Alright, so the last chapter got a rewrite. I had a lot of criticism about certain points, and I decided "yeah, that's pretty valid. I really should fix it". A lot of the reason I wrote it a certain way originally is writer's block, which I often have problems with, and that usually leads to procrastination while I try to come up with something. So if I get to that combination, sometimes I try to rush things out a bit and put things in that, in hindsight, don't belong in the overall story.

And please, if I do things like that, if there's really an irrefutable flaw in the story, please point it out in your reviews. I actually like having constructive criticism, it helps me become a better writer. I'm amateur at best, mediocre at worst, and I'm constantly trying to improve. That's literally why I've been rewriting my first story from the ground up. Don't pull any punches, I need it.

Thank you to followers and favoriters: Fate Rider 88, OriginJT, The Kitsune Saiyan, ThatSaiyaGuy, Demory, ZangetsuKing1029, Jrocker109, RysingEmbers, Bertoti, shafiqayies, chetos, menalith, mugetsu95, Finder18, alstao, VermillionC4, joacapelas, Orphan04, BigTone62, SingNonomori, Kishirou, bignub243, Kiwidragon97, Noxynox, bread27, DokB, Akuma no ningen, Dark Guard Productions, Qprime91, Owen's left foot, LostSoul000, YeTianshi, kayprao, Naru-chanKURAMA, and longsword00.

Disclaimer: The Following is a fan-based PARODY crossover. Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, and Dragon Ball Super are all owned by Funimation, Toei Animation, Shueisha and Akira Toriyama. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth, Warner Bros. Japan, and the late Monty Oum.

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"Alright...time to try this again," I said grimly. "No more Zenkai, just gotta do it. Power up, get the technique down, and let yourself...how do you even describe that?"

I surveyed the seemingly endless tundra around me, looking for an answer from something. I sighed when I found none, and instead began powering up as I mulled my goal over.

"Okay, so I'm supposed to either watch everybody I love die and explode...or make a tingly feeling on my back happen with my Ki," I tilted my head in thought. "Seriously, a tingling in my back? What was the thought process? Oh well."

I took a deep breath and summoned a further amount of Ki. Then I furrowed my brows as I tried to concentrate as much of it as I could at the area between my shoulders where my heart met my lungs. There was a blast of air around me as I felt my hair shaking and billowing, and there was this sensation of immense energy seemed to be coursing through me.

"H-Hrrk….grr...rrrr….RAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!"

[Play music - SSJ Transformation: Bruce Faulconer]

"GRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"

*FWOOSH*

"Y-Yes...yes...YES!" I cried out. "I got it, I got it! I finally got it!" my face broke into a mad grin as I felt a vein popping on my forehead. "Now I-"

[Record scratch]

"-Don't got it, don't got it…" I grumbled as the feeling disappeared almost as quickly as it came, and I fell to the ground dejectedly. "Is...is my heart not pure enough? I thought I had that down...maybe I did the tingling wrong? There's gotta be a way to do this without losing my friends."

I sighed before pressing my fingers towards my head and concentrating on the large tree near my old cave. I offhandedly pulled the rock away from the entrance with my Ki, and tiredly walked inside to grab my things. After I had pocketed my senzu beans, Scouter, and Scroll, I walked back out dejectedly.

Then my Scroll started vibrating.

"You've got Artie, I'm not here right now," I said with a smirk once I picked up. "Please leave a message after the beep. Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-"

"Artie, I can see you're there!" the blue-haired mouse-girl on the other end cried out.

"Yeah, I know. I just thought I'd play around a bit," I said happily. "So, what's up anyway, Squeaker?"

"Do you have everything ready?"

"...Well, I got the banner, the music and the speakers. And the literal stage is set up-"

"I meant the other thing! You know I wont be able to make a blow to the SDC if I don't get that footage."

"Yeah, the cameras are set up, I'll get them after I do it," I tilted my head in thought as I gave the girl a nervous look. "Uhhh...did you find anything?"

Squeaker furrowed her brows and turned away from the screen. "I did a lot of searching...but no, I didn't find anything about an Adam Taurus. I'm sorry, Artie, I really am-"

"It's fine," I said sadly. "You tried your best, that's enough…"

"I...I get it, you miss your old friend, and you wanna know what happened to him," the mouse-girl's nose twitched angrily. "Just another reason I want to take them down. I'm glad you're helping me."

"Yeah, I mean I was gonna quit anyway, might as well screw my boss over while I'm at it," I shrugged. "I still have no idea how your plan with the cameras is gonna work though…"

"Well, obviously you don't know the technical details...or the finer details of the law...or much, really."

"All I got out of it was that it isn't illegal for me to record me quitting, so I'm rolling with it," I sent the mouse girl a smirk. "I've gotta make one more stop before I head off. I'll talk to you before I get started."

"Alright. Take care, Artie."

The line cut off, and I pocketed my scroll before pushing the rock back into place. I wanted to keep the Attack Ball around, just in case. Plus, it was pretty sentimental...but I didn't need it at the moment, so no reason to advertise it.

With that, I began the flight over to the dojo, all while reminiscing at everything that had happened.

Three years prior

"So, what's up with you anyway?" I asked Adam as we struck at a new dust vein I had opened a few days before. "You seem...off, since that little field trip to Atlas."

"Oh...it's nothing, I promise," the redhead said quickly.

"Doesn't seem like nothing...also, what's with that bow you're wearing?"

"W-What bow?!" he croaked. "T-There's no bow-"

"The girly black bow you're wearing on your collar," I pointed out, causing the bull-horned boy to blush darkly. "Adam...did you...join a cult?"

"What?! N-No, I didn't join a cult!" the redhead defended. He looked around nervously before sighing and adjusting his shirt. "I...I was at a Fang rally…"

"Oh...so, you joined a cult?"

"The Fang isn't a cult!" Adam hissed. "It's a cause, a wonderful cause! When I met the people from The Fang, I...I saw my freedom laid out before me. My liberation from this...o-opression, and my renewal of dignity after all that I suffered through-"

"What's her name?" a nearby worker jeered.

Adam blushed darkly and turned away. "B-Blake...her name is Blake."

"Oh...so you made a friend? That's neat," I said cheerfully.

"Yeah, real neat, huh bud?" another worker jeered. "Looks like our little Taurus is finally getting some pussy!"

My blush probably matched Adam's when I heard that, and I turned away with a cough. "Y-You're being safe with her, right Adam?"

"N-No!"

"Okay, well that's just irresponsible," I chided.

"No, I mean I haven't even asked her out yet!" the redhead turned back to the man who had spoken. "Also, that's racist!"

"Adam, I'm a snake faunus-"

"And Blake is a cat faunus!"

"...Oh, so you're literally getting some pussy?" I asked.

"Stop! Please, do not ever repeat those words!" the bull-horned boy cried out.

"So, no dates yet then?" I asked offhandedly. Adam sagged slightly, and bit his lip as he tried to focus on mining. "Hey, it's nice that you...uh...met somebody like that. She must be really special to you."

"She's really cute...but, there's so much more to it," the redhead sighed wistfully. "When she spoke, when she told me about their goals...it was breathtaking. She was so passionate about her cause and her beliefs. It was...I just don't know how to describe it."

"Be careful, Adam," I said sternly. "I know I'm still not that good in the intelligence department, but you and the masters have been a big help-"

"You're welcome!"

"But I can tell that this is more than just a tiny little crush. Sure, she's the first girl you've felt this way about, and the first is always gonna be special to you-believe me, I know about that, remember?"

"Still hung up on that raccoon girl?" the redhead asked.

"Just a bit, yeah," I admitted. "But so what? I handled it, I moved on. There are plenty of turtles in the pond."

"Don't you mean-"

"I'm not saying you shouldn't try, just that you should be prepared if something happens," I shrugged. "I mean, you looked out for me when it happened, so I don't want you to go through it either."

"I...I get it, Artie...and thanks," Adam straightened his back and took a deep breath. "But I'm not gonna give up just yet. I have a plan!"

"...So, what's your plan to get Blake to fall head over heels with you?"

The redhead looked around nervously, making himself absolutely sure none of the other workers were paying attention. Then he lifted his collar, revealing a black speaker connected to a wire that trailed across his body.

"I've been recording everything," he whispered. "Every bit of abuse the foreman and his guards have hurled at people, every beating and included insult...everything," the bull-horned boy's mouth broke out into a smug grin. "Once I'm satisfied that I've gotten enough, I'll hand it over to The Fang, and the SDC will be put on blast all across Remnant."

"And this plan will get Blake with you...how?"

"I'll have made a tiny little chip in the tyranny," Adam said firmly. "And the moment she sees it, she'll want me so bad. Then we'll start dating...we'll probably break up in a few years but remain amicable exes, and I'll move to the sunny beaches of Vacuo while becoming a great political figure who fights for peace between both our races."

"Wow, got your life all figured out, don't you?" I deadpanned.

"This coming from mister 'farm in the desert even though he can kill grimm with a punch but always holds back because he's bored'," the redhead sent me a flat stare.

"...Farmowners are very important in these trying times-"

"Or the fact that whips break on your skin when they hit you?"

"I...I just have thick skin," I sweatdropped at the redhead's sniggering. "Yeah, laugh it up! I'm just not interested in drawing attention to myself. Otherwise the military will come running after me or something."

"You're really that stuck on not being a Huntsman, huh?" Adam shook his head tiredly. "I won't judge you...too much...but I think that one day you'll have to stop holding back, you'll have to step up for the greater good."

An image of Vegeta blowing up flashed across my eyes, and I frowned. "I mean, you're right...but I know for a fact that that is still a long way off."

"Maybe it is...but if you hear that call, you better pick it up," the redhead chided sternly.

"I guess...so, aside from the whole 'freedom for faunus' thing, what's Blake like?"

"...Uh...so, you know how we don't play into stereotypes," Adam said sheepishly.

"Oh yeah, we don't. I mean, you like dressing in red, which is the opposite of bulls...I forget if I stay away from that stuff."

"You don't. You eat bananas all the time."

"Oh...I guess I do," I said nervously.

Nevermind that bananas aren't native to any other planet but Remnant, as far as I know, and are therefore an exotic fruit.

"Well, Blake is...where do I begin?" Adam groaned. "She is a cat-girl...and she acts like…"

"What does she do specifically?"

"Plays with yarn, sits in boxes, loves fish, and freaks out when she sees a dog...even if they're a faunus," the bull-horned boy shook his head. "Maybe the only reason I'm chasing her is because of her looks. Because seriously, as much as she's fighting for freedom, she's not exactly a credit to our race."

"That's rough buddy," I said solemnly.

"Also she runs away from her problems," Adam sighed. "Like...all the time. If there's just a tiny little issue, she bolts...huh, so kinda like a cat...is that a red flag?"

"Definitely," I said flatly. "It'd be worse if she were a tsundere like you were."

"I'm not a-is that why you called me a cactus?!" the redhead cried out.

"Yeah, Cacti are tsunderes...huh, so are cats…" I turned to look back to my friend. "Blake hasn't called you a 'baka' yet, has she?"

"...O-Once...is that also a red flag?"

"Crimson," I deadpanned.

"...Her boobs are about the size of my head-"

"I don't think I need to hear anymore," I said quickly.

"Catgirls, Artie! Catgirls! If these are the last words you ever hear from me, then let it be 'CAT-GIRLS'!"

As it turned out, those would be the last words I ever heard from him. Over the next few days, Adam and I were assigned to different parts of the mine. A little while after that, I learned that they had installed metal detectors at certain access points.

I shouldn't have been surprised when Adam stopped showing up to work. I should have put two and two together, but I didn't. All I did was ask, and outright beg, the upper management for an answer. Their only response was something akin to 'do you want another beating, monkey?'. And the only real answers were the rumors of what happened.

Adam Taurus, a 13 year old boy, was dead as far as I knew. That was the point where I stopped lowering my Aura and Ki and just let it all out. And it was liberating.

Maybe it was my Saiyan nature finally breaking through, or maybe it was the fact that I had lost my best friend, but once I finally stopped taking spit from them, I felt better than I had in either of my lives. I could finally stop pretending to be weak and helpless like I had been conditioned to from my old life, and I didn't have to worry about being normal.

I finally realized what I was gonna do…

Renegade for Life.

"Hello? Anybody around?" I called out as I walked up to the entrance of the dojo. "It's pretty quiet around here…"

I heard some murmuring inside, and slowly stepped into the training room. Oogway, Mufasa, and Bruce stood in front of the rest of the students, with Tamamo and some of the other teachers standing slightly off to the side. The other students were obviously confused by the solemn expressions of their masters, and I could just feel that something was wrong.

"-And that is why, with a heavy heart, we're going to be closing down the dojo," Bruce finished sadly. "I'm sorry, but...most of us are just gettin' too old. When we were younger, we could handle any Grimm that came around, and they were good for training...but, now it's just outta the question."

There were several saddened cries at this, which were silenced when Mufasa held a hand up to grab their attention. "This was not an easy decision for us to come to, I assure you. But the latest Grimm attack at Mantle has had us thinking," the lion faunus ran a hand through his greying hair with a sigh. "Things are getting worse, not just for the outside settlements, but for the big cities as well. We just can't keep on like this, we won't survive."

"Please, we can rest assured knowing that the lessons we all taught you here will not go to waste," Oogway said gently. "Our hope is that our teachings can live on through all of you. Just because we're closing down, doesn't mean the arts have to die out."

"If you wanna start up a new school wherever, feel free. Each of us knew that we were gettin' on our last legs, so we all wanted to pass on as much as we could," the shark-toothed man raised his hands and gave the students a sad smile. "All of you...we're proud of how well you've done. We know some of you plan to become Huntsman and Huntresses, and I think we can sleep soundly knowing that what we've taught you will help to save lives."

I winced internally at this, wondering if my decision to lay low was really worth it. I had the power to wipe out every Grimm on the planet without worrying about stopping, and I was just squandering it. Was I selfish? Was that why I can't go Super Saiyan?

I waited until the students had dispersed, most likely to get their last lessons. I walked up to the old men as they began talking amongst themselves, and sent them a wave. From the corner of my eye, I noticed Tamamo walking away with a dejected expression.

"Hey guys," I said cheerfully. "So...you're really closing down, huh?"

"Unfortunately…" Mufasa groaned. "We stopped getting supplies and support from the Atlas military, and the nearby town is apparently falling in on itself...surprisingly, the mine is doing well, but that hasn't saved it from the Grimm."

"Oh yeah, I watched a Beowolf just stroll into camp and take a guy like he owned the place," I shrugged. "So, I decided I'd put my two-weeks notice in...two weeks ago."

"You quit?" Bruce blinked in shock. "Wow, guess things really are changing. You practically carried that mine on your back."

"Yeah, I did...then Adam…"

"Tamamo still hasn't gotten over it," Mufasa said solemnly. "And I can tell that you haven't either...Arthur, it-"

"Wasn't my fault, I know," I said weakly.

Oogway tilted his head as a small frown tugged at his lips. "What ails you, young man?"

"...Am I selfish?" I croaked out.

"Child, why would you ever think that?"

"I regularly take out Alpha Grimm like it's nothing, but I want to be a farmer," I said flatly. "Is that selfish of me to just...not want to be more than that? I feel like I'm a bad person for not trying to have that life."

The old turtle gave me a soft smile before laying a hand on my shoulder. "Young man, I've known you for five years. For whatever reason, you seem to carry a deep and painful burden upon your shoulders, one that even your strength cannot shoulder," Oogway tilted his head with a sad look. "I know you feel as though you cannot speak of it...but my advice would be to wait and see. If a time approaches where you must shed that burden of yours...do what you feel is the right thing."

I stared at the old man for a few seconds, before letting a goofy smile stretch across my face.

"Thank you, Master Oogway. I don't think I'll ever forget your advice in a long time…"

Later, at the mining camp

*insert price is right theme here*

The foreman blinked in shock when he heard the noise, and stood up angrily. He was not in the mood to deal with this today, and wanted to make sure his workers knew that it was the wrong time to test his patience. With a single snap of his fingers, the guards were already following him out.

What greeted him was a massive stage directly near the entrance to the camp, confetti flying everywhere, and colorful decorations all around. Standing on the stage, directly below a banner that said 'I QUIT', was Arthur Basil, the best worker they had who had in recent years become sort of a problem child.

"How did you even set this up?!" the human cried out.

"Muffin button," the monkey-tailed boy said simply.

"Muffin button-you know what, I don't want to know!" the man pointed at the boy angrily. "Just what do you think you're doing?!"

"I'm announcing that I quit," the teen said cheerfully. "As in, I remove myself from my current position and leave it vacant. And you can shove it!"

"W-What?!" the human cried out. "You can't just quit like that!"

"I put my two weeks notice in already."

"When was that?!"

"Two weeks ago," the monkey-tailed boy said happily.

"You can't quit! You-hey, stop raising the volume on those damn speakers!"

"What's that? I can't hear you over the sound of how much I don't care!"

"YOU FILTHY MONKEY! YOU PUT THOSE SPEAKERS OUT RIGHT NOW, GET BACK IN THE MINES, AND GET. BACK. TO. WORK!"

"What's that? You're gonna have to speak up, I'm too busy enjoying not working for you!"

*sound of speakers cutting off*

"Aww, and it was getting to the good part," Arthur said in faux sadness as one of the enforcers cut the power for the stage.

"You brat! You don't get to quit! We own you, you filthy animal! That's all you are, nothing but a filthy animal!" the foreman snapped his fingers, and the guards he had brought with him began surrounding the stage and holding their guns up. "Now get back in the fucking mine and work! Don't expect to ever get paid again after this stunt you monkey filth! This shitflinging won't fly!"

"Oh wow, that insult? Really original. You and your goons can't do spit! I don't work for you anymore!" the teen tilted his head as several of the workers began cheering for him. "Plus, you can't touch me up here!"

"We have blasters!" one of the guards cried out.

"One of those does nothing!"

"How 'bout a hundred?!"

*sound of guns cocking all over the place*

"Oh, what are you gonna do, shoot me?" the monkey-tailed boy asked smugly.

*BANG*

*FWOOSH*

Arthur was thrown back slightly from the impact of the dust round one of the guards had fired at him. His green-colored Aura flashed around his being as it absorbed the blow, causing some unease in the enforcers. When the monkey-tailed boy straightened himself, his eyes held a calm but unnerving look.

"Wow, you actually shot me. Guess the bets are off, huh?"

And then he blurred out of existence. The guard who had shot the boy was suddenly thrown over the walls around the mine. The two adjacent enforcers were flung into the nearby buildings when the boy struck their chest with his palms. The next guards that tried taking a shot at him were thrown back by a single poke each.

Eventually, the guards had either been beaten to the point they could no longer fight, or had peed themselves in terror before running away screaming. The foreman stood shaking as the young 'faunus' began stalking towards him with a blank expression.

"H-How?! How?! You're just a weakling! You couldn't be capable of this-"

"See, that's where you're wrong," Arthur deadpanned. "All those whippings and beatings? All the scars I have? I let you idiots make them. I've been holding myself back because I wanted to fit in and not draw attention to myself," the boy flexed his muscles as an ethereal, almost vicious green glow surrounded him. "Then you murdered my best friend. So, obviously I have a few 'issues' with the upper management, and this is my formal complaint."

The man only had the foresight to close his eyes as he was grabbed by the throat. "Please don't kill me! I swear, we were just following orders! I-I can give you a deal! Money, power...women?!" the human squinted his eyes further as a wet sensation spread across him. "Please, gods, not like this!"

"Who says I'm gonna kill you?" the monkey-tailed boy said boredly. He dropped the man to his feet and sighed. "You know Atlas has one party consent laws, right? I've been recording stuff for weeks now without any issue. A few editing here, and you now have a PR nightmare on your hands."

"W-What?!"

"See, I would have just deleted it all if you let me quit in peace instead of making demands of me," the teen said. "But, since you had guys shoot me, I guess your job and your boss's image are now on the line."

"...I'm fucked, aren't I?"

"Right in the down under…"

*pop*

"Ah, Mantle...I have barely been here at all," I said dumbly as I surveyed the surrounding city. "Alright, so I teleported to near Squeaker, so-"

And then I felt it. I hadn't felt his energy signature since the last time I saw him, but I could feel it now. I looked around in shock, hoping to find the spiky tips of red hair and horns. I looked around aimlessly, only for the feeling of his energy to wither away just as quickly as it came.

"Adam…" I whispered. "I know I felt it...but...he's dead...right?" I honed my Ki Sense as best I could, but still nothing came up. "Was I just imagining it?"

I shook my head and emerged from the alley I had teleported to, then began the trek towards Squeaker's apartment. As I walked down the street, I adjusted the pack on my shoulder to make sure nothing was missing. A half hour of pedestrian traffic and a doorbell later, and I was staring down at the small mouse-eared bluenette from her doorway.

"Eep!"

"Oh, sorry Squeaker," I said nervously.

"N-No, it's fine! I should have remembered you were coming," the mouse-girl adjusted her glasses and ushered me inside. "S-So, how are you doing?"

"Eh, I'm alright. Just quit my job."

"R-Really?!"

"Yeah, remember the plan you had? That's on the footage," I said cheerfully as I pulled the girl's equipment from my bag. "I got a lovely shot of my old boss ordering me around after I effectively departed from my position...also of one of his grunts shooting me."

"EEP! Artie, I'm so sorry-"

"Relax, I have Aura, and I stopped restricting it," I let an emerald glow wash over me. "That's how I got here so fast too...my uh...Semblance...it's teleporting."

"You can teleport?!"

"Yeah, I can just zero in on the Aura of people I know, and teleport to them," I lied. "Or, at least their general area. Like, I wouldn't just pop into your house with my Semblance, 'cause that'd be rude."

"He teleports...wonderful…" the mouse-girl shook her head before digging into her evidence. "So, you think you got enough?"

"I wouldn't have left if I didn't think so. I think this should be more than enough to put the first nail in the casket."

"...Don't you mean...oh screw it, to-may-to to-mah-to," Squeaker said tiredly. "What are you planning on doing now?"

"I have a date," I said, ignoring the bluenette's flinching and dark blush. "With destiny!"

"Oh...I see…"

"And by destiny, I mean a boat all the way to Menagerie," I said cheerfully. "I should be heading off in a few days."

"You're heading to Menagerie? But, it's the most crowded place on the face of the planet."

"Not the desert. I'll just hang out in the desert," I noticed the curious expression the mouse-girl was giving me, and sighed. "It's better than the grimm-infested tundra."

"I guess you're right. There was a breach in the wall just 3 days ago, and Atlas Academy students and the military are still all over the place making sure repairs go smoothly."

"Academy students?" I asked, to which the small girl nodded. I closed my eyes and sifted through the myriad of Ki signatures spread across the city, smirking when I felt a familiar energy. "I think that means one of my friends is around. I'll have to say hi before I head off."

"You're really set on leaving asap, huh?"

"Yeah, I'm not really interested in staying around...not much left for me here," I tilted my head towards the mouse-girl as she walked over to her computer. "You gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, I just gotta get this through my editing program, cut the less useful parts out after I review it and start uploading through the schinternet. Once that's through, I'll see if I can't boost it across social media through some alt and sock accounts I've had in wait."

"...Neat! So, I can assume I'll see it on the news later?" I cocked my head to the side in thought. "Also, you wouldn't mind blurring my face, would you?"

"You'll see it on the news, and don't worry about being seen. I wouldn't put you on blast like that, considering that Schnee would probably send a hitsquad after you."

"It worked so well with the guards," I mused. "Maybe the hitsquad will actually be smart about it."

"I hope not? I mean, you're kinda the only person who really hangs out with me, so it'd suck if you die."

"Aww, you're actually worried about me?" I chuckled at the mouse-girl's blush. "Thanks, Squeaker. I'm glad to have you as a friend."

"I...yeah, friend…" Squeaker said dejectedly. She looked back at me with a nervous, strained smile. "You know, I'd be okay if you used your Semblance to pop in every now and then...y'know, just to let me know you're okay."

"Really? You'd be okay with that?" I asked in shock. When the girl nodded enthusiastically, I rubbed the back of my head. "Well, if you're so sure...I guess once a month is alright."

"Y-Yeah, that'd be good," the mouse-girl said happily. "I mean, at least once a month will be alright, if I manage to get that gig at the software company and whatnot."

"And if you somehow don't get it?"

"Then it'll be nice to have a shoulder to cry on?" Squeaker shrugged nervously.

I chuckled weakly at this. "Hopefully it doesn't ever come to that…" I tilted my head as the bluenette began her work. "You sure you're gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. This is...just gonna take a while," Squeaker furrowed her brows and donned headphones as the footage began. "Oh, wow! That's...savage."

"Which part?"

"The whole 'sound of me not caring'. This could really go viral if you're lucky...minus those parts," the bluenette cringed as I easily dispatched the human guards. "Wow, and without breaking a sweat too…"

"I was still holding back, believe it or not," I said blithely. "I mean, Master Oogway and Master Mufasa always said to never pick on people weaker than I am."

"Oof!"

"Sifu Norris wasn't as wise about it...think he mentioned something about Twinkies. I never really paid attention to his lessons."

"If he wasn't one of the better teachers, I can understand why...gods, are those guys dead?"

"Nah, I checked afterwards," I said reassuringly. "I only did like...little finger pokes to throw them back. Nothing too bad."

"I'm gonna have to edit out the whole fight," the mouse-girl said flatly.

"Sorry…"

"It's fine...really, thanks for getting all of this from me," Squeaker said softly. "And, if I ever do find something on your friend, I'll try to let you know."

"...Thanks, Squeaker," I smiled at the bluenette kindly. "That really means a lot to me."

Later, out in the streets of Mantle

"Alright, so I know she's around here somewhere," I thought aloud as I walked through the city. I kept my Ki sense up, hoping I could hone in on any familiar signatures. "I thought she'd just be in Atlas...oh right, the grimm attack this week. I should have realized that."

I walked down the street, ignoring the disgusted looks of the populace and the menacing jeers. Anybody who acted threateningly, I'd stop with a classic Saiyan stare that let them know I wouldn't take spit from them. It was annoying, having to have a walk down the street where I was being insulted constantly.

The highlight of the walk was the short, white-haired girl crashing face first into my chest as we both rounded the exact same corner from opposite sides. All I experienced was a girl crashing into me before she fell back, nothing that really made me blink. The girl on the other hand…

"What is your problem?!" she screeched. She lifted herself off the ground and put her hand to the very long and thin sword at her side. "Don't you know to watch where you're...of course you don't…"

"Woah, what's that supposed to mean?" I asked hotly.

The 'princess' simply adjusted the collar to her uniform, and turned away from me with a huff. "It means exactly what you think it means," she looked at me from the corner of her eye and sneered. "Honestly, the fact that you're roaming the streets is just telling."

"...You're a Schnee, aren't you?"

"Oh? And let me guess, you have some sort of grudge with my family? Why don't you make-"

"A formal complaint? Already did, you'll probably see it on the news later," I cocked my head to the side and clicked my teeth. "As for this incident right here...I feel like decking you," I narrowed my eyes as the girl leaned forward threateningly. "I'm probably gonna deck you."

"You'll die trying," she growled, pulling her blade from its sheath slightly. "If you manage it, it'd be a big moment for a beast like you."

"Ooh, that would feel like a big moment for a witch like you, wouldn't it?" I said snidely.

"...You just sealed your fate-"

"Winter!"

I watched as a tan-skinned blonde woman, along with several others who had strange weapons, walked over to us. The woman cocked her head to me, then noticed 'Winter' preparing to strike me, and furrowed her brows.

"Winter, we do not strike civilians."

"This animal, Ms. Hill, he is the aggressor in this situation."

"Is this true?" the woman asked me.

"Ha! Heck no! This witch here," I ignored Winter's indignant cry. "Crashed into me because she can't look where she's going, and tried to make it my fault."

"Is that so? Winter?" the blonde woman leaned toward the girl with a blank stare. "Is this true?"

"...Alright, just a bit, yes!" the white-haired girl cried out. "Please stop with the dead-fish stare, it's terrifying."

"Looks like I'm going to have to recommend you for a sensitivity course," the blonde groaned. She turned back to me with a short smile and held her hand out. "I'm very sorry about this. My name is Robyn Hill, I'm a Huntress."

"Nice to meet ya!" I said cheerfully, taking her hand in my own. "I'm Arthur, but my friends call me-"

"Artie?!" a familiar voice called out.

"Yeah, that...wait, hold on," I winced as a familiar sheep-girl slammed into me and pulled me into what would be a bone-crushing hug for anybody else. "Oh, hey Fiona. How are you doing?"

"I'm great! Wow, I can't believe you're in Mantle! How are you doing?"

"I'm good, just staying here for a few days," I tilted my head at the ecstatic girl. "I was actually looking for you. I was hoping to catch up."

Fiona blushed at this. "R-Really? I don't know if I'm allowed to-"

"Thyme," Winter said lowly. "You know this one?"

"Y-Yes, he's a good friend of mine…"

"Regardless, I don't think now is the time to be fraternizing with-"

"Go ahead and catch up with your friend, Fi!" Robyn said cheerfully as she slapped the girl on the back playfully. "We can handle things from here!"

"Y-Yes ma'am!"

"We'll meet up with you at the entrance to the eastern district…" the blonde sent the sheep girl a wink as she motioned for the other Huntsman and Huntresses to follow her. "You kids have fun~!"

Winter only sent me one last glare before she stalked off after the others. Once they were well and truly gone, Fiona broke out into a small fit of giggles.

"You weren't actually going to deck her, were you?"

"How did you-oh, right your ears," I sweatdropped as her fuzzy ears wiggled slightly. "Yeah, I was probably gonna deck her...I could take her in a straight fight."

"I dunno, the Ice Queen is always downright brutal to anybody she meets in battle," the sheep-girl chuckled.

"Ice Queen? Imma use that next time."

"So, what do you wanna talk about?" Fiona asked shyly.

"Uh...how 'bout we walk and talk…"

A few minutes later

"And that's the situation," I finished as we arrived at the nearby park.

"You...you actually quit?" Fiona asked nervously. When I nodded slowly, her ears dropped. "So that means…"

"Yup! I'm taking off for Menagerie in a few days."

"I...wow, I remember you always said...but...I can't believe you're actually leaving."

I noticed her dejected look, and gently patted her head. "Hey, don't worry, we'll see eachother again...eventually. I mean, I'll probably get into a martial arts tournament, and you'll definitely see me on the news soon."

The sheep-girl blushed slightly before giving me a curious look. "Wait, what's that last part supposed to mean?"

"Uh...so, when I quit my job...I may have also been recording all the bad things they were up to at the mine," I rubbed the back of my head nervously. "Also, I filmed myself quitting. I had a stage, speakers, and everything. Apparently I might go viral."

"...Is that all that happened?"

"Uh...alright, you caught me. The foreman took exception to me quitting, and tried to force me back to work," I tilted my head at the girl's sweatdrop. "His guards decided they wanted to actually put their guns to use, and came down with a bad case of concussions...which ended up being contagious."

"I don't know how I didn't expect that," Fiona chuckled. "I'm just surprised it took this long."

"I'm not," I said firmly. "Artie ain't nobody's fool...a-anymore, that is."

The sheep-girl shook her head as we both took a seat at a nearby bench. "Y'know, I'm really gonna miss you, Artie…" her ears drooped slightly as she sunk in her seat. "I...I really...I always wanted to tell you…"

"T-Tell me what?" I asked nervously.

"I wanted to tell you that...I...like...I...I really like spending time with you!" Fiona went pale at this, and it almost looked like she wanted to die. "Oh gods, wh-h-h-h-y?!"

"Hey, it's alright! I like spending time with you too," I said reassuringly.

The dejected girl gave me a shaky look. "T-Thanks for that, Artie…"

"Hey, do you wanna see my Semblance?"

"W-What?"

"My Semblance! I found out what it is a few months ago," I pulled my pack off my shoulder and began digging inside. "I just need to find it-Aha!"

Fiona tilted her head as I presented her the small plant bud in my palm. "What is it?"

"A rose," I said happily. "Well, I mean...not yet, I haven't used my semblance. Hang on…"

I let an emerald-green glow wash over me as I summoned my Aura and focused it into my palm. The glow expanded around the plant bud, causing it to shake and wiggle. After a few seconds, the sepals unfurled as the flower itself began to erupt into full bloom, until finally I had a perfect red rose in my palm.

Fiona stared in shock as I presented the fully bloomed rose to her. "You...grow...plants?"

"Yeah, pretty neat huh? This'll make owning a farm a cake walk," I said cheerfully. I tilted my head at her wide-eyed expression, and smiled. "Hey, close your eyes real quick."

"I-I...what? I don't-"

"Just close them really quick," I said gently. "I promise I wont do anything weird."

The sheep-girl chewed the inside of her cheek before sighing. "Alright, just please make it quick…"

I smiled as Fiona screwed her eyes shut, and gently fastened the Rose into her hair as firmly as I could without disturbing her wool-like locks. Once I had pulled my hands away, I placed them on my hips and tilted my head as I admired my work.

"Alright, go ahead and open them."

Her ears drooped as she did so, and she sent me a confused look. "W-What did you even do? I can't see anything."

"Oh, right...if I had a mirror-"

"Hang on, I think I got this," the sheep-girl said quickly. She pulled a handheld mirror from her pocket, and blushed darkly when she saw it. "I...wow, that's...really sweet. I'm kinda sad it might die soon though."

"A-Actually, my Semblance sorta...imbues it with life," I said nervously. "Basically, that's gonna last for a long time...probably more than a few years."

"So this rose is going to stay in my hair and sit pretty for the next few years?"

"As long as I'm alive, yeah."

"Thank you, thank you so much! I love this!" Fiona smiled brightly as she felt around the rose in her hair. "I really am gonna miss you, you know."

"Hey, you can just call me if you ever get the chance."

"I know but it won't be the same," the girl whined.

"Hey, you're my friend no matter what, remember that."

"Y-Yeah, and I'm really happy about that," she said shyly. "So, where are you staying-"

"Thyme!"

"EEP!" Fiona jumped back at the stern voice and flailed around wildly. When she noticed that it was Winter who had startled her, she stared at the other girl blankly. "Winter! Can you not?! I'm trying to have a moment with my bestie!"

"You were taking a long time, and we have work to do," the Schnee girl sneered at me while refusing to look my way. "And I don't think you should be using our tight schedule to fraternize with lowlifes."

"Lowlifes?! Listen Schnee, you-"

"It was nice to meet you too, Ice queen," I said cheerfully.

Winter sent me a vicious glare at this. "I would punish you for that...but I think it is unbecoming of me to attack an individual weaker than myself."

"Oh-ho-ho, projection much?" I flexed my arms and narrowed my eyes. "You and I both know how it would really go."

"You'd have to tell me, because I doubt you'd manage to survive more than a minute against my blades."

"Is that a challenge? I feel like taking it-"

"Alright, I think that's enough!" Fiona said quickly. "Let's just simmer down and stop with the hostilities before more grimm come."

"Wait, where's the fun in that?"

"Artie!" the sheep-girl whined.

"Alright, alright! I'll leave the Ice Queen be," I fought down a smirk as said Ice Queen fumed.

"Thyme, we're leaving for the east district," the Schnee said curtly as she turned to leave. "Say your parting words to him, and let's go."

Fiona sweatdropped at this before sending me an apologetic look. "I guess I'll see you later."

"Hey, I promise I'll keep in touch," I said kindly. "Have fun being a Huntress and saving lives."

"And you have fun using your Semblance to corner the entire market on Menagerie," she cocked her eyebrow at my shocked expression. "Oh, come on, don't act like you didn't think about it."

"Alright, you caught me," I said with faux sadness. "You uncovered my evil plan, how will it ever come to fruition now?"

Fiona giggled as she turned to leave. "Goodbye Artie. I'm really gonna miss you!"

"You too!" I called out as she followed Winter out of the park.

I chewed the inside of my cheek as my friend left, then sighed as I eyed the skyscrapers around me. Solitas had been my home for so long, and this was one of the last parts of it I was going to see. It was such a jarring thing to think about from every perspective.

"Well, no use dwelling on it," I said tiredly as I began my trek towards a nearby alleyway. "You have almost nothing left here, Artie. No use in staying…"

I flinched weakly when I felt the energy source again. It was much farther away than before, but there was no mistaking it. If it wasn't Adam, it was somehow somebody that had his exact same energy signature. And just like before, it came and went faster than I could track.

I waited with bated breath for nearly a minute before sighing. "Just what is going on? Is he alive or not?" I pressed my fingers to my forehead dejectedly and focused on my old cave. "I'll try to figure it out before I leave, maybe…"

Kuo Kuana

A week later

"Name?"

"Arthur Basil," I told the immigration officer.

"Age?"

"15."

The dog-man looked up slightly in shock. "Are your parents around?"

"My parents are dead, actually…"

"Oh, wow...faunus trait?" he asked boredly.

I blinked before unwrapping my tail from the waist. "I'm a monkey faunus...with a monkey tail…"

The dog-eared man tilted his head before humming thoughtfully. "Yeah, that makes a lotta sense."

"...Are you from Vacuo or something?"

"Oh yeah man, Vacuo born and raised. I'm here because things got a little heated over there, if you get what I'm sayin'."

"...Yes, I get what you're Saiyan," I bit my lip at my own little in-joke. "So, is this the whole process? You just ask me my name and faunus trait and I'm in?"

"Nah man, that's just like...the starting stuff. There's like this big process we gotta do man," the dog-man chuckled. "Like...why are you here man?"

"Uh...I was gonna move out to the desert and buy some land, and have it zoned agricultural," I said weakly.

"Woah, you wanna own a farm in the desert?" he asked in confusion. "Alright man, you do you, and all that. Don't expect to be successful."

"T-Thanks, I guess…"

"Alright, so I just gotta get you sorted out then, man. Just let me get a guy who can do paperwork, and I'll get you all set."

"Are you not allowed to do paper work?" I asked nervously.

"Nah, the last time I did it I messed up a line or two," the dog-eared man sniggered weakly. "We had supply issues for a while."

"...How much 'grass' is on this island?" I asked quietly.

"Uh...most of it is around here...I think," he leaned towards me with a wide-eyed expression. "We are talking about Poa pratensis, right?"

"...N-Not exactly," I croaked out.

"Well alright man, whichever grass species you're planting' in the desert will work," he said cheerfully as he walked to the back.

I stood there quietly for a few minutes before letting out a sigh. "Oh boy...what have you gotten yourself into Artie?" I flinched as the door to the back opened, and a man without any visible faunus traits walked out holding a clipboard. "Uh...hi?"

"Arthur Basil, right?" he asked, still not taking his eyes away from the clipboard. "It says here you worked at an SDC mine? All the way up in Solitas, right?"

"That is correct, yes."

"And now you want to own a plot of land in the desert, and zone it for agriculture to grow multiple permanent cash crops?"

"That is my end goal, yes."

The man looked up from his clipboard with a tired expression. "Kid, what makes you think you can pull this off?"

"Well, aside from reading countless guides on the specific topic...I have a Semblance that lets me grow plants even in extreme conditions," I said with a shrug.

"...Huh, alright, that's a good start then," he finally lowered his clipboard and flashed a pair of needle-sharp fangs. "Let's talk about semantics."

A week or so later

I blinked mutely at what would, from this point on, be my new home. A decently livable farmhouse, and a few meager fields. Towards the back of the property was an old brick well in visible disrepair. And all of this was smack dab in the middle of a near endless desert filled to the brim with horribly dangerous wild beasts.

"...I think I'm gonna like it here," I said cheerfully. "Now I just gotta get settled in and start sowing the seeds of my labor...also literal seeds."

Knowing what I knew from my old life, as well as everything I had learned here and my Semblance...well, I think this is gonna be too easy.

A month later

"How come nothing is growing?!" I cried out to my empty fields. "I ploughed everything myself, I set up the irrigation pipes, spread out the fertilizer, I even sacrificed a wild virgin goat to bring a good harvest," I eyed the spot of dried blood on the ground nervously. "Okay, maybe I took it a bit too far there...but I still did everything I could! Why aren't there any plants?!"

I walked over to the plot where I had planned to put my remaining Senzu beans, and sighed as I touched the ground. A limit to my Semblance was, when growing plants in extreme conditions, I still had to make sure their basic needs were met before injecting them with life, otherwise they'd die really quick (if they weren't already technically dead). Since they were senzu, I didn't plan on risking it, so I planted lettuce and tomatoes instead.

And it worked out so well.

A pang of hope spread through me when I saw a small little plant all the way at the back. I ran over in hopes that I could save it with my Semblance, only for my optimism to die out once I saw it up close. The poor thing was shriveled to a faint yellow-green prune, with no chance of survival regardless of whether or not I used my Aura to save it. I weakly tapped at the lost, innocent soul, and gasped when it simply turned to dust that fell into the desert wind.

I slammed my head into the ground as tears began to fall freely. "Good night...sweet prince…"

I turned my head weakly to look at the nearby irrigation pipe that should have transported water to my crops. Spoiler alert, no water was coming out like the design had intended. Since that was basically a symptom, I needed to find the cause.

Cue me jumping down my well to find that there was absolutely nothing inside. I held up my palm and willed a ball of Ki forth to light everything up. Still nothing, just an empty, dry hole in the ground that led somewhere windy-wait, hang on a sec.

I ducked beneath the entrance to the side tunnel and started my trek towards the source of the wind. After a few hours of banging into the stone walls by accident after my Ki light occasionally went out, I finally found an 'entrance' of sorts to the nearby desert through which light shone through. It was blocked by large metal bars that couldn't possibly budge.

Well, if you weren't the last member of a super-powered alien race that is.

Once I was outside, I realized exactly where I was. A river...or what was supposed to be a river, except it was completely dried up to a trickling stream. And judging by the flow of said stream, it wouldn't last for more than a few years.

"I...they...how...son of a witch!"

Marti tilted his head curiously when the young, spiky-haired faunus boy walked into their bar. While they weren't legally allowed to serve children, the moment the teen sat down in front of him, the lizard-faunus knew the boy had a rough day.

"So, what'll it be, son?"

"I dunno, whatever you can spare I guess," the teen looked wistfully towards the 'river' as his monkey tail twitched angrily. "Obviously that doesn't include water, so hit me with whatever you got."

"I've got...cactus juice," the man said tiredly as he prepared a glass for the boy. "There's some water in it...but I wouldn't recommend it as a replacement."

"I wouldn't hope," the teen said weakly.

As Marti worked on the drink, he eyed the boy suspiciously. "Aren't you the new owner of that old farm down the way?"

"Yup!" he said, popping the 'p' slightly.

"Sole owner?"

"Uh-huh…"

"Where are your parents, boy?"

"Dead," the teen said flatly, causing Marti to nearly spill the glass he had just prepared. "They came down with a bad case of explosions...they never recovered, obviously...neither did the house...or everything around it."

"Gods, that's just awful…" the lizard-man noticed a shape slithering towards the boy from the shadows, and slammed his hand on the counter. "Birch! What have I told you about harassing my customers?"

"What? I wasn't gonna do nothing!" the weasel faunus said innocently. "This one is just...interesting."

The monkey-tailed boy blinked nervously as the shrewd-looking man slid over to him. "Uh, hello there…"

"Ignore him! He's just the town crazy," Marti said hotly.

"If you can even call this a town," the weasel-tailed man snarked. He quickly leaned towards the monkey boy and sniffed wildly, a smirk growing on his face. "Well, well, well...you ain't from around here, aren't you?"

"...Uh, I moved here about a month ago, from Solitas-"

"No, I mean you ain't from around here here here," the weasel-man said in the most confusing way possible, yet for some reason he caused the boy to go pale.

"Birch!"

"Oh, you're no fun!" Birch grumbled.

"So, Solitas huh? Didn't think you'd be able to manage," Marti cocked an eyebrow at the monkey-boy's deadpan expression as he slid the glass of cactus juice towards him. "Y'know, what with the differences in temperature and all."

"Eh, that's about the only difference there really is," the boy rubbed the back of his head. "I mean, not much changed. I just moved from an endless tundra with almost no living things to...and endless desert...with almost no living things…"

"Your farm included?" the weasel-man asked.

"Birch!" Marti cried out incredulously.

"That is...cuttingly accurate, yeah," the teen said weakly.

"At least you're not mad," Birch crouched slightly as he leaned toward the boy again. "Say, what's your name kid?"

"Arthur Basil."

"Well it's nice to meet ya, Artie-"

"No."

"...Eh?"

"My friends get to call me 'Artie', and you're not my friend, just some guy who's invading my personal space," Arthur said boredly as he began to down his drink.

"Oh, you'd know all about 'space', wouldn't you?" the weasel man sniggered as the boy tried to keep himself from spitting up his drink.

"Birch, what am I gonna do with you?" Marti groaned.

"Not throw me out?"

The bartender shook his head in annoyance, then flinched when the monkey-tailed boy dropped several lien coins on the table. The teen stared at him with a blank expression, and a shred of dark curiosity dancing through his eyes.

"Can you tell me about the river?"

"What is there to say? It was a river...once, a long time ago when they first settled Menagerie. Then it dried up not long after," Marti sighed as he washed some of the glasses for the bar. "Now it's just a stream. None of the farm owners before you, or any of the other ones nearby, ever had any success because of it."

"Is there a way to get the river back to...well, being a river?"

"Heh, you'd have to find the source of the water...as little as there is," the bartender sighed. "I'd give up if I were you, kid. There's no chance for your farm, and this town has followed suit for a century. Hell, I'm on my last legs here as it is."

The monkey-tailed boy eyed the weasel-man nervously. "Well, if half the town is as crazy and lacking in sense of personal space as this guy, I think I might be able to manage."

"Heh, I wish I had your optimism kid," Marti shook his head tiredly. "I really do…"

Well, that was a big dead end.

So, back to the drawing board. Walk through the tiny ghost town, try to find somebody who knows more than the defeatist bartender and the creepy weasel guy who knows I'm an alien, and save your farm. If only it were that easy.

"Hey, kid!"

"Hmm?" I blinked when I caught a very human looking blonde dressed as a cowboy running towards me. "Oh, so there are more people than just the creepy weasel guy?"

"So you met Birch, I take it?" the cowboy slowed to a halt in front of me and held his hand out. "I'm Jeb, nice to meet ya."

"Arthur, but my friends call me Artie," I took Jeb's hand into my own. "So, what's up Jeb?"

"I know you're the guy who owns that old farm down the way," he pointed towards my new home, before tilting his head. "And I saw you down by the river earlier too."

"Yeah, considering the hurdle I've just come across, I don't think there wouldn't be a reason for me to be down there," I looked wistfully towards the dried up river. "You wouldn't happen to be coming to me for the reason I think you are, would you?"

"Well, you seem pretty determined to get your farm up and running'. You even did the goat sacrifice," Jeb snorted at my terrified look. "Relax, I did it too when I started...didn't really help, but I did it."

"So, what's your farm for anyway?"

"Well, it's supposed to be an Orchard...but, I can't get any trees going…"

"I was gonna grow cash crops. Y'know, vegetables, cotton, the like," I said with a shrug. "I have Aura, and my Semblance is to imbue things with life, so I can make plants grow."

"Wait, furreal?"

"Well, it has limits. For instance, I can somehow make a flower bud that I torn off a plant grow to full bloom and stay fresh for years without being near it," I held my hands up as if weighing a scale. "But if I want to grow a living plant that sustains itself, then I have to make sure its basic needs are met. Since I don't have water, I can't exactly make use of it."

"...So, you're saying we need to sacrifice more goats?"

"What?!"

"I'm joking, I'm joking," Jeb chuckled. "I was in Kuo Kuana just last week looking for help. Nobody was gonna come out here, it's...it's that bad."

"So, you have no idea what to do?"

"Okay, maybe I should be a bit more specific," the cowboy said quickly. "Nobody from the government is coming, but I met this girl, she's amazing. She can help, I just know it."

"Believe it or not, the last time somebody close to me said something like that, they ended up most likely murdered," I said weakly, much to Jeb's shock. "We...we worked for an SDC mine in Solitas."

"Oh...well, that's definitely not the case here. Faye's got something that's really special…"

"...And what is it?"

"Air travel."

"...You have piqued my curiosity," I said lowly.

A few hours later

"So, where's this Faye girl?" I asked Jeb as we stood outside his Orchard.

"She'll be around any minute," the cowboy said happily.

"...So, what is it?"

"Hmm?"

"Your faunus trait," I punctuated this with a twitch of my tail. "Because it doesn't seem very obvious."

"Oh, it's my tongue," Jeb opened his mouth and let a ridiculously long tongue flop out of his mouth. "Thee, ahm a thwog thaumus, so ah hab a welly long tongue...maybe ahm a chameleon thaumus? I don't know whichhit rleally is."

"Oh, that makes sense...so, you just keep it wrapped up in your mouth?"

Jeb pushed his tongue back in place before smirking. "Yeah, though it took a lot of time for me to get speaking down."

"Whenever I was in Atlas or Mantle, I just kept my tail wrapped around my waist like a belt," I wrapped my tail up to demonstrate before unfurling it. "I haven't actually felt like doing it here in awhile."

"Yeah, Menagerie is like that. You probably didn't get a lot of time to acclimate to it, considering you set out to your farm after you got here," the cowboy tilted his head at my furry appendage. "Cat, right?"

"Monkey, actually," I noticed his confused look. "Yeah, I know, it looks weird. Monkey faunus tails are able to do a lot more things than cat faunus tails for some reason...I don't hang from trees though. I never got that down."

"Then what do you use it for?"

"Fishing...surprisingly."

*FWOOSH*

I covered my face as dust was suddenly thrown up around us. Another massive gust of wind followed, and then another. I recognized the signs from the few times I had dealt with giant Nevermores, and crouched down accordingly.

"Watch out! Nevermore!"

"Nah, that's Faye!" Jeb cried out. "She brought Nero with her too!"

"Nothing you just said makes any sense!" I cried out.

"Just take a look!"

And when I did, I felt my jaw drop.

There was a giant bird slowly descending towards us. Not a Nevermore, or any other flying Grimm, but an honest to Dende eagle the size of an elephant, preparing to land in front of us. Once it had landed, it bobbed its head around in curiosity.

"KEE-KEE-KEE!"

"Big bird," I croaked out. "Very big bird...why big bird? What purpose does bird have for being big?"

"I dunno, why don't you tell us Faye?" Jeb called out.

It was then that I noticed the small woman hovering slightly above the big bird. She had short brown hair, wide golden eyes, and was dressed as a flight attendant. Trailing behind her was a pair of massive, feathery wings not dissimilar to the ones her avian companion had.

"Well now, this is a surprise," the eagle-girl turned her head towards Jeb curiously. "Who's this?"

"Arthur, he owns the farm down by the way," the cowboy jabbed a thumb in the direction of my farm. "He's looking to fix the same problem I'm having."

"Well it's nice to meet you, Arthur," Faye said sweetly. "Surely you can't be coming along by yourself. Where are your parents?"

"Dead," I said flatly, much to the brunette's shock. "I was pretty young, and I don't really remember them, so I don't really try to dwell on it much."

"That's...wow, I'm really sorry."

"It's alright...I'm more interested in…" I motioned to the gigantic eagle behind her. "Big bird."

"Oh yeah, this is Nero," the eagle-girl giggled as the giant bird nuzzled her with its beak. "He's a Roc. They're native to Menagerie."

"...A rock?"

"No, Roc. Without a 'K'. They're really big birds, but they're also really smart," Faye smiled as the eagle chirped. "Yes, you're so smart! Who's my smart boy?"

I blinked as the winged girl cuddled her giant pet bird, and shook my head. "They never had anything like that in Atlas…"

"What'd they have?"

"Giant furry elephants, giant furry rhinos...a lot of giant things covered in fur," I shrugged. "So, there wasn't much variety...as opposed to...big birds."

"Well, there's more than just Rocs on Menagerie, but they're the top predators...aside from us that is," Jeb smirked at my owlish look. "The only reason we haven't fully tamed them is because we can rarely get to their nesting grounds."

"So, are they the only giant animal we've tamed, or are there others?"

"Just the giant crocodiles near the coast...oh, and the giant capybaras. They're pretty popular as pets."

I felt a bead of sweat trailing down the side of my head at this. "That's not actually a thing, right? I didn't see them at Kuo Kuana, so please tell me that's not actually a thing."

Both of the older faunus just shook their heads while letting out small chuckles. The bird actually held its wing to its beak to hold back its own chitters.

"Alright, so how are we supposed to fix the river?"

"Well, obviously follow the source, and get rid of whatever is blocking the water," Faye tilted her head at me with a shaky expression. "We...we sorta already know the problem, but...dealing with it is another matter."

"Wait, you already know what it is?" Jeb asked. "Why hasn't anybody dealt with it?"

"I think it's better that I show you...and since you two are the only ones without wings…" Faye looked back to her avian companion as if it were obvious.

Jeb immediately went pale at this. "Uh-huh...I don't think I'd be good up in the air, actually. Maybe we could just walk there?"

"...Are you afraid of heights?" I asked the cowboy.

"N-No! I just...well, I don't know if Nero would be okay with-" the bird chittered warmly, causing Jeb to sag. "I...I don't know…"

"You're a frog faunus...or a chameleon faunus...either way, those things are usually stuck in high spots," I said exasperatedly.

"Jeb, if you don't want to help, Arthur and I can just go by ourselves," Faye gave the frog man a pout. "I'd be really sad if you didn't come though."

The cowboy blushed darkly at this before straightening his posture. "Well...I guess...if you're so insistent about it...maybe-"

"Just say yes, please?" I asked tiredly.

"Alright, I'll come!" Jeb growled. "Just please don't get on my case if I have issues."

"We won't bust your chops over anything that happens in the air," Faye said kindly. "I promise…"

"Maahahaha! You said you wouldn't get on my case!"

"That was before I found out you have projectile vomiting!" I called back to Jeb. "Were you planning on weaponizing it?"

"No-ho-ho-hoooo!" the frog man cried out.

I shook my head dejectedly as I turned away from the cowboy, and tried to focus on keeping my grip on Nero's saddle. Faye flew beside the giant bird with an upbeat attitude, often doing barrel-rolls or spins in midair. All the while, I would take time to occasionally glance at the landscape below us.

I know I could fly if I wanted, but I was trying to lay low...also, who's gonna be stupid enough to refuse riding a giant bird?

"So, there's a bunch of other 'rivers' around," my eyes roamed over the landscape, searching out the dozens of dried up rivers dotting the continent. "Are they having the same problem as ours?"

"Pretty much, yeah!" the eagle-girl called out over the winds.

"Why though?!"

"Because of Atlas!" she called back. "If we try to do anything about it, Atlesian military enforcers will come in and make arrests."

"...Wait, what?! Menagerie is its own country!"

"Yeah, and?"

"That means if they try to arrest somebody in Menagerie for something they did in Menagerie, it'd be illegal for them to do that!" I recoiled when the two faunus stared at me owlishly. "How is this not clicking with you guys?"

"That's...that's kinda just how it's always been here," Jeb said confusedly. "If we do something here that Atlas says is illegal for us to do, we just have to accept it."

"But Atlas doesn't own this country, does it?"

"N-No, they don't-"

"Then they have no right to arrest people here, do they?"

Both of them looked like this was some miracle revelation I had just given them straight out of the gates of heaven. This...this was basic common sense! Was everybody just staying on the darn coast for the past century because they didn't want to deal with a bunch of stuck-up military stiffs having a hissy fit?

That was ducking crazy!

"If...if that's the case...then maybe we can fix the problem with the rivers," Faye said happily. "We can get rid of them! Well, maybe not get rid of them, but push them somewhere else."

"What are you talking about?"

"The Platypuses," the eagle-girl said simply.

"...I'm sorry, the whats?!"

"Speaking of which, we're coming up towards it," Faye made a signal to Nero, to which the bird squawked in affirmation. "We'll need to make sure Nero is a bit aways from the dam. I don't want him getting hurt!"

"Dam? What do you-Oh!" I blinked as the Roc began descending ever closer to a spot where jungle met tropical savanna, and sagged when I saw the large lake being blocked off by-what else- a huge dam. "What the heck?"

I jumped off the bird before we had even landed just to get a better look. It looked like a Beaver dam, but slightly less refined and wider at the base. Around the top, I could see the characteristic paddle-like tails.

"Beavers? It's Beavers?!"

"No, it's Platypuses," Faye said as she touched down. "Specifically, the Menagerie Giant Platypus, the only species of Platypus that builds dams."

"...And why are they blocking off a river?"

"Well, the same reason beavers do it. They wanna make a nice lake for themselves to build their nests in, and hunt food."

"So, we should just get rid of it," I frowned when Faye held her hands up in a 'x' pose. "Why not?"

"Because if we do, then Atlesian military enforcers-"

"Shut it with the Atlesian military!" I cried out. "They can't touch us on Menagerie, remember?! I can smash that dam, and they can't do a darn thing about it!"

"...Oh...well, they've been threatening it for years-"

"Well that stops today!" I turned towards the dam and flexed my muscles. "Imma smash that dam!"

"...Please don't bother the Platypuses."

"Why not?" I asked the eagle-girl.

"Because they're monsters," Jeb called out as he finally got his bearings from the flight. "The males have venomous spurs during mating season, and both the males and females are strong enough to knock trees down with their fists, feet, and tail. And don't even get me started on the martial arts."

"...What?!"

"Yes, it's a known fact across the country that all the Platypuses are martial arts masters," Faye said with utmost seriousness.

I stared at them with a slack jaw for a full minute, before turning away with a scoff. "They're platypuses! This is ridiculous!" I began stalking over to the dam with clenched fists. "Imma smash that dam! Imma smash it hard and fast! I'll take a break here and there, but I'll make sure to smash for as long as I can until we're all satisfied."

"...W-Wait, what?" Jeb wheezed out.

I ignored the frog-man as I approached the dam, as well as one of its creators. It was when I got closer to the beast that I realized I had never actually seen a platypus in either of my lives. It was gonna be a new experience.

It looked like a beaver with its back turned to me, paddle tail and all. But when it turned its head, I could definitely see the difference. The massive duck bill was a dead giveaway. Aside from that, it walked on its knuckles, very much unlike a beaver.

"Alright platypus, don't mind me, I'm just about to remove your little water wall over there from existence," I blinked as the creature let out some strange, chittering growl. "What the-ok, whatever that was, I'm just gonna ignore it."

I blinked as the platypus stood to its full height, easily dwarfing my nearly six foot frame by a good few of its own. The creature stalked towards me on its two hind legs and lowered its head, still letting out a chittering growl.

"Oh, you have a problem? Well I'm sorry, but you're the one whos messing with an entire ecosystem past this dam, so shove it!"

*chittering noises*

"Listen, I don't care if it's your home! My home is currently desolate and lifeless because of you, so-"

*chittering noises*

"Oh, what are you gonna do about it? Go on and hit me with your best-"

*POW*

Spittle flew from my mouth as the beast threw a powerful punch straight to my cheek. While I wasn't pushed back by any means, it was quite surprising to suddenly get punched by nature's weirdest experiment.

"What the...how did you even-OOF!"

I felt my eyes water slightly as some of the air in my lungs was expelled in a gasping breath, courtesy of the punch to my gut. The platypus followed it up with several more punches to my face, gut, and finally a flying axe-kick to the face. I was pushed back only a couple of feet, but I was shocked by the entire situation.

"What kind of maniac teaches martial arts to a ducking platypus?!" I cried out.

*chittering noises*

"Okay, screw this! I am Arthur Basil, the most promising student of the Mantle Academy of Martial Arts!" I crouched into a low combat stance. "I am a master of Lion-style, Shark-style, and Turtle-style. I will not be made a fool of by a darn monotreme!"

I charged forward without any degree of speed, and slammed my palm straight into the creature's chest with a modicum of force. The platypus was thrown back into its own dam, causing a large amount of debris to fly, but not destroying the structure. There was a loud chittering from within the hole as it began to pull itself free.

"Woah! How did you do that?!" I heard Jeb cry out.

"Listen! I want you guys to fly back to town and make sure anybody who does live there isn't in the river," I called back to them.

"Do you really think you can handle this on your own?"

"I dunno, give me like...an hour...two tops," I narrowed my eyes as the monotreme released itself and stared me down. "I should be able to handle this."

"You're...you're really serious?" Faye asked in shock.

"I don't hear that bird taking off," I said firmly. "Just leave this to me! Lemme smash!"

"...Alright, if you're sure about it," Faye turned back to the cowboy and cupped her hands to her mouth. "Hey, Jeb! We're taking off again!"

"But we just got here!" he whined.

"So you'd prefer to stay here, with the ninja platypus?"

"...I'll get on the bird," Jeb said dejectedly.

I tilted my head as the two flew off, then turned back to the platypus. "Alright, now I don't wanna have to fight you...so if you would just stay put while I break that dam, that'll be great."

*chittering noises*

"I don't care if it's your home, I need to get rid of it," I noticed the creature wobbling in place slightly, and smirked. "You're definitely not going anywhere with that concussion, so just buzz off."

*chittering noises*

"Oh, oh! So that's what we've devolved into?" I snarled. "Yeah, very mature!"

*chittering noises*

"Oh, so you're really gonna stop me? You and what army?"

The platypus let out a loud, echoing growl that reverberated through the dried up ravine. In response, hundreds of other platypuses peeked their heads over the dam and chittered in response. Soon enough, I was surrounded by an army of giant monotremes, all staring me down with beady black eyes.

"...Oh, that army...that's a pretty good army," I deadpanned.

Now, regardless of my ridiculously high power level, and my Saiyan biology, and my Aura, one person against multiple opponents usually doesn't end well. I don't know if it has a technical term, but that whole thing in movies and anime where the main character takes on an entire army by himself with ease is basically impossible unless you have the right circumstances.

The first blow was straight to my kidneys, which was painful. The next several strikes were to different parts of my torso, sometimes causing me tiny phantom pains from the scars I had from years before. And more than a few punches and kicks were directed towards my face.

After being thrown around by the maniacal monotremes, a string of alliteration I'd never thought that I'd think, I decided I was done. I stopped myself in midair and let out a wave of Ki from my body to push as many of them back as I could. Many of the platypuses were thrown into the air from the attack, and others had dug their feet so deep into the ground to avoid it that their legs were embedded in the dirt.

Apparently, to the platypuses, this meant war.

The next one that charged me had its legs kicked out from beneath him, before I slammed my palm into his chest, throwing him back into the side of the ravine. The next few that attempted to overwhelm me were kicked into the air, landing on top of the rims overlooking the dry riverbed. One jumped forward, seemingly failing at a charge, only to swing its tail at me with whip-like speed.

I dodged another attack from a spur-tipped foot, and held the limb in place before pulling the egg-laying jerk off the ground and throwing him over my shoulder, straight into an oncoming group of its comrades. Another platypus sped forward and jabbed at me with its clawed fingers in an attempt to tag my pressure points. My response was to check its side with a hard shunt from my right shoulder.

A particularly large individual attacked me face first, attempting to nail me with its duck-like bill. I spent a good few minutes dodging its bid to spear me with its face, before taking advantage of one moment of hesitation to grab the sides of its bill and hold it in place. With an annoyed snort, I hauled the creature face-first into the air before spinning around and throwing it into a nearby section of dirt wall.

Despite the fact that I was utterly crushing these things, there was no stemming the tide of militant monotremes ready for a piece of me, and more than a few of them managed to get some shots in. Any that I had taken out would quickly regain their bearings, and soon they surrounded me once again, staring me down with their beady eyes. I narrowed my own in response.

"Alright, listen boys! I am 100% done, so the next one of you that attacks me will be blasted-GAH!" I growled angrily as the remaining monotremes piled onto me like a quarterback sack. "Son of a-really? Really?! You're all asking for it!"

I let out another explosive blast of Ki from my body, but more than a few of the creatures held on tight. I growled angrily and charged a ball of energy in my palm, and aimed for as many of the platypuses while flying as high as I could. Eventually, the group of monotremes released their hold and fell back to the ground, allowing me a less cumbersome flight.

"Alright, now to get rid of the-"

*POW*

My eyes widened as one of the platypuses vaulted into the air and slammed their foot straight into the side of my cheek. While the creature fell back to the ground due to not being able to fly, I stared back in shock.

"I am going to break that dam," I said coldly. "I am going to break it with the most extreme prejudice, and I'm going to enjoy it more than anything in my entire life."

*chittering noises*

"To be fair...your compliance isn't a factor," I said lowly.

And then I flew straight towards the dam, and began punching every section of it as hard as I could. I pounded hard and fast, letting loose with broad strokes and thrusts as I sawed in and out of my target.

*CREAK*

"Oh...I just realized I shouldn't be in front of this while I was breaking it," I said nervously as streams of water spilled forth from the cracks in the dam.

Behind me, the giant platypuses ran to higher ground, and I flew away from the cracking dam as fast as I could. And just in time for the dam to burst, causing a cascade of water to fall forward and flood the ravine.

I stared down the monotremes from my spot in the air, and let a powerful blast of Ki erupt from my body, a demonstration of only a small fraction of my power. The platypuses that didn't fall back were staring up at me in awe and terror.

"Next time you make a dam, find a place further away from the coast to do it!" I cried out. "If you keep blocking off rivers, this place will be stuck as a useless desert, and it's not fair to everything else that needs water."

I ignored the angry chitters of the platypuses and flew off with a sigh. "Now to see if my well is all fixed up…"

I landed only a few minutes away from town and hid behind a rock. I waited for almost an hour before starting my trek towards the near empty plaza. I was quickly greeted by the sight Faye swooping towards the ground, a concerned expression on her face.

"Did you break it?"

"Heck yeah I did! I showed those egg-laying jerks what's up," I held my fist up in a victory pose in response to the eagle-girl's shock. "Then I just booked it all the way here as fast as I could."

"If you broke the dam, then where's the water?" Faye folded her arms while directing a stern look at me. Behind her, Jeb and Nero sat up and gave me similar looks. "That river still looks pretty dry to me."

"...Just give it a minute," I said flatly while holding a finger up. "Just one minute."

Well, it wasn't even 30 seconds later that the sound of rushing water could be heard. I smiled triumphantly as the cascade of formerly blocked water charged through the ravine running parallel to the town. The two faunus stared in shock as the river filled up and continued on its path across the continent.

The bartender from before and the crazy weasel-man charged out of the building nearby and stared at the newly filled waterway in shock. As Birch keeled over into unconsciousness, the bartender rubbed his eyes in shock before turning to us.

"What in the blazes did you do?"

"Smashed a platypus dam," I said simply.

"What?! Are you crazy?! You'll get arrested by Atlesian enforcers?"

"How? They can't just exert their power over another country like that," I said smugly.

"...You...you're...I have no words for this," the bartender croaked.

"No need to thank me for saving the entire town or anything," I said tiredly. "No, If you need me, I'll just be at my house, preparing myself for prolonged use of my Semblance as I abuse the heck out of it."

"Wait, you can't just run off! I mean, you'll have to stay in case they show up," Jeb told me.

"I do not care about, or for, the Atlesian Military," I said in annoyance. "So if-"

"N-No, he meant the chieftain," Faye said quickly.

"...The who?"

"Well, it might just be his wife instead, since she takes care of stuff while he's out, but either way," the eagle-girl shrugged. "I'm gonna have to tell people about this when I fly back, and somebody will want to meet with you."

"So you're saying that the bureaucracy might not like this?" I sweatdropped when Faye nodded slowly. "I just got away from an angry pack of murderous monotremes! Tell them to call me when I wake up tomorrow..."

Meanwhile, in the 'atmosphere' of the Sun

Two angels stared down the giant ball of fire that was the center of the solar system that held Remnant. One of them was a woman with long dark hair and blood-red eyes, her face morphed into a permanent frown. The other was a man with short dark-brown hair with a soft and unnerving smile decorating his face. Both of them wore long black trench coats and allowed haggard black wings to trail behind them.

"Why are we here?" the woman asked.

"That's one of life's great mysteries, now isn't it?" the man hummed thoughtfully. "I mean, why are we here? Are we the product of some cosmic coincidence, or is there some greater greater being watching everything, with a plan for us or something of the sort? I'm not quite sure, but it does keep me up at night."

"...I meant why are we here, in this useless universe, outside of the sun in a useless solar system!"

"Lemme guess, you're still mad about what you saw in volumes 4 and 5 in your old life?" the brunette chuckled as the girl seethed angrily. "Would you relax?! This isn't the same world as the normal one, it's different…" he looked back to the planet of Remnant with a dark expression, then back to the sun with a twisted grin. "For very obvious reasons."

"Ah yes, the cherry-licking imbecile," the girl growled. "How is this going to help us get a leg up on him? The creature here can't exactly handle him, even with...well…"

"This isn't my attempt to spearhead an attack, obviously. No, if we relied on this one," the brunette motioned to the sun. "To pull it off, then we'd just be scraping at the bottom of the barrel. No, this is simply a test...a test to see just how well I can manipulate things, maybe pull things off under his radar."

"And you think you can do so?"

"Isn't it obvious? He's too busy watching one of his 'golden boys' to worry," the man sneered in the direction of Remnant before turning back to the sun. "With Frieza all the way across the galaxy, and the few of this world's most dangerous denizens further out in the universe, this one is the easiest to grab."

"So what? Just go inside the sun? How are we-" the woman sweatdropped when her companion pulled out a pair of sunglasses. "You have got to be kidding me…"

"Hey, it works perfectly," the sunglasses-wearing angel said cheerfully. "Don't knock it till you've tried it."

"Can we just go into the sun already?!"

He smirked wildly before taking a bow. "Ladies first…" a chuckle emanated from his throat as his companion grumbled while floating directly into the sun's surface. "My goodness, you're certainly showing me that 'bright' personality-"

"Shut it!"

After a couple of hours, the two finally reached the core of the sun. At the center was a black shape that exuded evil energy and dark emotion. The moment they floated closer, a pair of demonic red eyes flashed their way.

"So you noticed us?" the woman clicked her teeth as the black shape growled. "You're the immortal demon that the gods of Light and Dark sealed in here before they created their world, right?"

"I am…" the shape squirmed around in place. "And why would a pair of Angels be interested in me?"

"So it's true that you free yourself every 10,000 years?" the brunette asked.

"It is...when the source of my power arrives, that is."

"Well, what if we were to tell you that we could give you an early jailbreak?" the man chuckled as the demon recoiled in shock. "Not just that, but we could increase your power as well, and the power of your henchman hiding around, without the need of your power source."

"I would say that it would be too good to be true," the demon leaned forward with a menacing glare. "What is the catch?"

"Well, we need you to kill someone," the brunette said simply.

"...Oh, is that all? You just want me to play assassin for a bit?"

"Yes, we do," the woman said firmly. "You kill the target we chose, and you can do whatever you wish afterwards. Rule the planet, own a harem of sexy demon skanks, whichever you want."

"And in return, you'll make me and my minions stronger?"

"Correct!"

"What about the gods? Surely you'll be assisting me in dealing with them, right?"

"Actually, you won't even need to worry about them," the man chuckled darkly at the demon's confusion. "See, they had a disagreement with one of their subjects, and it ended with them pressing the reset button on humanity before noping it outta there."

"...Nu-uh!"

"Yu-huh!"

"Oh my god, that's hilarious!" the shadow let out a barking laugh. "After all their posturing and gloating, this happens?! I just can't even…"

"So, what is your answer, demon?" the woman asked sternly.

"Who is this target you want me to remove? I won't just agree without learning more, after all."

"Right, right, we wouldn't want to leave you in the dark," the brunette looked to his companion, and smirked at her nod. "See, after the gods did their thing with the redo, a bunch of animal people popped up. Y'know, they look like humans but they can have animal tails, or ears, or even horns. They're called faunus."

"And one of these 'faunus' is the target?"

"Bingo!" the man said cheerfully. "He's some kid with a monkey tail. Once you get to the planet, you'll know who he is, because he's the only person left with a large amount of energy."

"...Magic?"

"Not around anymore. Just a pale imitation of it...and the target uses Ki energy," the brunette tilted his head when he saw the demon's smile wicked. "It seems you're not even worried about that, am I right?"

The woman let out an impatient huff. "This is a limited time offer, Demon. Give us an answer now, or we'll find the next fighter to handle it."

The shadow's smirk widened to the point that it showed fanged teeth. "I think we can do business together…"

A little something for the next chapter...which will take at least a few months after I finish other things. But as a hint I'll leave you...you, the readers, and our dear main character will all be treated to some Italian.

If ya know what I mean.

Onto the reviews then.

That Saiya Guy: I'm glad you liked it...but have to correct you about the "jaws reference". All the masters (save for mai waifu Tamamo) are based off of characters from really good animated movies. I.E, Mufasa from the Lion King, Oogway from Kung Fu Panda, and Bruce...from Finding Nemo.

Rysing Embers: That's right, I'm going to fuck the fear turkey.

Drageoon: Aha, yeah, his Semblance isn't meant to be OP. I don't want him to have some watered down OP Stand Power (basically what Semblances are) on top of Saiyan biology, so I made it practically useless in a fight.

P34644563: Yeah, I gotcha. I was trying to go for "superhuman hiding his power so he doesn't get found out", kinda like the superman movies did, but I realized I should have done it properly. So, the rewrite now (hopefully) has a better reason as to why he now has permanent scars across his body. I'll also tone down his...microcephalic adepacy, in the next few chapters.

Just an IsekaI writer: It's...complicated, I guess. Also, this is based of the Abridged series in quite a few ways, so it's definitely meant to have a lot of funny moments.

Thank you again, and just like always, please leave any thoughts, questions, and constructive criticism in your reviews.