GKC: What's up, everyone! This is GKC here bringing you another chapter of Remnant's Climax Heroes!

KRD: That's right! Now we're getting to the nitty gritty! Cinder's plans have failed and Beacon is saved!

*Record scratch*

GKC: You obviously weren't paying attention in the last chapter, were you?

KRD: A-re? Oh… *wears a dunce hat and stands in the corner*

SR: LoL

GKC: Where was I? Oh yes, we're moving on to the near end of Volume 2.

KRD: And we're gonna be dropping so many bombshells of surprises you'll never see it coming! Well… maybe you could, but… I don't know, are there any surprises, this chapter other than the usual changing things around?

GKC: Well, we still have Dark Kuro to worry about. Readers are probably wondering where the heck he is.

KRD: Well let's start off the chapter with that!

Disclaimer: Same thing.

Chapter 34: Field Trip of Destruction

We find Dark Kurogasa in a cave close to Mount Glenn. He is meditating as a dark aura radiated from him.

In his mind, a small part of who he used to be was fighting the darkness that corrupts him even now. "Why do you resist us? We're the only ones here for you." The black void whispers in many voices familiar to Future Kurogasa.

"No… you're… wrong… I won't… give in to the darkness…" Future Kurogasa grunted.

"Your family despises you. And what you have done." The void said in a young voice that made Future Kurogasa's determination waiver. "You murdered innocent people. You even killed the child of your best friend. Not exactly resisting the darkness."

"That was you… not me…" Future Kurogasa countered. "You made me kill Miko…"

"The only thing we did was give you life when you could have died. It was your own malice that drove you to kill." The void clarified. "You would not be here if it wasn't for us."

"You won't turn me, shadow." Future Kurogasa said defiantly. "I will keep faith… in my friends and family."

"They will fall…" the void says, as Future Kurogasa was getting dragged into the ground.

"I won't give up! I won't!" Future Kurogasa shouted before he was consumed by the darkness again.

Dark Kurogasa slowly opened his eyes, his eyes glowing with malice and cruelty. He unleashes a powerful roar that echoed across the mountain, making the Grimm roar as power grows within them.

LINE BREAK

Back at Beacon Academy, Aaron and Ruby recapped the mysterious woman that they encountered last night to their two teams.. Though Team RWBY was obviously confused and a little bewildered, Team JOKR had looks of understanding.

"Someone tried to hack into the CCT?" Yang asked.

"But… why?" Blake asked.

"They wanted to… destroy Vale." Aaron confesses.

"WHAT?!"

"Yeah. They were gonna put in a virus that would eventually cut off all communications with the rest of Remnant." Aaron added. "Thankfully, Ruby and I were able to stop it."

"You should've seen Aaron though! He was so cool! He was an astra- astri- astru?" Ruby tried to figure out the word.

"Astronaut."

"Yeah! That! We crashed in with a dramatic entrance and then he went sparkly and gold with lightning and, and-"

"In short, I used the power of Fourze to save the day."

"That explains it." Kurogasa said. "Still… at least Ironwood won't go crazy anymore…"

"For now…" Orion remarked.

"So what now?" Weiss asked everyone.

"Well, we got those team missions we're gonna be going to," Orpheus said.

"Oh yeah, that reminds me." Yang said, pulling out a tube package. "This came in the mail, sis."

"What's that?" Aaron asked.

Orion peeked over his girlfriend's shoulder, "Could it be a poster?"

"I don't know yet. Dad sent it to us. I thought we could open it together!"

"Ooooh! Something from home!" Ruby squealed. Ruby zooms over to Yang and wraps herself around Yang, trying to take the cylinder from her. The package opens, and another cylinder, hairy and black, falls out onto the floor and starts to shake. The object suddenly transforms into a corgi.

"Uh…" Orpheus blinked comically.

"Is that…" Kurogasa got out.

The animal barks twice. While Weiss and Blake continue to react with great shock, Ruby and Yang react excitedly, with Ruby jumping in the air.

"ZWEI!" Ruby cheered as she was still airborne, as she shouted the dog's name and is depicted among a changing blue background and four shots of the dog, two full-body shots and two headshots.

"Where'd the music come from!?" Aaron comically exclaimed in shock.

"He sent a dog?" Blake said in surprise and a bit of fear.

"In the mail?" Weiss asked incredulously as Ruby cuddled the dog as it licked her face.

"Oh, he does stuff like this all the time!" Yang said as Blake was on Ruby's bunk bed.

"Your father or your dog?"

"I think that's both to that question." Kurogasa sweatdropped.

Koa walks over to Zwei, who sniffed her curiously. Koa began to pet him, before he jumped onto her face, licking her.

"I think I'm a dog person." Koa said with a shrug.

Weiss then leaned towards Zwei who looked at her with a panting smile. "Are you telling me that this mangy… drooling… mutt is going to wiv wif us foweva?" She suddenly gushed out before petting him. "Oh, yes he is, yes he is! Oh, isn't he adorable!"

"So what's worse, Blake? Zwei or Melody?" Orion teased.

"I will turn you into a scratching post…" The cat Faunus hissed at the elder Arc twin. "And please keep it away from my belongings, Ruby."

Just then the intercom opened up. ["Would all first-year students please report to the amphitheater?"]

"Well, we can't exactly leave him here while we're gone for the week." Orpheus said as Ruby sets Zwei down and he walks over to Blake still on the top bunk, and barks.

"Look, there's a letter!" Yang said as Zwei arrived in front of Yang. "Dear girls, I've got to leave the island for a few days, so I'm sending Zwei to you to take care of. Enclosed is all the food you should need. Oh, and don't worry about Melody, she's a handful but I've had experience dealing with little girls. I will send you all some baby pictures later. Love you both, Taiyang. P.S: Ruby, you and I will be having a chat about this boy you've been seeing."

"Oh god…" Orion paled.

"Welp, it was gonna happen sooner or later." Kurogasa patted the Arc's shoulder. "You already faced Qrow's wrath, so this shouldn't be that hard for you to endure."

"You suck, you know that?" The blonde boy said dryly.

Dozens of cans of dog food spill out of the small package, piling up around Zwei.

"I am totally confused as to how that managed to fit in such a tiny package…" Aaron deadpanned.

"What is he supposed to do with that?" Weiss asked as a can opener fell from the package, bouncing off Zwei's head.

"Well, that settles it! Come on girls, Zwei will be here when we get back!" Yang said, as she went out of the dorm room while Blake jumps down from Ruby's bunk and jumps across the table, avoiding Zwei.

Weiss talks to Zwei as she leaves. "Oh, I'll miss you so much, we're going to be best friends, I can't wait to see you,"

Team JOKR then started to leave as Ruby stared at Zwei for a moment, before smiling sneakily.

LINE BREAK

In the amphitheater, Ozpin addressed the first year students and the exchange students of Mistral, Atlas, and Vacuo, whilst Ironwood and Glynda stood beside him.

"Today we stand together, united. Mistral. Atlas. Vacuo. Vale." Ozpin began as he looked at each of the students from the different schools. "The four Kingdoms of Remnant. On this day, nearly eighty years ago, the largest war in recorded history came to an end. It was a war of ignorance, of greed, and of oppression. A war that was about much more than where borders fell or who traded with whom, but about the very idea of individualism itself. We fought for countless reasons, one of which being the destruction of all forms of art and self-expression. And as you are well aware, that was something many could not stand for. As a result, those who opposed this tyranny began naming their children after one of the core aspects of art itself: color. It was their way to demonstrate that not only would they refuse to tolerate this oppression, but neither were the generations to come. And it was a trend that is held to this very day. We encourage individuality, expressionism, and unity through diversity. As I have said, today we stand together, united. But this bond cannot exist without effort. Which is why today, while the rest of the world celebrates peace, Huntsmen and Huntresses will work to uphold it. As first year students, you will be tasked with shadowing a professional Huntsman or Huntress on a mission. Some of you may be taken out of the Kingdom for several days. Others may work within the walls for the rest of the week. But no matter which path you choose, remember to be safe, remember your training, and remember to do your very best." Ozpin said.

Ozpin stepped away after the students clapped and all began to file out of the amphitheater.

"This is perfect! All we have to do is shadow a Huntsman working in the southeast!" Ruby said with excitement.

"Yeah! We'll follow them around by day and give them the slip by night!" Yang grinned.

"Let's check "search and destroy"!" Weiss nodded.

Team RWBY approaches a hologram screen.

"Here we go! Quadrant 5 needs Grimm cleared out!" Ruby pointed to the hologram.

"Well, it's in the southeast!" Blake said.

"Sounds perfect!" Yang said.

Ruby selects it and types in her team name. However, the screen says that first years are not allowed to take this mission.

"Wonderful…" Weiss deadpanned.

"Any other ideas?" Blake asked.

"We mail ourselves there!" Ruby said.

"Uh… no." Aaron deadpanned with a sweat drop.

"How about we smuggle ourselves there?" Koa suggested.

*WAPISH!*

"OW!"

"That's the same as mailing." Orpheus said, after bopping his girlfriend on the head. "And no."

"Oh c'mon, where's your sense of thrill?!" Koa rebuked, rubbing her head.

"I left it back in the dorm." The auburn-haired teen remarked.

"Well, it's one option to mail and/or smuggle yourselves over there." Ozpin said, as he approached the teams. "Unfortunately, we determined that the concentration of Grimm was too extreme for first-year students. It seems that particular region is rather popular. In fact, I have the sneaking suspicion that you nine will make your way there no matter which job you choose."

Weiss, Blake, and Yang glare at Ruby, who nervously rubs her head.

"Whatever makes you say that?" Ruby laughed nervously.

"I'm still curious how you all found yourself at the docks last semester. I'm interested to know how you really learned about a hideout in the southeast. And I certainly wonder why witnesses reported seeing robots and rose petals in a dance club some time ago."

Ruby laughed nervously. "Um… well…"

"I doubt I'll ever find the exact answers I'm looking for." Ozpin shrugged his shoulders. "So how about this: instead of waiting for you all to break the rules, why don't we just bend them?" Ozpin then selects some things on his scroll, and the hologram screen makes a noise. All of them looked at each other in surprise before looking back at Ozpin.

"We won't let you down. Thank you, professor." Ruby smiled.

"Do not thank me for this. Teamwork and persistence have carried you far. But you must understand, the things that await you beyond the protection of the Kingdom will not care. Stay close to your Huntsman at all times, and do exactly as he says. He will be leading you on this mission, and he can have you sent back to Beacon, if he finds your skills to be unsatisfactory." He said, before walking away. But not before saying, "Good luck." and then walking away completely.

LINE BREAK

By now, Team RWBY and JOKR have left the auditorium and are on their way to the airship that will take them to Quadrant 5.

"That wasn't exactly uplifting." Yang rolled her eyes as she had her hands behind her head.

"But it's the truth." Blake pointed out.

"It's gonna to be tough, but I know we can do it!" Ruby said enthusiastically.

"Say, Kuro? What are the kids doing?" Weiss asked.

"They're doing a search and destroy mission as well. But they're assigned to a different quadrant." Kurogasa sighed. "I just hope Yukina and the others know what they're doing."

"Relax, dude. They're our kids." Aaron assured his teammate. "We've got nothing to worry about."

"Yeah, but what if my dark self shows up and we can't be there for them when he attacks? Or Team ROGE for that matter?"

"Team ROGE?" Orion asked.

"That's what I'm coining them as, with their first names. R for Rachel, O for Ogre, G for Gou, and E for Emily. Rouge." Kurogasa said.

"I thought it was Rogue." Orpheus pondered.

"No, you're thinking Rogue as in people having gone rogue. Rouge is a shade of red." He corrected his partner.

"Hey! Team CFVY is back!"

This got the attention of RWBY and JOKR as the Beacon students gathered around to witness the return of Team CFVY.

"Velvet!" Kurogasa called out as he rushed over to her. "You okay? Your mission was supposed to end last week."

"I'm fine. I had Yatsuhashi to look out for me." Velvet assured.

"What happened?" Kurogasa asked.

"Nothing happened. It was just… there were just so many…" Velvet comments with a slightly haunted look on her face.

"Velvet?" Kurogasa said worriedly.

"Oh, don't worry. I'm fine, really. You first-years are just shadowing Huntsmen, so you should be fine."

"Riiiiiight." Yang said.

"I should go. Be safe, okay?" Velvet gave a small wave before walking off to meet with her team. However, Kurogasa didn't seem convinced that the rabbit-Faunus really was okay. A part of him wanted to go and ask her what really happened on that mission.

"Oi! Come on dragon-breath!" Koa called out to Kuro, to which his eye twitched in annoyance at the nickname.

"Yeah, yeah…" Kurogasa grumbled before following his friends.

"We can do this. We've never backed down before, and we're not going to start now." Ruby said. "Besides, it won't only be us out there! We'll be fighting alongside a genuine Huntsman!"

"Yeah!" Yang said excitedly.

However, much to Team RWBY gawking with various stunned expressions, and JOKR and Koa looking on with deadpanned looks, they just discovered who they will be shadowing.

"Why, hello boys and girls! Who's ready to fight for their lives?" Oobleck said excitedly .

LINE BREAK

Team ROGE was training whilst White Fang members filled the trains with Dust, Roman and Neo overlooked the group.

"Must you four do that?" Roman asked the four, who were mercilessly destroying their combat dummies.

"Azrael told us that our enemies will be trying to stop our mission." Rachel explains.

"If it gets me to kill my archenemy, I could care less what I do to these dummies." Gou added.

"Besides, this is rather therapeutic…" Ogre said, as he punched another combat dummy, sending it crashing to a wall.

"Not as therapeutic as finally killing Orpheus." Emily smirk deviously, slicing up multiple enemies with Darth Maul's double-bladed lightsaber. Roman rolled his eyes as he lit a cigar and nodded to Neo, who nodded and began typing away on a scroll.

LINE BREAK

Koa was leaning against Orpheus, sleeping peacefully when her scroll began to vibrate with a notification.

"Zz Huh?!" Koa jumped awake at her scroll. She pulled out the device and looked at the message, turning to Aaron. "Azrael knows we're coming and sent those four." She whispers to him.

"ROGE…" Aaron mutters, clenching his fist.

"What's the plan?" Koa asked.

"…I think I have an idea." Aaron said, after looking at Koa with a smirk.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" She asks nervously.

"Hehehehe…"

"Professor Oobleck?" Weiss got out.

Oobleck was talking fast, per the norm, as he paces in front of the students. "Yes, I'm afraid those bags won't be necessary, boys and girls, seeing as you've opted to shadow a Huntsman on what is now essentially a reconnaissance mission. I can assure you, we will not be establishing a single base of operations; rather, we will be traversing several miles of hazardous wasteland and making camp in any defendable locations we may stumble upon. I packed all of our essentials myself, plotted our air course, and readied the airship. And…" He zooms up right to Weiss' face. "It's Doctor Oobleck. I didn't earn the PhD for fun, thank you very much!" He said before quickly backing away.

Weiss looks over at Blake Belladonna, who is equally disturbed. "Uh…"

"Come now, children; according to my schedule, we are already three minutes behind!" Oobleck said, then as an afterthought to clarify, "…schedule!" He then zips off to the airship docked farther ahead in a second.

"Well, alright, then! Looks like we're going to save the world with Doctor Oooobleck- okay yeah when you say it out loud it sounds worse." Ruby said as she was positive and upbeat in the first half of her sentence but then was depressed the rest of the half.

"Save the world?" Nora's voice asked.

Ruby's team and JOKR turn around to see Nora and Team JNPR approaching.

"You're going on world-saving missions without us? I'm hurt… sad!" Nora said in a dramatic tone before her stomach rumbles. "Maybe a little hungry? That last one's not your fault, though, Ren…"

Lie Ren, for his part, simply crosses his arms and turns away.

"Sounds exciting. Where ya going?" Jaune asked.

"Oh, just outside the kingdom…" Ruby said.

"Hey! So are we!" Nora said excites.

"Ren and Nora wanted to shadow the sheriff of a nearby village." Pyrrha added.

"We set out tomorrow." Ren replied.

"Then you can party with us tonight!" Neptune said as he and Sun approached the three groups. "We're shadowing a crime specialist. All inner-city detective stuff. We get junior badges."

"We normally go to the city with you guys, which means stuff's always exploding and junk, so we thought this might be a better way to check out the kingdom when it's, you know… normal." Sun said.

"Well-"

Oobleck appears from the airship to call to Teams RWBY and JOKR, who are embarrassed: "Four minutes, ladies and gents!" He shouted back, then went inside as their friends smiled awkwardly.

"Well, uh…" Ruby said, before throwing a thumbs-up. "Wish us luck!"

"See ya the end of the week." Aaron nodded.

With that, the friends disband, either back to Beacon Academy or towards their mission.

LINE BREAK

"Mmmmm…" Yukina pouted worriedly as she and her team were on their way to their mission.

"What's wrong, Yuki?" Melody asled.

"I'm just worried about Otou-sama and Okaa-sama…" Yukina said. "Otou-sama just recovered from his bout with Gou and he might overexert himself."

"Yuki, come on. This is your dad you're talking about. You know? The stubborn old man with the attitude of a dragon?" Yin pointed out with a good-natured grin.

"Besides, your mom's looking after him and can keep him in line if he does something stupid." Rei added.

"Which is usually all the time." Yin stated.

"And don't forget he has his friends and family to keep him safe." Melody said.

"Well… I guess you're right." Yukina said, trying to smile.

"Then there's nothing to worry about." Yin grinned.

LINE BREAK

We now turn our attention back to RWBY, JOKR, and Koa as the airship flies over the buildings and streets amid deafening turbines.

"I guess I just never saw you as much of a fighter." Yang said to Oobleck

"I admit I fancy myself more of an intellectual, but I can assure you, as a Huntsman, I've had my fair share of tussles." Oobleck answered the buxom blonde.

Ruby tilted her head in confusion. "Like the mushroom?"

"Those are truffles." Blake leaned over.

Ruby scratched her head in befuddlement. "Like the sprout?"

"Those are Brussels." Orion corrected his girlfriend.

"Besides, given my expertise in the field of history as well as my dabblings in the archaeological surveys, our dear headmaster saw fit to assign me to this particular… assignment!" Oobleck continued.

"What does history have to do with this?" Weiss asked.

Oobleck turned sharply on Weiss, appalled that she would even ask such a thing. "Why, what a preposterous question, you silly girl! Why, history is the backbone of our very society! And the liver! Probably the kidneys, if I were to wager."

"And that means…?" Weiss asked.

"The southeast quadrant outside of Vale is home to wild forests and deep caves, but it is also the location to one of the kingdom's greatest failures!"

"Mountain Glenn." Kurogasa frowned.

"That's right! It was an expansion of Vale… but in the end it was overrun by Grimm and fenced off from the rest of the city." Yang remembered.

"Correct! And now it stands abandoned as a dark reminder." Oobleck added.

"And a likely place for a hideout." Blake surmised.

Oobleck adjusts his glasses and smiles. "Precisely!"

The airship then comes in over a spot of street amidst the ruined buildings and structures of the ruined area. It hovers right above the ground as all of them jump out of the craft with weapons drawn (minus the doctor, who simply holds his coffee canister) before the ship flies away from the destruction.

"Ladies and gentlemen! You still may be students, but as of this moment, your first mission as Huntresses and Huntsman has begun! From this point forward, you need to do exactly as I say! Do you understand?" Oobleck asked. The girls and boys nod, but he suddenly looks at Ruby, startling her. "Ruby! I thought I told you to leave all of your bags back at school."

"But, uh, you hadn't told us to listen to you yet. So I didn't."

"She's not wrong…" Oobleck said to himself. "Very well, Ruby; leave your bag here, we can pick it up upon our return."

"But I, well uh-"

"Young lady, what in the world could you possibly have in that bag that could be so important to bring it with…" Oobleck stops as the bag's zipper opens and out pops Zwei's head, causing everyone to stare at the uninvited guest.

"Of course she would bring Zwei…" Orpheus deadpanned.

"Get back in the bag." Ruby whispered sideways to the dog, who merely barked in response.

"We're here… to investigate an abandoned urban jungle teeming with death and hostility, and you brought… a dog?" Oobleck muttered.

"I, uh…"

"Genius!" Oobleck backs away long enough for Ruby to give a confused shrug before speeding past and snatching the pet away from Ruby, who tumbles to the ground as Oobleck spins Zwei in the air. "Canines are historically known for their perceptive nose and heightened sense of sound, making them excellent companions for a hunt such as ours!"

Zwei barks happily in his hands.

Ruby, after being stunned from the unexpected reaction, proudly stated, "I'm a genius!"

'NO YOU'RE NOT!' Team JOKR thought all at the same time.

Koa laughed at the twist of Oobleck's mannerisms, whilst Weiss and Yang both facepalm at their grinning leader.

"So, what are your orders, Doctor?" Blake questioned.

"Ah, yes, straight to the chase; I like it!" Oobleck said as he suddenly let go of Zwei, who was suspended in the air for less than a second before dropping down. "As you've been informed, the southeast area has been marked as a recent hot spot for Grimm activity. Now, there are several possible explanations for this behavior, one of which being… Grimm." He explained with his hands behind his back in a serious manner.

"Uh, what?" Ruby said, just as confused as her teammates for the redundancy.

"Grimm. A creature of Grimm approximately one hundred yards from us at this very moment." Oobleck pointed out.

"What?!" Yang exclaimed, surprised

She turns to look like the other girls at the lone Beowolf wandering into the street, joining them in unleashing their weapons.

"Stop!" Aaron said, his teammates understanding.

"Huh?" Blake said confused, lowering her Gambol Shroud like everyone else to listen.

"Why?" Koa asked.

"Well, Koa, there are a number of reasons why Grimm will congregate in this particular area, the most likely of which will be their attraction to negativity: sadness, envy, loneliness, hatred. All qualities that are likely held by our hidden group harboring ill intent." Oobleck explained.

"So… What now?" Ruby asked.

"We wait. We track. If this specimen leads us to its pack, that pack may subsequently lead us to our prey." Oobleck states.

"How long do we wait?" Blake asked.

"It's uncertain. Hours, days, weeks. Why, lone Grimm have been known to stay isolated from the pack for months - and there's the whole pack." Oobleck said, stating the obvious.

His sudden realization is true: a pack Beowolves were already following the first.

"What?" Weiss says confused.

"And now they've seen us."

"What?!"

Oobleck came right up to Weiss's ear to shout. "AND NOW THEY'VE SEEN US!"

The Beowolves as they stalked the two teams.

"I take it, tracking them is out of the question?" Ruby said nervously.

"An accurate assumption, yes."

"What's the plan, then?" Yang asked. The teams turned to their teacher as the creatures closed in.

"Show me what you're capable of." Oobleck answered.

"YEET!" Kurogasa shouted, zipping straight towards the Grimm.

"And there he goes…" Aaron deadpanned, before the rest of them brandished their weapons.

Ruby swings Crescent Rose to prepare it for shooting. "Cover your ears, Zwei!"

The dog did so, curling up into a ball.

Koa smirked as she dashed towards a Beowolf and punched it's ribs, breaking them before sending an ax kick to its head to finish it off.

A single Beowolf and a smiling Yang run towards one another, ending with the blonde knocking it out in one fiery punch as they pass. Several stop chasing after the party girl to focus on Blake, who stood and waited with hand on her hilt until one of the enemy swiped at her afterimage, the real deal slicing her would-be attacker in half before slashing through another and cutting down on one more.

Behind the Faunus, Weiss ran from several black-coated beasts before jumping in the air and taking one down with Myrtenaster. She dashed towards them with rapier held high and slays four of them in a straight line until she stopped. A wave of Beowolves were converging on Ruby, but the scythe wielder shot multiple bullets at the oncoming force… while Zwei is busy chasing his own tail. He stopped to watch his owner fire forward and, after a dramatic mid-air stare-off, cut the single remaining Grimm in two.

While the girls were having the time of their lives, Team JOKR was having no difficulty kicking evil's butt.

Aaron was dealing with two Grimm at a time, blocking their blows and delivering his own punches. He then grabbed one by the arm and performed a seismic toss that sent nearby Grimm flying.

Orion used his strength to hold back the jaws of a Beowolf with one hand then used the blade of Lunar Divide to stab right through its head, beheading the Grimm as it vanished into black smoke.

Kurogasa readied his blade as four Beowolves lunged at him. He opened his eyes and moved his sword at a rapid pace, before slowly sheathing his blade. When it fully sheathed, the Beowolves vanished in many pieces.

Finally, Orpheus strummed his lyre, sending blasts out at multiple Beowolves at once. One tried to lunge at him from behind, but Koa landed on top of the Grimm performing a headlock that killed it. She looked to Orpheus with a thumbs up, to which he nodded.

"Heh. Piece of cake!" Ruby boasts, lifting her weapon.

"Do not celebrate yet, for I am certain this is the first bout of many. Shall we continue?" Oobleck says, to which the others nod and went to continue on.

LINE BREAK

And our heroes continue on, as it cuts to Ruby cutting through the scene change, Blake slicing the previous shift, and a random slash going to the view of Oobleck rooting through a plant as Grimm parts fall around him. He is centered around the faces of the tired Huntsmen and Huntresses.

"Excellent work, boys and girls! Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any signs of criminal operations in this sector. Oh, well! Moving on!" Oobleck praises, as the newest batch of slain monster corpses start smoking.

"Hey, Doc, y'know, I was actually looking forward to seeing a 'pro Huntsman' in action. Like, fighting, or at least, helping us fight?" Yang irritably asks, as they follow Oobleck, with Ruby sheathing her scythe and beckoning Zwei to follow.

"Ah, but I am in action! Scouring the ruins of this once-great city for any signs of irregularity!" He said before fully turning to the teams. "Not every mission is filled with daring and heroism, boys and girls. Sometimes it's just a heightened form of extermination!" He viewed Yang's reluctantly-accepting face as well as Oobleck's serious rebuttal. "Remember, this is a job, and you all signed up for it. I do hope you understand that."

"Well, yeah… O-Of course!" Yang said, trying to sound more resolute with her answer.

"Really? You don't sound convincing." Aaron said with slight worry.

"Relax, I totally got this!" Yang said with a sheepish chuckle.

LINE BREAK

The scene changes to the view of another victory for RWBY and JOKR and their mentor amid the noise of fired shots, but switches again to Oobleck and Yang away from the group.

"Tell me, Yang: Why did you choose this line of work?" Oobleck asked.

"Huh?" Yang got out. Under Oobleck's gaze, she answers. "Well, to fight monsters and save-"

"No, that is what you do. I want to know why you do it. The honest reason as to why you want to be a Huntress."

Yang pondered and considered this, before answering. "The honest reason? I'm a thrill-seeker. I want to travel around the world and get wrapped up in as many crazy adventures as I can. And if I help people along the way, then that's even better. It's a win-win, y'know?"

"I see."

LINE BREAK

One claw-scratch transition later, Oobleck is sitting on a high windowsill writing in his journal while Weiss fights off Beowolves below with Kurogasa beheading a Beowolf with his weapon.

"And you, Miss Schnee and Mr. Kururugi? Children born into fame and fortune such as yourselves certainly don't need the extra work. So… why choose this over a cushy job in Atlas?"

Weiss, after she impales the last foe on her blade and drops the body, said. "It's exactly as you said: I'm a Schnee. I have a legacy of honor to uphold. Once I realized I was capable of fighting, there was no longer a question of what I would do with my life. It was my duty."

Oobleck nodded. "Interesting."

"As for me…" Kurogasa began. "I have my own legacy to carve out. I knew I was born for something bigger than myself. What that is, I don't know, but I'm still looking. Not only that, I want to prove that I have the resolve and strength to protect those I hold dear. It's still a struggle, but it's all the more reason for me to push forward."

"Hmm…" Oobleck hummed in response. "And where do you hope to see your path end?"

"They say the journey is more important than the destination. And the end? Well… it's never the end until you deemed it so. And I don't intend to stop. Not now and not ever."

"So you seek to keep fighting, is that right?"

"Yes. Until I find what I'm looking for on this personal journey. And I won't be alone traveling down that road."

LINE BREAK

Oobleck jumps down into the next scene, where Blake slashes a door down and releases a swarm of small Nevermores from the building, which she back-flips under. Aaron bounced off the walls of the building and used Blood Moon to cut them down.

Oobleck as he examines the inside of the doorway, asks the Faunus. "And what about you, Blake? You and your brother seem to carry yourselves with a sense of purpose."

"There's too much wrong in this world to just stand by and do nothing. Inequality, corruption… Someone has to stop it."

"Very well. How?"

Blake suddenly cannot answer. "I, uh…"

"What do you think, Mr. Jaeger? Care to answer?"

"Honestly, I don't know the answer to that. I can proclaim that I want the world to experience Love and Peace but humans and Faunus are entirely different creatures to understand." Aaron replied. "We're all capable of doing great things, be they for good or evil. I can't change the world… but I can believe in the possibility of all living things."

"I see…" Oobleck nodded to himself, then dashed away.

LINE BREAK

"How about you Mr. Arc and Mr. Rhythm?" Oobleck questioned as Orion and Orpheus finished a combo move that destroyed a few Beowolves.

"Huh? Hm… that's a tough one." Orion admitted, rubbing the back of his head while raising his fist to hit a Beowolf that tried to strike him from behind. "I only joined because my brother and I aspired to be heroes like most of the patriarchs of our family line."

"Keep the family tradition alive, you say?" Oobleck mused. "Out of duty to your family or out of your free will?"

Orion shrugged, "Like I said, it's a tough one. Being a hero was just part of the reason. I'm still trying to find the other reason."

"Uh-huh… and what of you, Mr. Rhythm?"

Orpheus shifted his weapon back from bow mode to lyre mode, "Atonement." He answered bluntly.

Oobleck raised a brow, "Care to clarify on that?"

"Before I came to the Academy, my cousin and I were the finalists in the last tournament. But during that fight, I was filled with nothing but hatred and jealousy for Pyrrha. I used my Semblance for the first time during that match and I used that power to try and kill her." Orpheus explained as he looked down at his hand. "No matter how many times she tells me that she forgives me for what I did or how many times I tell myself that it was the power controlling me, I can never forgive myself for hurting my own flesh-and-blood like that. That's why I became a Huntsman… so that I can no longer use the power I have to hurt others unless it is necessary."

"I see." Oobleck nodded, before turning to Koa. "And what about you Miss-" His words were stopped when he saw Koa just sitting there, and letting her Trash Yummys do all the work for her… while eating muffins she somehow secretly stashed away. "MISS KOA!"

"GAH!" Koa toppled over, swallowing one of her muffins too quickly, causing her to cough it out. "S-Sorry! I brought enough to share I swear!"

Oobleck tapped his foot, causing Koa to sigh and hand over all her muffins, whilst Orpheus walked over and bopped her on the noggin.

"Ite!" Koa yelps in pain.

"I will give you a stern talking to later." Orpheus said. "But for now, Oobleck asked you an important question."

"The reason I fight is also for atonement." Koa looked down, saddened. "I wasn't a nice person, I hurt a lot of people because that's what my 'father' wanted me to be. But Aaron and his friends showed me a different path."

"I see."

LINE BREAK

Later, Ruby is seen using her weapon in the most practical fashion and lifting a whole turkey on the sharp end of her gun to tease a jumping and flipping Zwei with. That is, until she spots her teacher watching, quickly sheathing Crescent Rose. "Sorry! Uh… Are we ready to keep going?"

"Nope! I believe that will have to do for today. It's going to be dark soon." Oobleck said. He then throws his bag over to Yang, who makes a sound when she catches it. "You seven, set up camp in that building. Oh, and please do make sure there are no more of those… creatures. Your leaders and I are going to secure the perimeter. Come, Ruby, Aaron."

"Understood." Aaron nodded, following after the professor.

"On our way." Ruby adds, following behind.

They start walking away from the rest of RWBY and JOKR, who each look at their leader, either knowing or wondering about the question Ruby will be asked.

LINE BREAK

As Oobleck, Aaron, and Ruby round the corner of a building, she sees something in the distance.

"Whaaaa…" Ruby says confused. Beyond the ruined city lies a wide forest stretching below, and in the midst of it, a line of giant elephants with the black and white features of animals of darkness marching through the trees. "What is that? It looks awesome!"

"That, my dear girl, is a Grimm." Oobleck says, matter of factly.

Ruby stared at the lumbering mass of monsters in amazement and awe before pulling out her gun, saying with a somewhat manic grin. "Let's kill it."

"Easy, Rubes…" Aaron sweat dropped, slowly pushing the Crescent Rose down.

"Mr. Jaeger is right. I'm afraid your sniper rifle will do nothing more than agitate a Grimm of that size." Oobleck agreed.

"But… What if it attacks us?"

"Fret not, Ruby; those Goliaths are not concerned with us." Oobleck assured. "Not every Grimm is mindless, or rather not every Grimm is still mindless. You see, the Grimm you see before you are so powerful, so superior to the Grimm you fought, that they've undoubtedly lived hundreds of years, and in that time between killing humans and attacking our borders, they have done one important thing: They've learned. They've learned that when they attack our borders, they're likely to die, and what we lack in strength, we make up for in will, and that killing one human will only bring more."

As he says this, one Goliath swivels its thick neck to look at the figures watching their procession, eyes glowing as fiery red as any other Grimm.

"Then why are they still so close to the city? What are they doing?"

"Waiting."

As he said this, the Goliath turns its head forward again and moves on with its kin. Oobleck turned around and walks away as well, and Ruby puts away her weapon, not moving and the two teens followed him.

"Doctor Oobleck?"

"Hmm?"

"I was wondering…"

Oobleck stops walking and turns back to her. "Wondering why I've been interrogating your teammates and JOKR all day?"

"A-Actually, I was wondering… Why did you want to become a Huntsman?"

"Look around and tell me what you see." Oobleck said, as Ruby looked around.

"Lots of old buildings, uh, empty streets…"

"Lives that could've been saved…" Aaron frowned, as he remembered his fight with Dark Kurogasa, when his anger overtook him and unleashed a United States of Smash, disregarding those who were caught in the crossfire.

"Precisely right, Mr. Jaeger." Oobleck answered as he continued walking with Ruby and Aaron beside him and Zwei at their heels. "As a Huntsman, it is my job to protect the people, and although I am capable of doing it with traditional weaponry, I believe I can make a much larger impact if I do it with my mind. As a teacher, I'm able to take knowledge, the most powerful weapon of them all, and place it in the hands of every student that passes through my classroom. I look at this wasteland, and I see lives that could have been saved, but I also see an opportunity; an opportunity to study these ruins and learn from this tragedy, and therefore become stronger." He stops for his final answer. "I am a Huntsman, Ruby, because there is nothing else in this world I would rather be." And with that sense of finality, he continued walking again.

"Well… there's a lot of food for thought." Aaron muttered.

"You say something, Aaron?" Ruby asked.

"Forget it. It's nothing." He answered swiftly. "C'mon, let's head back."

LINE BREAK

Back inside the building, the teams have done as instructed, building a fire in the center of the room and huddling around it or standing up.

"I can't believe we didn't find anything…" Yang sighed.

"We've always been fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time. I guess we can't always have luck on our side." Blake said.

"That's… not what I meant." Weiss said, suddenly getting off topic.

"Huh?" Blake said, confused.

"Earlier, about… upholding the legacy. There's more to it than that."

"Yeah… No, me too. I mean… I don't know." Yang said hesitantly.

"I don't know, either. I know what I want to do, but I figured I'd always take things one step at a time." Blake said.

"Well, it doesn't matter. We know why we're here. Right?" Yang asked, but the girls merely stared in silence.

"That silence says you don't." Orpheus stated.

"Meaning you haven't found your answers." Kurogasa added.

"You make it sound so easy." Weiss frowned.

"It's never easy, Weiss." Kurogasa said, looking out the window. "Sometimes it takes a life changing experience in order to know what you want in life. Everything that's been going so far in my life, yours, and everyone else's… It's all to prepare us for the endgame, whatever that may be. And until then, we have to keep moving forward and have the resolve to see it through to the end, no matter what kind of hardships are thrown at us or how it's going to be given to us."

"I… never thought of it that way." Weiss said with mild surprise.

"I still don't fully understand why he asked us." Koa said looking up at the night sky. "I mean, how do you know what your fighting for is for the right reasons?"

"No one really does." Orion answered with his hat covering his face as he laid on the ground. "You just gotta find that answer for yourself."

Oobleck suddenly comes rushing into the room. "Ah, wonderful; a textbook campfire!"

"Fire!" Ruby squeaked, coming in behind Oobleck and immediately sitting next to the blaze alongside Zwei, while Aaron casually walked in. "So… warm…"

"Very good! Eat your dinners and hurry to bed. We have a lot of ground to cover tomorrow and we'll need you to take turns keeping watch over our temporary abode. Any volunteers for the first watch?"

Ruby lifts an arm while still looking into the fire, simply answering, "Yo."

Oobleck nodded, and rushed off, and Ruby got up to go over to her lookout point.

As her sister passed, she stopped Ruby. "Hey, did Oobleck ask you why you wanted to be a Huntress? I mean... what did you tell him?"

"Hmm… No, he didn't. Weird." Ruby pondered, before smiling brightly, "Oh, well; good night, guys!" Without a second carefree thought, she continues on her way. Yang looked disappointed in the lack of an answer.

"Well, good thing I got this." Aaron said, before taking out… a capsule?

"Dude… when did you make a Capsule Corp. capsule?" Orpheus raised an eyebrow.

"When don't I have time to make one? This is me you're talking to. I'm like Sento on crack." Aaron answered with a grin. He then pressed the button and-

*POOF!*

Lo and behold, there was a table of food, right in front of them.

"When did you- Capsules aren't supposed to hold anything organic!" Kurogasa cried out.

"Sento Kiryu's intelligence mixed with Souji Tendou's cooking skills? I'm essentially this world's greatest cook/inventor. I'm every waifu's dream." The leader of Team JOKR said with a peace sign and a shit-eating grin.

"Ooh food!" Koa says, licking her lips. The group looked at each other and began digging in. "YUMMY~!"

"Well, at least we won't be starving out here." Yang said, eating a burger.

"You assumed we were?" Blake pondered.

"Uh… well…"

"Never mind that, just eat up." Aaron said, handing Blake a bowl of tuna ramen.

"You're the best brother ever!" Blake uncharacteristically squealed with joy.

"Here you go, Ruby." Orion said, handing her a plate of food, along with a side of desert, that being chocolate chip cookies.

"Best and sweetest boyfriend ever!" Ruby cheered.

"Hai, ahh~" Kurogasa held out a piece of sushi to Weiss with his chopsticks.

Weiss blushed but opened her mouth to accept the morsel offered to her. "Ahh~"

"Doctor, I want my muffins back!" Koa demanded.

"NO, THEY'RE MINE NOW!" Oobleck shouted.

"Besides, you need to cut down on the sweets." Orpheus scolded.

"Awwww…"

LINE BREAK

In the darkness, a pair of eyes opened up and it glowed, bright, crimson red. If one looked into these eyes, they were filled with hatred, cruelty, and malice, put together in one.

"Hmhmhmhm… so, you finally revealed yourself, my Past Self." Dark Kurogasa chuckled.

"Kill them now. Do it. They are weak." Several voices whispered into his ear. "Make them suffer. They left you to die. Kill them all."

His eyes glowed, as the Grimm began to gather around him. "Give me Power, my Grimm, so I may destroy them."

The Grimm howled in power, as Dark Kurogasa's eyes flowed the same dark power. "Now go, creatures of darkness."

The Grimm began charging towards Mount Glenn, preparing to hunt down their intended target.

GKC: Finally done.

KRD: Sorry about the delay. We've been busy with other stuff.

SR: Life, other stories, family, etc.

GKC: Yep, that's life for ya. Though I guarantee that others will feel the same way.

KRD: But anyways hope you enjoyed the chapter!

SR: But for now, we roll the clips for your convenience!

PREVIEW:

Announcer: Jikai! Remnant's Climax Heroes!

Kurogasa: He's here… I can sense him…!

Koa: You really think they'll fall for this?

Aaron: Of course, bad guys are idiots, no matter how smart.

Ogre: Somebody shoot these brats, already!

Next Time: Runaway Train

Aaron: Taros brothers, let's have some fun!

GKC: Peace out, everyone!