Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING (Except for all original characters and concepts)
…
Back aboard the Headhunterz's ship, the leader was currently looking out the windshield at the bridge. Outside was a clear view of Remnant from orbit.
"Damn you, you ABSOLUTE SLAGFACE!" The leader said as he punched the windshield with one of his mechanical arms. "ONE FAILED ATTEMPT AND YOU CALL OFF THE DEAL?!"
BGM - Zant's Theme: Light and Darkness (The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess)
"Actually, it was two failed attempts." The leader turned around to see Electron, who was currently holding a holographic tablet. "Apologies for bringing it up."
"No. I don't blame you." The leader assured his feathered friend. "You weren't even there to tell them to TAKE THE GIRL WITH THEM WHILE RETREATING!"
If Electron could sweat, he could. "...Y-You're still not over that, are you?"
"DOES IT LOOK LIKE I'M OVER IT?!" The leader asked as his mechanical arms shifted into various weapons.
"T-To be fair, their minds were too occupied with the fact that Madam Chorina was able to-" Electron was interrupted by one of his leaders' weapons putting him at gunpoint.
"WHY ARE YOU EVEN HERE?!" The leader demanded to know.
Electron gulped. "W-Well…I've come to inform you about the current state of our other members after your… disciplinary actions." Electron said as he was internally thankful to not have faced his leader's wrath himself. He remembered that after telling his leader that the deal was cut off, the other three needed emergency medical care from his resulting tantrum.
The leader retracted his weapons. "Fine. Tell me."
"Well, their external wounds and burns are entirely healed. We're just waiting on their internal fractures and bruises to heal as well." Electron said as he showed his leader the tablet, which contained the medical report.
The leader took the tablet and looked over the data himself. "Good. Once the other three are done with their "break", tell them to head back to that academy and GET ME THAT GIRL!" The leader demanded.
"W-what?!" Electron said in shock. "But there's no point-"
CRUNCH!
End BGM
The leader crushed the tablet in his mechanical appendage before he could finish, and knelt down to Electron's level. "No contract? No matter. The Omnitrix will fetch more than any employer ever could." He assured, his tone eerily calm.
Electron stuttered from his leader crushing the tablet. "B-But Madam Ch-"
"I DON'T CARE IF SHE'S ON THAT PLANET! NOW GO!" He said, making Electron jump before running off. "That slagface HAD to have hired someone else by now, so we're in a race against time! …We will not lose it!"
(Meanwhile, back in Beacon…)
"A race?!" Ruby let out in shock.
Chorina leapt down to her level and leaned close to her ear. "Between you and I, this was a failsafe in case you DID sign up." Chorina whispered to Ruby. "To clarify…" Chorina said as she faced the screen. "I have commissioned a B-Team to orchestrate a race path in the Emerald Woods."
"Emerald Forest." Glynda corrected.
"Oh. Pardon my error. Anyways, thanks to this team I have on the subject, they will be able to have a route from where this race will start to where it'll finish. And before you bring up the Grimm, they'll also be able to clear out a good portion of them before the race even starts." Chorina explained.
Sun realized what this meant. "So that means you'll be able to race through the forest without much trouble." He exclaimed with realization.
"Precisely." The alien genius answered while pointing at him, before pointing down at Team RWBY. "If… You'll take my offer, of course." She said with one eye winking.
"But wait. Wouldn't it be unfair if all of us race against you?" Yang questioned.
"Oh. That's the fun part." Chorina acknowledged with a smirk. "All four of you have to finish the race to win. However, since you're so concerned about my odds… Oh Khammy!"
Khammy suddenly dropped down from the ceiling, causing Ruby to yelp. "EEP!"
"Now then, if EITHER of us make it to the finish line before all four of you do, you lose." Chorina added.
"You just HAD to show pity, didn't you?!" Weiss told her blond teammate as the latter nervously curled her hair.
"Wait! They have to face TWO aliens?!"
"That's completely unfair!"
"And only one of them has to complete the race to win?!"
This started a large uproar amongst the crowd, maybe people talking to each other about how unfair this whole thing seemed. Ruby knew that the odds were pretty steep, but this was the hand they were dealt, now even sure where to go from here… until she felt something. That same warm and comforting feeling from the Omnitrix, as if it were wrapping around her hand and telling her… "You can do this. I believe in you."
Ruby didn't know how, but she could instantly tell that those words and the feeling came from Omni. Breathing deeply and standing up… She gave her answer. "We accept your conditions."
"WE?!" The rest of her team questioned.
"We will race against the both of you, and must cross the finish line together before either one of you." Ruby said. Her answer silenced the uproar in the crowd, all of them shocked that she would accept those terms, with Mesin, Ghoadry, Zenari, and Kamysa unsure of what to make of this. The latter two looked at each other quizzically, while Mesin folded his upper arms, and Ghoadry seemed worried about what may happen.
Weiss stood up in protest. "Ruby, with all due respect, the odds are stacked against us! You don't even have a weapon right now! If there are still some Grimm on the course that serve as obstacles-"
"Weiss…" Ruby looked at her partner with a smile. "We can do this. …Together." She told her with confidence.
Weiss didn't know how to feel about the situation, even with those words said to her. Yang on the other hand stood up with a smile. "Ah, screw it. I'm in."
Weiss's jaw couldn't help but drop at that statement. "Wha- But- YANG!" She exclaimed at her blonde teammate
"Hey! I dug this hole we found ourselves in by accident! The least I can do is try to climb our way out of it!" Yang told her in a boastful tone.
Blake stood up as well. "Alright. If half of my team is in, I may as well go all in too." Blake answered.
Weiss couldn't help but feel like her brain was short-circuiting at the fact this was actually happening. She was only able to take a deep breath before saying her answer. "Fine. But Yang, since this technically wasn't Ruby's fault, if we lose, I'm cutting your hair."
Yang gasped in shock. "YOU WOULDN'T!" Yang shouted in panic as she held onto her own scalp.
Weiss takes out an expensive-looking pair of scissors. "Try me." She threatened with a serious glint in her eyes.
Meanwhile, Ghoadry looked concerned as she rolled towards the team. "Hold on a sec. Why do you have scissors with you NOW of all times?" She asked.
"I always have them on me. For scenarios exactly like this one." Weiss answered.
That only made Ghoadry somehow look like she had eaten lemon peelings before she slowly walked backwards. "…I am not even gonna ask." She muttered as she put a hand on her face.
Chorina only smiled at the sight as she spoke up. "We'll begin heading to the starting point of the race in 30 minutes then. Mesin, ready our ship for the necessary transport. Ghoadry, you make sure they are escorted to our ship whenever they are ready or when that 30 minutes are up." She ordered.
Mesin saluted as he stalwartly answered. "Yes ma'am."
Ghoadry put her hands together after standing beside him, and shrugging off what worries she felt. "Understood, Miss Chorina." She answered with a bow.
"Wait. Is it going to be the same ship that'll-" Yang would've finished her sentence had Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and even Chorina not covered her mouth.
"Fly us back? Yes." Chorina quickly said to lower suspicion.
(A few minutes later…)
Team RWBY were getting ready for the race between them and Chorina and Khammy.
Blake and Yang were both making sure that their ammunition for Gambol Shroud and Ember Celica were in order and ready for usage, while Weiss was loading up on Dust that could help with traversing the forest.
Ruby meanwhile, since she didn't have Crescent Rose with her, simply made sure she was moving as quickly as possible by traveling light. She was leaving any accessories and unneeded ammo behind, even her flaming rose pin which… Omni noticed she seemed hesitant to leave behind, only keeping her cloak on her along with her standard attire with long sleeves to cover the Omnitrix with.
Omni wanted to ask what the hesitance was for, but decided now wasn't the time to ask about it. "So, how're things in terms of preparation?" Omni asked the whole team.
Yang answered first. "I've got all the ammo I'll need, and not much else weighing me down too." Yang said as she cocked Ember Celica by thrusting her arm backwards.
Blake nodded before answering. "Same with me. I'm good to go."
Weiss checked her Dust once more before nodding and facing Omni and Ruby. "I've triple-checked my Dust reserves and my backups. I also am gonna be moving as light as I can. I'm ready."
"Yeah. Same here." Ruby answered with confidence while looking at Omni. "I just wish I had SOME way of fighting without the Omnitrix."
"Don't worry. I'm sure Chorina will compensate you for your lack of weaponry somehow." Omni said as she sat down.
"Yeah right. It's not like a scythe that can turn into a gun was invented on other planets." Ruby said as she moped.
"Hey. Hey. Warm feeling. Warm feeling." Omni said as she gave Ruby that warm feeling through the Omnitrix again. "Everything will work out in the end."
It was at that moment that Ghoadry entered the room. "I assume that you are all ready to go?"
"Wait! It's been 30 minutes already?!" Yang yelped.
"…Wait." Ghoadry said as she checked her inner clock. "Oh! My apologies! I'm still getting used to this planet's chronology!" All four members looked at the robot awkwardly. "What? Did you really think that all planets shared the same measurements of time?"
"…Yes?" Ruby and Yang cheerfully answered.
"Anyway, Miss Rose, since I'm here, Chorina wanted me to give you this." One of Ghoadry's forearms opened to reveal what looked like a standard pistol. "It's so you can at least use something during the race in case any Grimm slip through the cracks."
Ruby took the pistol and examined it. "Well, it's not a sniper rifle… OR a scythe, but I guess it will do. So do I just- AH!" Ruby ended up firing the pistol, which released a red laser bolt that left a massive hole in the wall. There wasn't even any rubble. The wall just… disintegrated.
All four of the girls then look at Ghoadry, questioning how such a small weapon could do so much damage with one shot. "…Okay! My bad! It was supposed to be on spar mode!"
(Some time later…)
Ghoadry guided the girls outside to where the shuttle landed. Chorina and Khammy stood in front of the doorway waving. "So, I assume you've received my proton pistol?" The horned alien questioned.
"You mean that thing that blew a hole in the prep room? Yeah. She did." Weiss answered with her arms crossed.
Chorina's eyes widened upon hearing that. "…Wait. Was it not set to spar mode?"
"NO! It was NOT set to spar mode!" Ghoadry exclaimed as she flailed her arms up and down. Chorina unable to mask a face that showed her awkwardness at the fact.
"Ooo! What does this do?!"
"No! Don't touch tha-"
A mounted turret on the shuttle suddenly fired, leaving an even bigger hole in a thankfully empty building. Chorina pinched where the bridge of her nose would be if she were human. Ruby had a feeling that she already knew what was going on. "…Fiona?"
"Fiona." Chorina answered. "The moment she heard the word "ship", she insisted on accompanying us on our flight to the site." Chorina told them, making air quotes with her tail when mentioning the shuttle.
"Well, why didn't you just tell her no?" Blake asked as she raised an eyebrow.
Chorina put her hands together. "Look. I can assure you that she is brighter than she seems. Plus, this was the only incident to-"
BGM - Panic (Pokémon Ranger Guardian Signs)
"Self-destruct initiated. Commence evacuation immediately."
"What did you do?!"
"I thought that was the launch button!"
"You were trying to launch us into space?! Grr! What was the code to abort this again?!"
Chorina awkwardly chuckled at the sound of that. "Excuse me for a moment…" Chorina said as she ran into the shuttle.
"5… 4… 3-"
"Abort self-destruct! Code 10A!"
"Self-destruct aborted. Thank you."
"Mesin, why is she in the cockpit?!"
"You didn't specify that she wasn't allowed in there!"
"She's a member of a civilization that has had no prior knowledge on starships! Of course she wasn't!"
"Actually, I-"
"Not now!" Both aliens told Fiona.
End BGM
Ruby could've sworn she felt Omni sink deeper and deeper into the Omnitrix out of embarrassment the longer she heard Chorina and Mesin argue. The team outside endured seconds more of arguing before Chorina finally stepped back outside. "Apologies. You may enter now."
"Hey." The group heard a familiar voice before entering the vessel. They were greeted by none other than Team WVRN… Or at least most of Team WVRN. "Just wanted to wish you girls good luck before you took off." Winona told them.
"Wait." Blake said as she noticed that someone was missing. "Where's Marle?"
"Oh. Her? She went to our dorm room right after our match ended." Nero explained.
"She did?!" Ruby said in shock. "But why?"
"She said she was working on something. Didn't say what though." Rex answered. "I mean, she didn't even get any clients recently."
"…Clients?" Weiss asked in confusion.
"Oh, we'll tell you later." Winona said with a wave of her hand. "You girls should just focus on your race now."
"Right. Thank you." Ruby said with a nod.
When Team RWBY boarded the shuttle, they saw Fiona already fastened to a passenger seat, but upon closer inspection, it looked more like restraints than a seatbelt. "Don't ask." She told them.
"I… don't think we need to." Blake told her. "So, do we need to buckle up to or-"
"Oh. No. Not really." Chorina assured them. "It's only during space launches and reentries. This is just a short flight."
"And how are you so sure that we don't need proper safety measures?" Weiss questioned with her hands on her hips.
Chorina just smiled. "Because we already took off."
"...Say what now?" Weiss was left stunned, especially when they all looked out the window to see for themselves.
"Wowza! I didn't even feel us leaving the ground." Yang added with a smile.
"Like Chronia said, don't expect the same results during a space launch." Mesin said from the cockpit. "Especially without prior experience."
As the shuttle made its way to the Emerald Forest, team WVRN stayed behind and watched.
"They're gonna lose." Rex said right off the bat.
"REX!" Winona and Nero shouted.
"What?! I'm being honest!" Rex said as he plucked something off of his tail. "And it's not like they heard me, right?!" He said with a shrug.
"Well I did!" Rex turned around and saw Nora charging at him with clear intent to throw a punch at him. "GET OVER HERE! NO ONE INSULTS OUR FRIENDS!" She shouted.
"WHAT THE-" The lizard Faunus shouted before Nora forced him into a fight. "Get off of me, you muscle-head!" Rex said as he tried to fight her off.
"MUSCLE-HEAD?!" Nora yelled as she only got even more angry.
"Is she always that ready for a fight?" Winona asked Nora's teammates as they arrived.
All three of them nodded, Jaune and Ren with deadpanned expressions, while Pyrrha bore a forced smile on her face. "Try living with her." Jaune answered, unsurprised at how this turned out. "Heh. And it looks like we're too late to wish them luck." He said as he referred to Team RWBY.
"Oh, don't worry. We already did that ourselves." Winona said with a wink.
"By the way, have you seen Sun and Neptune?" Jaune asked. "Scarlet and Sage lost them."
(On top of the shuttle…)
"THIS WAS A TERRIBLE IDEA!" Neptune shouted as both he and Sun held for dear life on top of the shuttle.
"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO WANTED TO SEE IF THE B-TEAM HAD ANY HOT ALIENS!" Sun retorted. "WHAT ABOUT THAT GIRL WITH THE TRENCH COAT ALL THAT TIME AGO?!"
"YOU AND I BOTH KNOW THAT SHE WOULDN'T EVEN TAKE HER FACE MASK OFF WHEN WE SAT DOWN FOR LUNCH!" Neptune reminded him.
"TO BE FAIR, SHE SAID THAT SHE WASN'T HUNGRY AT THE TIME!" Sun replied. "GIVE HER A BREAK!"
"WHO ISN'T HUNGRY DURING-" Neptune was about to continue before he noticed something. "…Wait. Did we just land?"
Indeed, the shuttle had reached its destination in the Emerald Forest. "OH THANK THE BROTHERS! IT'S OVER!" Sun shouted as he let himself collapse.
"Okay. Now to get off before-" Suddenly however, they heard a light thud just a few feet away, and they were met with the questioning gaze of Chorina. "Uh… Sun?" Neptune said as he tried to get his team leader's attention.
"What now?!" He then got up and saw the Weza Izumokita. "Oh. …Shoot."
"You two better explain yourselves. Now." Chorina demanded in a calm, yet firm voice.
"...It was his idea!" Sun and Neptune both shouted as they pointed at each other.
After their underwhelming attempt at an explanation, they soon found themselves restrained to their own seats inside the ship, right across from Fiona, who eyed them with an eyebrow raised. "Hey! You wanted onto this ship too!" Neptune shot at her.
"Well at least I was honest and asked first instead of sneaking onto the outer hull like a nutjob!" Fiona said, feeling a lot better about herself very quickly.
"Well at least WE didn't blow a hole in a wall." Sun retorted.
"Or pressed the self-destruct button." Neptune added.
That got Fiona feeling peeved. "You two are probably dumb enough to have done that yourselves anyway!" She shot back at them.
"Well at least I scored a date with a girl!" Neptune shouted.
"HOW DOES THAT EVEN CONNECT TO THIS?!" Fiona demanded to know.
(Meanwhile…)
Blake had her hand in her face at the fact that what Sun and Neptune did actually happened. "Sorry for their antics, Chorina. They're honestly good guys. They're just…" Blake explained as Weiss was about to rudely say what she would've said until Chorina cut her off.
"You needn't apologize for anything, Miss Belladonna. I understand that many young members of many species across the galaxy and beyond are prone to fits of overenthusiasm. Believe me. I know many who have tried the exact same thing for worse reasons." Chorina told her. "Those two friends of yours were just a light breeze compared to the storm."
Weiss was amazed by how calm Chorina seemed about how Sun and Neptune nearly got themselves hurt or worse because of their carelessness. "Stuff like this happens often, doesn't it?" She couldn't help but ask.
"More times than I could count on every appendage on my body." The Weza Izumokita answered as Khammy, who was beside her, nodded at them in confirmation as he had his tongue sticking out in a goofy manner.
Ruby couldn't help but feel endeared by the sight of Khammy, and while she was weirded out by how he seemed so excitable, to the point that he snuck himself into the sparring match roster, she felt like asking… "Hey Chorina, how did Khammy become your kid anyways?" She asked.
Chorina looked back at Ruby with a smile. "That will have to wait. For now though, we're at the starting point of the race." She answered as she pointed ahead of them.
Right nearby was an improvised starting line with two metallic poles stuck into the ground, with a green holographic banner between them that had something written in alien text in the center in green characters with a white line circling around it. And beyond it, Team RWBY could see shorter versions of those same poles stuck in the ground basically signaling which direction the race was gonna go in.
"…What's that supposed to say?" Yang asked as she pointed at the banner, with the others not recognizing the language themselves.
Chorina looked at the banner herself. It was set to her native language. "…Give me a second." Chorina approached one of the two poles and exposed a holographic command console. She then I put a few commands before the text on the banner changed to "START".
Yang and the others were left dumbfounded that they didn't guess that sooner. "Okay. That makes sense now." Blake said.
Chorina disabled the command console and stepped up in front of the four of them to explain the details of this race. "Alright girls, here's the rules of the race. The starting point is right here where we stand, and the finish line of the race is all the way on the other side of the forest where the cliffs are." She said as she pointed towards the goal.
"Hey. That's where we started our initiation." Yang noted.
Chorina nodded. "I felt that'd be the case, which is why I felt it was the best place for this race to start. There are markers on the ground and above the tree line that'll act as a guide in case you're confused as to which direction you must go in." She continued as she pointed towards the small poles on the ground.
"So as long as we follow the way those go in, we'll be fine?" Blake asked.
"Correct. The B-Team I commissioned to make this race happen have also cleared out any Grimm that might get in the way of this race, but there could be some stranglers that got through the cracks, so both parties are encouraged to defend themselves where need be." Chorina explained as Weiss raised her hand. "Yes Weiss?"
"So is that why you gave Ruby that laser pistol before this?" Weiss asked.
"Indeed it is. I didn't wanna risk her getting into trouble with them and no way to defend herself. Also, both parties are permitted to do such things as cut down trees, preferably dead trees, or create blockades to obstruct the path forward to the finish line, but they cannot do anything that counts as a direct attack on another competitor of the opposite side." Chorina explained thoroughly.
"That means we can't do anything like swing a weapon or even a tree branch at you, right?" Ruby asked, to which Chorina pointed at her with a smile.
"Yes. Exactly." She told her as Yang raised her hand and spoke.
"Does this mean we can't trip you over?" The blonde brawler asked.
"Nope. The only way tripping is permitted in this race is if the ground makes you do it." Chorina told her.
Ruby, Weiss, and Blake nodded in understanding of the rules while Weiss spoke up. "And what we gotta do to win the race is cross the finish line together before one of you crosses it first, right?" Chorina nodded in response to the question.
"Correct." Chorina told them. "Any more questions?" She asked as Weiss took it.
"How do you know that the Grimm aren't gonna be an overly big problem in this race?" She questioned.
Chorina did not miss a beat on that question. "You think if I knew they were gonna be a big problem, I would've suggested this to you here of all places at all?" She told her.
Weiss wanted to retort, but found the reasoning behind that to be pretty solid. "What about the three back in the ship?" Blake asked.
"Oh, don't worry about them." The alien genius answered. "I had requested a member of the B-Team to personally watch over them. And I trust who I requested to do so as much as I would a friend." Chorina said with clear confidence in her voice.
Team RWBY looked at each other. Seeing that there weren't any more questions to be asked, they nodded in mutual understanding as Ruby spoke up next. "So, when do we start?"
Chorina looked down at her coat, wanting to pull one of her batons off, but looked past it towards the ground and smiled faintly. She leaned down to the grassy ground and picked up a simple rock from the ground. "We'll begin the moment this rock hits the ground after I toss it up into the air. Sounds good to you four?"
Weiss couldn't help but feel confused at the low-tech way of starting the race. "Sorry. I just wasn't expecting something so…"
"Primitive?" Chorina guessed. "I get it, especially with all the technology we've been showcasing lately, but I suppose the saying goes as "simple is best", correct?" She half-jokingly said as the members of Team RWBY looked at each other.
Yang shrugged before nodding. "Sounds good to me. What about you girls?" Yang asked her teammates.
"Sounds good to me as well." Blake answered.
"Still primitive, but a decent way to start a race if anything." Weiss said as she nodded.
Ruby felt a bit more confident in how her teammates responded, before nodding to Chorina as she answered. "Let's do this." She said with confidence in her voice.
Khammy clapped his forelimbs in excitefulness as Chorina smiled. "Very well then." She said with a nod.
As this was happening, the events of the race were being live-recorded by a series of drones hovering around them. They were currently displaying the starting position of the racers to the onlookers in the arena stands back on Beacon grounds.
Teams JNPR and CFVY, as well as Scarlet and Sage, couldn't help but hope for the best with this race, especially Team JNPR, as thanks to Chorina cluing them in on the matter, they knew what was at stake here.
"Ruby and the others will be fine, right?" Velvet asked out of curiosity and concern for her friends.
Sage only grit his teeth as he answered. "I hope so. Ruby might be the fastest first-year in Beacon, but she's never had to deal with alien opponents before."
"I mean, she technically did, but still." Sage pointed out.
"Indeed. Only the Brothers know if her speed alone will be enough to catch up." Ren couldn't help but say.
Nora stood up from her seat, literally standing atop where her hindquarters were. "You guys worry too much! Team RWBY will win this! I'm sure of it!" Nora declared with gusto in her voice.
Zenari and Kamysa, who were left behind to watch over the students, couldn't help but be weirded out by the redhead's enthusiasm. "Well, on the bright side, they seem to be in good spirits." Kamysa commented as she shrugged.
"But why do I get the feeling she'd break someone's legs if she got pissed off by them?" Zenari couldn't help but ask while pointing at Nora, making Kamysa sweatdrop.
"They've gotta win this! They're our friends, so we have to believe in them!" Jaune said with an adamant tone.
Coco nodded in agreement. "As cheesy it may sound, I have faith in them too. They can do this." She answered.
"Agreed. They'll at the very least make it difficult for them to win." Pyrrha said with a smile.
Back at the race, both Team RWBY and their alien competition were in-position. Ghoadry stood beside the starting line, Yang readied Ember Celica, and Weiss did the same for Myrtenaster, but Blake didn't pull her weapons out immediately.
BGM - Chase Down Reclusa! (Mario & Luigi Brothership)
Ruby knelt down on the ground in a position to get a running start (like an olympic racer), while Chorina didn't get into any particular position. Khammy only excitedly leaping up into the air. "Ready…" Ghoadry announced as she held her arm up in the air, Team RWBY and Khammy narrowed their eyes, ready to start the race. "Set…" Chorina smiled before tossing the rock into the air.
Time seemingly slowed down a bit as they focused on the rock as it began falling towards the ground. …And the moment it did… "BEGIN!" Ghoadry exclaimed as she threw her arm down.
Team RWBY practically rocketed off from the finish line, each of them aligned differently as they ran, while Chorina and Khammy dashed off from the start as well.
The drones that were watching them zoomed after them as well, …completely oblivious to a corvid spying on the race from a branch amongst one of the nearby trees.
With Team RWBY, all four of the team's members were leading the race just ahead of Chorina. But unfortunately, the two aliens were slowly and steadily closing in on them from behind.
"Yang, use Ember Celica! Keep going and slow them down!" Ruby ordered while she ran.
"You got it, sis!" Her older sister responded before jumping up and punching her fists backwards, her shotgun gauntlets sending her forwards due to the recoil from them firing shots behind her.
Chorina was amazed by the fact, while also noticing that the shots from her stunt left small craters behind. Chorina and Khammy merely leapt over them, but noticed Weiss was using her Glyphs to help Blake, Ruby, and herself run faster while Yang was continuously firing shots at the course, with the intent of impeding the aliens.
Chorina smirked as Khammy narrowed his eyes with determination. They jumped and weaved their way through the craters and still oncoming shots. Khammy even let out what sounded like a laugh as he leapt into the trees to dodge, while Chorina simply jumped over and around the craters and fired ammo shots with ease.
Yang grit her teeth at the sight. "Dammit." She swore in irritation, …only to have her leg caught by a tree branch. "AH!" She yelped before losing her balance, only for Weiss to turn around and see her falling, before using one of her Glyphs to send Yang forward with her Wind Dust.
Yang stumbled, but got back on her feet as she ran forward, catching up with her team as they ran forward again, Chorina and Khammy still behind them.
"Damn. They're definitely agile." Coco admitted from all the way back in the arena. "Should have seen that coming, not gonna lie."
"Indeed. They were barely even phased by the sight of Yang trying to impede them." Ren noted.
Meanwhile, Team WVRN, minus Marle, was watching the race themselves as Rex let out a whistle. "Those two sure are swift on their feet. Isn't Ruby one of the fastest girls in the first-years?" Rex asked with a smile.
Winona nodded. "Yeah. And by the looks of it, she's running at her best speed right now." She made note of.
"You think she and her team can all cross the finish line at once?" Nero asked Winona.
"I'm sure they'll find a way to pull that off. They ARE some of the best first-years in the whole school." The red-haired girl said with a smile as she watched the race continue.
Back in the race, Team RWBY was by some miracle still ahead of Chorina and Khammy as the latter of the two aliens growled while looking at Chorina the whole time they were running. "I know. The way Weiss managed to catch Yang's fall, it was pretty quick on the uptake, I must admit." Chorina said as she looked up ahead.
As Team RWBY kept running, Yang looked around and noticed that something felt off. "Hey. Is it just me, or does the way through this forest feel a bit shorter than it did during our initiation?" Yang couldn't help but ask.
Ruby, who was ahead of them by a few feet, took notice as she could make out the finish line to the race on the edge of the cliff nearby. "I guess it feels like that because we're running through the forest and not calmly walking through it." Ruby said as the four girls ran.
Unbeknownst to them however, they ran right past a nearly unseeable red laser that blinked the moment each of their legs ran through it, letting out a small beeping sound that Blake managed to catch as she looked behind them. 'What the heck was that? A beep?' She looked carefully and saw the faint red intangible laser disappear the moment she looked at it. 'Was that a…?' She didn't have time to guess as her hidden Faunus hearing caught something else. "GUYS, AHEAD OF US!" She shouted.
Her teammates looked back at Blake confused, only to look at a large hole having appeared right in front of their path. "EEP!" Ruby yelped before coming to a halt.
"There's traps?!" Yang said as she and the others went to Ruby's side.
The girls looked at the bottom of said pit and saw some kind of alien ooze. "I don't even wanna know what that is!" Weiss said before circling around the hole… only for Chorina and Khammy to leap right over the hole, taking the lead from Team RWBY.
"It's not toxic or corrosive, if that's what you were worried about!" Chorina told them as they ran by them.
Team RWBY looked at them and stood stock still for a good few seconds before… "AH! Keep moving!" Weiss exclaimed before her team went ahead, with her hanging back to aim ready one of her glyphs.
Chorina and Khammy ran through the course before a series of Weiss's Gravity Dust Glyphs formed in front of them. They looked at each of them and smirked before Chorina leapt behind their range of effect while Khammy leapt into the trees and jumped from branches to tree trunks. Chorina then picked up a rock from the ground as she ran and threw it forward, causing a mine to go off as the rock landed on it. The Gravity Glyphs Weiss had created dissipated as a result.
This caused an explosion with blue smoke to go off ahead of them as Team RWBY were shocked at the sight. "Wha- The course is rigged with EXPLOSIVES!?" Weiss screamed as she was now not sure if the race was safe. She was shaking her head as despite the potential danger, she was doing all she could to keep up with her teammates.
Khammy was throwing twigs and branches down the course with his limbs as Chorina fearlessly ran forward, …with her running backwards to face the team she was facing against. "Hey! You four got lucky! Landmines are meant to give the first place position a disadvantage! If you were in our position, you would've been thrown into last-" Unfortunately for her, Khammy had missed one landmine as she accidentally stepped on it, detonating it and sending her flying. "PLAAAAAACE!" She screamed as she was flung into the air before Khammy caught her.
End BGM
Weiss thought quickly as Team RWBY regrouped. Using Lightning Dust to make a Time Dilation Glyph, she increased the speed of her teammates enough to a point where they could move faster, being able to catch up to their opponents. However, now both opposing sides were leaping through the nonlethal minefield as they tried watching their steps and movements. Team RWBY was leaping off the ground and tree trunks while Khammy carried Chorina on his back as he leapt between the trees. That was until Chorina managed to recover from the mine explosion and do the same.
BGM - Just a Little Faster (There For Tomorrow)
Ruby, Blake, and Yang managed to do well enough in avoiding them while Weiss was able to stay above the ground with her Glyphs, …but she was then caught unaware by Chorina when one of her Glyphs caught her above a landmine's position, only for the alien genius to chuck a branch at the mine below Weiss, and detonate it despite her not landing on it.
Before the branch could do it though, Ruby used her Petal Burst Semblance to speed up to Weiss and get her out of the way as they both avoided the explosion together.
They landed roughly on the ground as Chorina and Khammy landed on the ground before them. "You'd better be careful. That is only an easy difficulty compared to what aliens go through on other planets." Chorina told them as she and Khammy ran ahead.
Fiona saw the way Chorina and Khammy outsmarted Team RWBY. "WOW! Now that was an AWESOME move on Chorina's part!" Fiona commented from the ship she and Sun and Neptune were being kept on.
"Not gonna lie, that WAS pretty cool." Neptune admitted.
Sun couldn't help but laugh at the sight of the race. "This is a pretty good race. I wonder who's gonna win?" He couldn't help but ask.
"Oh, come on. Surely you have more belief in your friends than that, right?" A synthetic voice asked them as they turned to face it… and their jaws were agape at the sight.
Meanwhile the people watching the race back on Beacon campus were shocked at the sight.
"The course was rigged with obstacles?" Pyrrha exclaimed, confused by the notion of it.
"The traps are most definitely not lethal, given the meaning behind this race." Ren surmised.
Jaune grit his teeth in spite of that. "Even if those traps aren't gonna hurt them, why didn't they tell Team RWBY about them?" Jaune asked.
Yatsu looked at the race, and saw the expressions on Chorina and Khammy. "Maybe it's because… they didn't know either." Yatsu guessed.
Back with the race, Team RWBY was starting to lag behind as their alien opponents were ahead of them. Both sides were in the final stretch, as the finish line was before them, at the top of the cliffs that Team RWBY recognized. "The cliffs where… we started… the initiation." Weiss let out while she was gasping from running as fast as she could all this time.
"We're… nearly there, …guys." Yang gasped out as she was starting to lose strength.
As Chorina and Khammy ran though, both of them were only barely able to stop in time as a series of barriers appeared in-front of them. "Seriously?" Chorina muttered before the barrier disappeared after a few seconds.
The two aliens ran past it, only for another one to form in front of them. "Wait for the barriers to drop, and then go." Chorina ordered as Khammy nodded, as the barrier fell before them as they went ahead.
Ruby tried her hardest to fight it, but her lungs burned like fire. Each step felt heavier than the last, her legs dragging through mud that wasn't even there. Her chest hammered like a war drum, each beat screaming at her to stop.
'We can't. …We're too far behind.'
She risked a glance. Chorina and Khammy were already clearing the last barriers. The finish line glowed like a taunt. Her friends were slowing too: Weiss gasped for air, Yang's shoulders trembled, and Blake bit back the pain in her stride.
Ruby stumbled, hitting the ground hard enough to rattle her teeth. Her team turned back instantly.
"Ruby!" Weiss shouted, panic cracking her voice.
Yang reached for her arm. "C'mon, Rubes! We can't leave you! We're almost there!" Yang urged her sister.
Ruby wanted to say something, but all she could hear was her heartbeat, louder and louder until it drowned out everything else. Her vision blurred… until a warmth spread through her wrist. The Omnitrix pulsed, like it was squeezing her hand, steady and sure.
"You can do this." Omni's voice whispered inside her head. "I believe in you."
Her mind flashed: her friends laughing during training, standing beside her when the Headhunterz attacked, the promise she made when she first strapped the Omnitrix on...
They hadn't given up on her.
She couldn't give up on them.
Ruby clenched her teeth, eyes burning. "We won't…" Her Aura flared red, bright as fire. "We won't give up!"
She didn't know why, but her heartbeat was ringing in her head like a massive bell, and her breath was raspy and dry, probably from tiredness she could only guess. "We won't…" The Omnitrix on her wrist seemed to let loose a hot sensation through Ruby's body and mind. Not one out of comfort or fear like the last few times, but more like…
"DON'T GIVE UP!" Hope.
"We. Won't. GIVE UP!" Ruby yelled as her Aura flared up. Her body became cloaked in red light for a split second as her teammates stood back from it.
Chorina and Khammy made it past the final barrier as the finish was not too far away from them, …but then a giant robot that looked almost like a crab with drills for claws and missile launchers in its back burst from the ground. Thankfully, it had the APC emblem on it, so it wasn't a lethal threat, but still.
"You have GOT to be kidding me!" Chorina exclaimed. "Khammy, only one of us has to cross! Go on ahead! I'll deal with this-" She spoke aloud, …only to hear something breaking through the barriers behind them, and saw a massive flurry of red petals breaking through the final one of them. "WHAT THE-" She screamed in panic before she dashed out of the way with Khammy doing the same.
The flurry of petals charged at the robotic crab, as it raised a drill to strike, only for it the petals to split up into three smaller but still moving clouds of petals, each one being red with white, black, and yellow colors amidst one of them. The petals then reconverged and shot towards the goal… Crossing the finish line as it reformed into Weiss, Blake, Yang, and Ruby, all of whom were in a daze.
End BGM
The response was near-instant. As the onlooking crowd from Beacon cheered for the victory Team RWBY had achieved out of seemingly nowhere.
"All four members of Team RWBY have crossed the finish line! The winners of the final match are Team RWBY of Beacon Academy!" Glynda said with slightly more enthusiasm than usual.
"They did it. …They actually did it!" Jaune said as he stood from his seat.
"OH YEAH! Now that was a last-minute victory!" Coco exclaimed.
"YYYEEEEEEEEEEEESSS!" Nora shouted as loud as she could. "TAKE THAT, ALIEN SCUM!"
"Ahem." Zenari said as she and Kamysa gave a stern look at the valkyrie girl.
"Excuse her. She's just ecstatic." Ren said in Nora's defense.
"Hey muscle-head!" Rex said as he approached Nora, …only to hand her a large handful of lien. "...Your winnings."
Kamysa approached Nora. "Didn't Glynda already tell Yang that making bets wasn't allowed?!"
Nora's eyes widened. "What?! No! He's setting me up!" A slight smirk from Rex hinted that was indeed the case.
Pyrrha couldn't help but clap and rejoice at the fact that Team RWBY won, but… HOW they did it was confusing to her, but she didn't want to bring that up now, as she didn't wanna bog down the mood.
Back at the race, Chorina, after having shaken off the sudden loss, smiled at team RWBY still in their dazed state, before she leapt up onto the robotic crustacean and leaned her face near the front of its visor. "Patch, I know you're in there! Come out and explain yourself!" She ordered.
A silvery ooze started to excrete from the machine until it fell onto the ground and reformed into a bulbous humanoid with blue circuit patterns and a power button symbol on his face. "Uh… hehe. …Hi Madam Chorina." The new alien, named Patch, exclaimed. "How was… the race?" He asked awkwardly.
"How was the race?! You should know that better than even I would!" Chorina said to him.
"Look. To be fair, this was set up to ambush whoever was in the lead." Patch explained. "It… just happened to be you." He said while awkwardly gesturing to her and Khammy, who was giving him a stink eye.
Chorina took a deep breath and spoke. "I admit, I DID leave development of the course to your team, but could you have at LEAST warned us AND Team RWBY about the fact that you rigged the race with traps of such variety?! You know, like those training mines?!" She told him.
"Madam Chorina, please! It wasn't my idea to use the obstacles! It was only my idea to use the Excavare-Mech! I swear by Wisdom's Genesis itself!" Patch said as he clapped his hands together.
Chorina looked at him critically before sighing. "Khammy, watch him. I'm gonna check on Team RWBY." She told the young alien as she walked past Patch, with Khammy walking up to him and growling at him a little bit.
Team RWBY was still in a daze from what Ruby did to help them win the race, even as Chorina walked up to them. "Het. You four okay?" She asked them as she looked at them.
Blake was laying on her back and slightly drooling. "That is… one thing I don't… wanna do again…"
Weiss meanwhile had her face laying on the dirt while her butt hung in the air as she was in a daze. "Hey… Klein, …the tea's gone cold… all of the sudden…" She mumbled before her butt and stomach fell onto the ground.
Chorina sweatdropped at the sight as Yang seemed to get her act together faster. "Ugh… I think I'm okay. I just… remember Ruby shouting something, and…" Chorina then realized what that meant and approached Ruby, who seemed to be out cold from the experience.
"Ruby?! Ruby, are you alright?!" Chorina called out to her, shaking her lightly as she began to stir awake with a groan. "Omni?"
"Ruby Rose is currently in a daze and very close to falling unconscious." Omni said as she popped out of the Omnitrix.
Chorina gently picked up Ruby bridal-style and sighs. "Let's return them to the ship. They obviously need somewhere more appropriate to rest." Khammy and Patch obliged as they started to pick up the remaining team members. "No mouth!" Chorina said as she caught Khammy trying to pick up Weiss with his mouth, making him grumble before he hauled her to the ship on his back. Thankfully, it had already moved near the finish line, so it wasn't that far of a walk.
When Ruby came to, she was in some kind of bed. Or at least she assumed it was a bed. "H-Huh? Did we… win?" She let out in a daze
"YOU SURE DID!" Omni said as she went right up to Ruby's face. "I'M SO PROUD OF YOU!"
"GAAAAH!" Ruby yelped before falling off the bed from shock. As she did, she heard stirring from nearby and saw her teammates waking from their own stupors, sans Yang as she was already awake.
Yang laughed a little with a smile. "Oh yeah. We won the race. …By the skin of our teeth, but we won." She told her sister.
"Seriously? I don't even remember how it happened." Weiss said after letting out a groan of exhaustion.
"Man…" Blake groaned as she sat up. "I feel like a gong got rung in my ears." She muttered as she rubbed her head… and felt her cat ears exposed. "Huh! Where did-" She noticed her bow right beside her bed and grabbed it before wrapping it back over her cat ears.
"You know, beings with such feline traits risk damaging their ears should they cover them like that." They looked towards the source of those words to see Mesin sitting beside them. "Perhaps look for a safer alternative." He continued.
Yang smiled. "Mesin's been watching our backs. Plus, he gave us some stuff that'll help us get back on our feet in no time." Yang told her team as she got up to make that point, no worse for wear despite the race having taken a bit of a toll on them.
"What did he give us exactly?" Weiss asked with concern.
"...It's best if you don't know… yet." Mesin answered. "Just know that it's nothing bad in the slightest. Believe me. I should know." He told them in confidence.
"...It was shots, wasn't it?"
"...Okay! Yeah! It was shots!" Mesin admitted a bit loudly while throwing his hands up. "It's a specialized remedial concoction Chorina helped make completely safe for usage on any sentient being. She would never use it on you if she wasn't sure it would work as intended. But still, you don't wanna know how she made it."
That was when Chorina herself walked into the room as Team RWBY and Omni looked her way… and saw that her hair had a few strands sticking in odd directions. "My apologies for the usage of such medicinal methods while some of you were unconscious. I just didn't wanna risk you being out of it for too long should anything bad occur." She said while using a comb she had on her to brush her hair straight.
That was when Weiss felt the need to ask. "Ummmmm… Why was your hair…" That was when Yang chuckled a bit.
"Ehehehe. You should've seen it. The scene was priceless. She really got shaken up by a friend of hers." She told her clueless team as Mesin snickered at the thought.
Chorina sweatdropped as she cleared her throat. "It's best you get to the bridge for the answer to that if you so wish for it."
The four girls went to the bridge as suggested… and they were met with someone who looked human, but clearly wasn't. In fact, only her head with blonde hair and blue eyes looked human. The rest was a white and light blue humanoid robot-like body.
"Well now, you finally have woken up. All thanks to Chorina's recklessness, I'm sure." The person said to them.
Team RWBY didn't know what to make of the sight of her, but then Omni came out of the Omnitrix and greeted her. "PD-9! I didn't expect YOU to be here!" She said with a smile as she hovered a little way above the Omnitrix.
"PD… 9?" Ruby asked.
"What kind of name is that?!" Weiss demanded to know.
"The kind that throws you for a loop, Snow Angel." A familiar voice told them as Team RWBY and Omni looked to see Sun, Neptune, and Fiona sitting near a computer, not being bound to where they were sitting like they last saw them.
Sun and Fiona smiled. "Yeah. You're gonna drop your jaw at the truth of the matter."
(Back while the race was going on…)
Sun, Neptune, and Fiona were all in collective shock at the sight of their visitor, who happened to be PD-9. "What's the matter? You look like you've seen a- Oh. …Great." She began to say in a low tone the moment she saw the two boys.
"PATRICIA?!" Sun and Neptune both shouted.
"Huh?" Fiona wondered why the sudden tone-shift… before registering what the name must've meant. "Wait. You two KNOW her?!"
"Unfortunately, they do." PD-9 stated before releasing the three from their binds after pressing a button on her arm. "And they were NOT supposed to see me like this!"
"Wait. I'm still confused." Fiona said as she finally stood up. "What do you mean by that? And why does your head look human?"
"I'm not in the mood for what I'm sure is a game of twenty questions right now. All I will say is…" PD-9 said before…
(Back to the present…)
After Patricia told them, Team RWBY was shocked. "You were on Remnant for YEARS?!" Blake asked, shocked at the fact that such a thing had been happening.
"And Sun and Neptune met you under the fake name of Patricia Diamond?" Ruby asked for clarification.
"Yeah. It's part of my job at the APC." PD-9 answered. "I travel to unknown planets and take notes on the history, cartography, religions, and more about whatever life may be present to the planet in-question. I've been on this planet for about ten years worth of time."
Team RWBY was amazed that an alien was on their planet for that long. "Wow. …Ten years…" Ruby muttered in amazement.
"But if that's the case, how come you couldn't retrieve the Omnitrix?" Weiss asked out of curiosity.
"I was going to, but the Headhunterz beat me to it, sadly." She explained, as she flashbacked to that moment where she was assigned it. "I was told a foreign object had entered this planet's atmosphere by Chorina herself, and I was told that it was the Omnitrix." PD-9 begun to explain.
"So you also didn't know much about it?" Blake asked, as PD-9 shook her head.
"Not too much, but I WAS told about its existence by Chorina before I came to this planet. She told me I was then tasked to retrieve the pod, but the Omnitrix wasn't there when I found it. I did eventually find it, but that Minosaurian jerk Brutus and his Nekalico friend beat me to it." She explained.
"So you basically lost the race in terms of finding it?" Yang asked aloud, earning an awkward laugh from PD-9.
"Yeah, I can't deny that I basically got last place in that regard. I disguised myself as an Atlesian Soldier to get close to the Omnitrix, but given how tense things were, I couldn't find the right moment, especially since I knew I couldn't blow my cover."
Chorina took over the explanation. "That was when she pinned the coordinates of its location down and sent them to me." She finished.
"That… DOES explain how you were able to find us, if she didn't trace the Omnitrix first." Ruby said while holding her hand to her chin.
"Okay, but that doesn't explain why Sun and Neptune of all people know you." Weiss asked while pointing to them.
Neptune awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "Well, it's kinda hard to explain." He said until Fiona cut in.
BGM - Lively People (Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies)
"HE DATED HER!" Fiona exclaimed loudly as she stood up to say it. Everyone in the ship's bridge looked at her as Blake had her eyes noticeably twitch from hearing that. "Hey! If they recounted it, they wouldn't have been as straightforward as that! It happens in EVERY slice of life cartoon you can find! Even the sci-fi ones!" She argued.
Even Chorina and Mesin looked at PD-9 quizzically. "He asked me to get something to eat, so I sat down and didn't order anything. I tried to keep my cover by listening to them and their antics in the Kingdom they called Mistral." The Human-like alien cut straight to the point.
"But how did they not tell you were an alien?" Ruby asked curiously.
"Because she was wearing this!" Neptune answered as he took out his scroll. It showed a picture of PD-9 dressed in a trench coat, a fedora, a pair of shades, some gloves, and a face mask.
Now Weiss's eyes were twitching a bit. "I… don't think I wanna know how that worked as well as it did." She said, actively afraid that whatever answer she'd get would make her brain short-circuit.
"PD-9, why didn't you use an ID mask?" Chorina asked… only to be met with silence as PD-9 looked away awkwardly. "You broke them all, didn't you?" She asked with a sigh.
"Not all of them were destroyed! And for the record, it was never my fault! The blame varied between the Grimm, careless kids, and some dimwitted drunks in an alley! It got to a point where I just said "screw it" and started wearing that instead!" PD-9 told them.
"Ahem! Can I just point out that you're telling us about this date NOW?!" Yang told them loudly.
"Hey! I would've gladly told you guys that I scored a date once! In fact, I was even gonna tell you a while back, but then the whole news with the Omnitrix came up and I completely forgot!" Neptune told them as he flailed his arms.
End BGM
"...I mean, that's fair." Ruby casually said.
Blake could only sigh at Sun and Neptune's tomfoolery, only to be met with another question. "Hang on. So, …if you AREN'T a Human, …then what alien species are you?" Blake asked PD-9.
She smiled and nodded before answering. "I am an Aoukora, the dominant species of Aikaon. Of course, we're not originally from there. Our ancestors arrived there from a planet that's still unknown to this day." PD-9 told them.
Ruby recognized the name, as one she felt like she heard before, but before she could ask about it. Chorina brought up a message on a holographic screen. "Whoops! I apologize, but we've spent far too long chatting. We have a victory reception for Team RWBY to get to. Mesin, bring the others and make sure they don't touch anything. PD-9, notify me if something happens out here." Chorina told the Human-like alien as she saluted her.
"Of course, Madam Chorina." She responded.
(Some time later…)
In Team WVRN's dorm, Marle was at some kind of craft table. "Okay. Would yellow or orange work?" She thought aloud to herself. "Yellow makes the most sense, but I'm worried that the shade would be too similar to her hair. I'll just have to-" She suddenly stopped however upon hearing the roar of engines. "H-Huh?"
Marle lifted her head from her desk. For a moment, she thought she'd heard engines outside the dorm window. She frowned, then shook her head. Beacon skies were always busy these days.
She looked towards the direction from which the noise had previously been heard. "Wait, isn't that where..." She said as she saw a hatch open from something completely invisible, and felt her heart sink.
Meanwhile, Chorina stepped onto the stage to face everyone. It took about thirty minutes for everyone to return to the building. Team RWBY, Sun, Neptune, and Fiona had already returned to their seats.
The students of Beacon had already been congratulating them as the victors of the race returned to their seats.
"That was an incredible victory! You girls were great out there!" Velvet complimented them with a smile.
"Indeed it was. Very good job." Yatsu agreed as Fox nodded.
"Haha. It was nothing too spe-" Yang was cut off from gloating by Blake elbowing her in the stomach.
"It was pretty impressive, I won't deny it. But we at least managed to come out victorious thanks to Ruby." Weiss said while her hands were on her hips.
Ruby felt pretty good, having her friends congratulate her and her team, even Melia of Team FILM looking at them respectfully with a nod… as she dragged Fiona back to their seats.
Nora came up and hugged Ruby and Weiss tightly. "That was an AWESOME race! You four were epic out there!" She let out in a high-pitched voice.
Pyrrha clapped with relief, though a nagging feeling twisted in her stomach. It was a gut feeling based on her tenure as an undefeated champion. She can't explain why, but looking at Ruby unsettled her. It was like… a bad omen.
"Thank you all for your participation during the sparring matches." Chorina told the crowd. "I do hope that you take them as a learning experience whether or not you have won."
The rest of Team WVRN were listening to Chorina's speech when Winina's scroll started to vibrate. "Oh. Hold on, guys." She looked at her scroll and saw that Marle was calling her. "Marle?" She started the call. "Hey Marle. Done with your project alrea-"
"WINONA, YOU GOTTA GET EVERYONE OUTTA THERE!" Marle shouted in a loud and panicked tone.
"Woah! Girl, calm down! What is it?!" Winona asked.
"THEY'RE BACK! THEY'RE BACK!" Marle shouted.
"Huh?! Wh- WHO?!" Winona shouted back.
"THE HE-" Marle was suddenly cut off when Winona's scroll went black.
"Marle?! MARLE!" Winona shouted as she tried to get back in contact with her teammate.
"What's going on?!" Kamysa asked as she approached team WVRN.
"Now then. Allow me to explain to you all the purpose behind the sparring matches." Chorina continued. "Those of you who have proven yourselves would-"
BOOM!
Before Chorina could get another word out, an explosion went off on the roof of the building, everyone's attention having been directed towards it.
The students ran and panicked at the sight, fleeing from the falling debris when the ceiling caved in… and a certain alien minotaur landed in the middle of the arena.
"WHAT?!" Zenari shouted as Khammy started growling furiously at the sight of the muscle of the Headhunterz.
Weiss and Yang quickly hid Ruby out of sight from the new arrival. Both of them kept their hands clapped over Ruby's mouth to keep her from saying something.
"Brutus!" Mesin muttered at the sight of Brutus Spearhorn having landed.