you to do the same." Glynda cast a withering eye at her class, who avoided her gaze, some like Nora whistling innocently while Yang shrugged in indifference.
"We're sorry, professor, we'll try harder," Wiess said diplomatically, ignoring the violent coughs and chorus of 'no we won't' from Nora and Yang that erupted behind her.
"Don't call me miss, I doubt I'm much older than you," she huffed, "What are the two of you doing here in the middle of nowhere? Don't you know it's dangerous with all the Grimm around here?"
"Yeah, I was wondering that too," Pyrrha said. "I mean, he has a kid with him! That's really dangerous for both him and the child!" she fretted.
Ozpin raised a hand to stop the girl's worry. "Calm down, Miss Nikos, I am sure the boy has something up his sleeve that has allowed both him and the child to last this long."
He tilted his head curiously, "Grimm? Sorry, but I'm not sure what you were talking about."
He couldn't be serious, right? Did he live under a rock for most of his life?
"Oi, what the hell is up with this guy? How does he not know about the Grimm?" Yang asked in slowly growing irritation, the events previously with the newcomers and her professors, causing her anger to slowly slip its leash as the story kept throwing twists and turns at her, each one making less sense than the last.
Blake, on the other hand, watched the 'movie' with a keen eye, looking between the green-haired youth and the newcomers who watched the TV intently. Maybe it was possible that...?
'No,' She shook her head at the thought. 'That kind of solution is a bit too far-fetched, but... It would make sense, wouldn't it? These guys Aura signature even feels different from others...'
"I... think she's talking about those... monsters... Nii-san," Tenko spoke up, and the green-haired boy blinked in realization as if finally putting two and two together.
"Oh, those things." he paused, considering his words, "They're not anything special." He said finally, as if he didn't realize how absurd his statement was.
"Stupid overpowered main protagonists." Jaune cursed with a jealous pout, causing Pyrrha to rub his back soothingly while he sulked.
"So his semblance is strong enough that he even sees Grimm as nothing special, huh? Are you sure you don't know who that kid is, Oz? We could use someone like that in our ranks." Qrow asked, eyes gleaming with intrigue.
"Against my better judgment, I find myself agreeing with Branwen on this matter, Ozpin, finding that boy and making him a huntsman would do us some good." Glynda nodded as well, wanting to see this boy become a successful huntsman.
The old Headmaster just shook his head negatively. "Unfortunately, I don't know who this young man is, but rest assured that I will be sending out search parties and calling in favors to locate and recruit this young man." He said, ignoring how the ninja of team JNPR suddenly hardened a glare on him at the comment.
"Your semblance must be strong then." She grinned, causing his brow to furrow in confusion.
"Semblance? You mean quirk?"
...?
The hell was a quirk?
"Alright, that's it!" Yang finally exploded, her irritation reaching a boiling point as she glared at the screen. "Oi, you fucker! I know you can hear and see us so don't play coy with us now and answer what the fuck is going on here!?"
"Hey, Yang, calm down!" Ruby said as she and the rest of team RWBY moved into position to subdue her if she went on a rampage.
"Yeah, listen to Moon Eyes and cool your jets," Yang's furious gaze snapped to the boy and the comment. Red eyes met each other in a silent battle once again as both hotheads glared at each other before Yang turned away, still clearly irritated, while Bakugo just let out a frustrated breath.
"We still didn't get an answer to her question." Blake pointed out, her curiosity growing too large to be ignored.
He sheepishly rubbed at the back of his neck, "Sorry. I guess I'm not making sense huh," he chuckled nervously, "We both come a from a... very far away place, so I'm not sure about the customs or terms used here."
"Far away is a bit of an understatement here...' Uraraka scoffed.
He was a foreigner? No, that couldn't be right. There wasn't a soul on Remnant who didn't know what the Grimm and Semblances were... Right?
"That's exactly what I was saying!" Yang suddenly shot up, her energy revitalized at the validation of her thoughts. She really didn't like the oblivious main character type, and such a strong character being placed into that trope and acting so nonsensically without explanation was really beginning to grind on her nerves.
Nobody commented on the girl's outburts and a quick look from Glynda had her back in her seat. Though not without a smug look on her face.
Before she could ask the boy anything, the bane of her existence as of this moment decided to rear its ugly head again in the form of a charging Death Stalker.
Her eyes burned with irritation, and she once more felt the elements answer her call.
At this point, many leaned forward with intrigue at the girl's power. Even from the screen, they could see how the very world seemed to shift, how the winds picked up, and nature itself seemed to respond to her emotions.
"She's still a hothead..." Glynda said with a displeased expression at how the girl let her temper go so quickly.
"Cut the munchkin some slack, will you? If this is anything like what happened here, she's probably been in and out of fights with the Grimm every day for close to a year." Qrow defended the girl.
"It's not that I don't understand that Qrow, but her lack of control and arrogance will lead her to an early grave eventually, and that's not a fate I wish to see her befall again." Now it was the drunkard's turn to have his expression sour as he took a swig of his flask.
"Don't remind me..." He hissed bitterly.
"Both of you, be quiet, I want to see how far she came before her Salem got to her." Ozpin's tone caused both Glynda and Qrow to sit up straight in their seats.
It wasn't a tone the manly used lightly or even often, rarely ever in fact.
But when he did, it reminded them of just who it was their superior was.
Someone... or rather something, that they both quietly admitted in the deep recesses of their minds was the furthest thing from human.
Ice materialized around the demonic scorpion, effectively trapping it. Before she could do anything else, however, a gust of wind caught her attention, one that was accompanied by a streak of green lightning that raced towards the Death Stalker with ridiculous speed.
Interest became confusion, then confusion to shock as the green-haired boy came out of the storm of green electricity, leg outstretched in a flying kick.
The Grimm didn't stand a chance.
Its skull caved the moment he made impact. Steel-toed shoes broke the exoskeleton and crushed its head in a single attack.
Slience dominated the room, broken only by the silent, resigned sigh from Uraraka and the quiet chuckles of Bakugou.
Ruby and Nora shot up at once with stars in their eyes, and the strength displayed by the two.
"YANG! DID YOU SEE THAT!? SHE JUST WENT VROOM AND ICE APPEARED OUT OF NOWHERE!-"
"AND THEN THE BROCCOLI APPEARED OUT OF NOWHERE AND BROKE HIS FACE! RENNY, CAN WE FIND HIM AND BRING HIM ON OUR TEAM PLEAAAASSSEEE~!"
Both girls looked towards their designated handlers, who responded in the only way they knew how to.
With bribes, discipline, and a flat-out no.
Jaune, meanwhile, sank back in his seat at the kind of power displayed, his shock mirrored by his partner.
"They both look around our age..." She muttered, causing Jaune to wilt as a feeling of incompetence consumed him, "To not only subdue a rampaging deathstalker but kill it in a single kick..."
The feat wasn't just impressive, it was outright inconceivable. Deathstalkers were notorious for possessing some of the toughest defensive armours of any Grimm and strength comparable to professional huntsmen who could level entire buildings!
Pyrrha looked at the figures on screen, and unbeknownst to her, her team leader was doing the very same.
A girl unrecognised by the world yet possessing the strength to bring any foe to their knees.
A boy with a heart of gold and the ability to carry on his lofty ideals against any trial thrown at him.
They were their ideal futures, vague images they'd only seen in their minds.
A fire so tiny it can only be called an ember lit within the souls of the two, unnoticed by both as a thought crossed their minds.
"I want to be like them."
"Oz..."
"I know Qrow." The old wizard's eyes narrowed on the form of the green-haired child.
"We need to find him and bring him to our side or else." Glynda left her words to hang as all three adults felt a sudden pressure weighing on their shoulders.
As professional huntsmen and teachers, they had grown a sixth sense for when it came to spotting extraordinary individuals, and this boy... what had the newcomers called him again? Deku? yes that.
They could see it now through the screen that he was holding back a lot, killing a Grimm that would give even seasoned Huntsmen trainees pause with all the ease of someone taking a breath.
And then there were his eyes. They burned with something. Different from magic and the power of the Maidens, yet infinitely similar.
In short, an invaluable asset at best or a walking disaster at worst.
Ren also came to a similar conclusion, though he was missing a few key details like the adults, he understood why someone like the 'protagonist' with such an absurd power would be considered an enemy. The world feared what it didn't understand, what it refused to understand, and so it destroyed it with extreme prejudice.
She blinked. Once, twice, a third time, now before.
"Yep, definitely a strong semblance." She ignored the confused noise he made and instead walked up to examine his handiwork. A strength enhancement semblance wasn't rare, not by a long shot, but she had not seen a semblance that enhanced a person to the point of being able to crush a Death Stalker's head in a single kick!
"That girl's not gonna last long if she thinks this is as impressive as it gets," Bakugou mocked as he recalled some of his childhood friend's feats.
"I think she'll be fine, she might even be as strong as Deku," Uraraka said, remembering some of the things the girl was said to be able to do.
Then they both looked at each other and shook their heads.
Comparing anyone to the Monster in human skin that was Midoriya Izuku was, quite simply, a useless effort.
Hell, even to this day, Villains across the world cowered at the idea that the Green menace may be lurking around the corner and rejoiced -actually audibly cheered!- when he wasn't among those who were sent to apprehend him. One even going so far as to thank Bakugou for coming to arrest him instead of Japan's saviour.
Suffice it to say, the man had been arrested with a bloody nose, 1st degree burns, and a fear of loud noises that mysteriously appeared after his capture at the hands of Dynamight.
Was it something else then? It would certainly explain the green electricity...
Still, it was no wonder he was unknowingly saying such ridiculous things, the guy was strong, and fast, too. Maybe even strong enough to keep up with her if the ease with which he had dispatched the Grimm was anything to go by. Ozpin would have probably salivated at the idea of having him as a huntsman.
Speaking of which...
"So are you one of Ozpin's agents?" She asked eyes alight with fire as she readied herself for the inevitable fight to come.
"Finally, what I've been waiting for." Yand proclaimed as she leaned forward, ready to finally get some answers.
Qrow and Ren also mirrored the girl in preparation for the boy's answer.
The boy tilted his head, imaginary dog ears flopping to the side as he gave her a puzzled look.
"...I'm sorry, who?"
"...He can't be serious, can he?" Wiess asked, bewildered at the boy's obliviousness that seemed even worse than Jaune's.
Meanwhile, in another part of the room, the blonde leader of JNPR suddenly felt like he should feel insulted and embarrassed for some reason.
'...Must be Wiess," He concluded with a slump. You fail to hit on a girl you like, and suddenly and she hates your guts. Feels bad man...
And of course, Yang looked like she was just beginning to foam at the mouth in barely restrained rage. Much to the amusement of Uraraka, who couldn't help taking a jab.
"You sure she's not your daughter? You both even look like you have rabies, or is it just a blonde thing?"
"I'll kill you if you don't shut the fuck up right now Rounf Cheeks."
"Whatever you say~"
Now Bakugou looked rabid as well.
...He couldn't be serious, could he?
"Ozpin? Headmaster of Beacon? Veteran Huntsman?"
"Seriously, how could he not know him? Has the kid lived under a rock this whole time?" Qrow couldn't help but bring his own doubts about the boy to the forefront.
Perhaps he was lying? Trying to lower her guard?
She watched as the boy's face grew more lost with each word that left her lips.
"I'm sorry, but I really don't know what you're talking about." He apologized, a hand rising to scratch his cheek in confusion.
"...He's actually serious." Qrow deadpanned, while Nora guffawed at the idea of someone not knowing the old Headmaster.
Jaune suddenly felt his desire to be like the boy grow tenfold. He understood the boy's pain of being out of the loop with information that many people considered public knowledge.
Amber looked for any sign that the boy was lying to her, only to find nothing that hinted at him being dishonest with her.
This guy... He really wasn't one of Ozpin's agents, huh?
Pyrrha suddenly felt the same surge of passion within her at the girl's thoughts. She knew what it was like to have someone see you for you and not the public image others painted. that feeling of pure ecstasy and relief.
"Oh, well hey, I don't think we introduced ourselves yet." Amber awkwardly switched gears, "My name's Amber, what's yours?"
Everyone who knew about the red and yellow duo of JNPR suddenly looked towards them, feeling a strange sense of de ja vu wash over them. Especially Wiesse, who was looking from the screen to the duo in question, who seemingly were off in their own little worlds while staring at the figures on screen like they were the answers to everything wrong with the universe.
He seemed to hesitate for a second, thinking as he looked back at the boy on his back before coming to a conclusion, as he shot her a small smile.
"Izuku Midoriya or Deku," He responded as he walked back to her, "And this is my adopted little brother, Tenko Shimura," He introduced the boy on his back who shyly waved at her.
"Still can't get over how adorable that psycho used to be," Uraraka said, feeling strangely conflicted.
On one hand, she could only ever see the man known as Shigaraki Tomura as a villain who needed to die.
On the other hand, she completely understood that not all villains were monsters, especially at birth.
For a brief moment her eyes flickered, brown becoming golden slits before it returned to normal as the thought of a certain blood loving villainess crossed her mind.
She smiled at him and waved back. "Well, it's nice to properly meet you two."
"Same here, Amber-san." He echoed back to her before an idea seemed to pop into his head. "Say, you don't think Tenko-kun and I can travel with you for a while? We were lost and we're not sure where civilization is."
Amber thought over his question for a second, her suspicion of him being an agent coming back to her at the last as she scanned him, his body language, and his eyes for any hint of deceit. Kind as she was, one didn't live on the run for this long without being critical of others' intentions.
Yet neither of her instincts nor her gut seemed to be warning her that he might be a danger, quite the opposite, actually
So she listened to what her gut had to say on the matter, and found her suspicions slowly leaving her; he seemed kind enough.
"Sure, why not?"