Initiation 1/2

"For years, you have trained to become warriors, and today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest." Professor Ozpin announced to the soon to be students of Beacons who were all line up on top the cliff overlooking the Emerald Forest.

"Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumours about the assignment of teams. Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates… today" Glynda Goodwitch added.

"What? Ohhh…." Groaned a downtrodden Ruby.

"That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years." Ozpin announced as Rubys world seemed to shatter and fell apart.

'It's really following the script word for word isn't it?' Arthur contemplated 'It should be possible to affect the future right? I should be able to, I mean, Summer Rose is alive in this universe. Does that mean that the many worlds theory is true?' he kept contemplating. Missing that Weiss had been launched into the air by a spring-loaded platform under her feet.

'Is there any risk to revealing the Akashic Library? I would guess so." Ruby and Yang were soon launched, Arthur still not realizing anything happening around him.

"So, wha exactly is a landing strategYYY!..." Jaune screamed as he was flung into the air. His scream waking Arthur from his daze as he stared off into the sky that was filled with the flying bodies of the other students. Yet strangely enough Arthur's platform didn't seem to go off, looking down at his feet in confusion and terror at the realization that he would soon be freefalling through the sky without any 'safe' way of landing.

"Well, Arthur. Now that we've got you alone, I should mention. You will not be getting a partner." Ozpin announced surprising him.

"Wait. What? Why? am I not getting a team then?" Arthur asked in confusion getting a reply from Goodwitch instead.

"That is correct, you will be on going solo. Though you shall still be working closely with another team and will for all intents and purposes be acting as a fifth member to that team" She explained

"Okay, I can work with that, so how will the Vytal tournament work then? If I join do I go alone or with them?" he asked as in the he could hear someone shout "Birdie, no!"

"That is correct, should you participate in the Vytal tournament you shall be alone. But we can continue this conversation later." Ozpin said as he took a sip of his coffee as he stared blankly at Arthur who could hear a mechanical whirring under his feet.

Looking down Arthur realized what was about to happen "Oh… shi-!" and he was flung far into the forest.

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'How do I get out of this in one piece!' Arthur shouted in his head as he flailed his arms around wildly trying to straighten himself out, as he rapidly got closer to the trees on the ground.

'Right, everyone should be further ahead so…' He thought as he awoke Cross and placed it in front of himself to act as a shield from the trees. Shattering them as he crashed into them, progressively slowing him down until he crashed onto the ground leaving a trail of destruction in his path.

"Oww…" He moaned as he stood up and began to roll his arm that he had reverted into its normal state. "Note to self, need to work on landing strategy. Now judging by my trail of destruction, North should be right ahead." He said as he continued into the forest.

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'Gotta find Yang! Gotta find Yang, gotta find Yang" Ruby thought as she ran through the Emerald Forest searching for her sister. 'Oh this is bad, this is really bad… what if I can't find her first? Arthur maybe? He seems kind enough, he's easy to talk to…' she thought suddenly remembering her entire morning which was filled with misunderstandings and euphemisms causing her to blush.

Ruby soon noticed someone she had met earlier the day before, the same girl who had berated her for the explosion of dust. Weiss Schnee. Skidding to a halt in front of her Ruby's eyes met with Weiss's, Weiss of course wanting nothing to do with Ruby turned and began to walk away.

"Wait! Where are you going!? We're supposed to be teammates…" Ruby muttered, kicking the ground in dejection.

"Come on, Come on! Stupid…!" Jaune said, struggling to free himself from the red and bronze spear that hung him by his hoodie from a tree. His eyes meeting with Weiss who was staring up at him, soon turning around and began to walk away, dragging Ruby along by her hood.

"By no means does this make us friends." Weiss muttered angrily not looking back.

"You came back!" Ruby shouted in glee, fist bumping the air as she was dragged away.

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"Helloooooo? Is anyone out there? Heloooo?" Yang called into the forest, searching for a partner. "I'm getting bored here!" she complained, hearing a rustling in the bushed behind her. "Ruby, Is that you?" she asked turning around only to meet the white mask of an Ursa.

"Nope!" she said rolling away from the bushes as the Ursa lunged towards where she had been. Another Ursa coming out of the bushes moments later also lunging for her, but misses when she dodges out of the way.

The Ursai charged Yang, the first getting blown back when she punched it square in the chest with Ember Celica. The other being upper cutted into the air and kicked away as Yang followed it into the air using her gauntlets to create more force behind her attack.

"You guys wouldn't happen to have seen a girl in a red hood, would you?" she asked getting a growl in response from the Ursai "You could just say 'no'". the Ursai closest to her reared up, standing on its backlegs, swipping at her, with yang narrowly dodging out of the way.

"Geeze, you two couldn't hit the broad side of a ba…" She said laughing, but slowly going silent as she watched a strand of golden hair slowly fall to the ground in front of her. Her eyes turned crimson as an inferno surrounds her caused by her using the explosions created by her weapons launching her forward towards one of the Ursa, releasing a barrage of punches on the Ursa, each hit exploding on contact from the shell shot out of her gauntlets. Her barrage ending with her launching the Ursa into the forest crashing through trees.

Once the first Grimm was dealt with the other ran over to attack, but was stopped short when a tree fell to the ground behind Yang.

"What! You want some, too!?" she yelled at it angrily as it stood on its hindlegs. But before it could attack a sound could be heard reminiscent of metal entering flesh. The grimm let out a befuddled noise, soon falling forward, dead. Behind the Grimm stood a black haired girl with amber eyes, the same girl who Ruby had spoken to the day before in the ballroom, Blake Belladonna.

Panting in exhaustion Yang's eyes returned to their normal purple hue as she said "I could've taken him."

"Right…" Blake said unconvinced as she rolled her eyes. Her eyes suddenly turned sharp as the bow on her head twitched, looking around Blake prepared her weapon as she addressed Yang "We're not alone…"

Hearing this Yang got into her combat stance as she began scanning the forest searching for signs of what alerted her partner, only catching small glimpses of a black and red shadow rapidly moving between the trees. "What is that?" Yang muttered squinting her eyes trying to get a better view of the object.

Her question was soon answered when the shadow abruptly turned and charged towards her and Blake, It's speed much faster than they expected with it coming within striking distance within mere moments.

"Wha!?" Yang let out as both she and Blake dodged to the side narrowly avoiding the jaws of the Grimm. Once they had landed they turned towards the Grimm to get a better view of it. Once they saw it they both froze at the sight of the Grimm.

"Byakko…" Blake muttered in fear as she stared in shock at the Grimm. The Grimm was large even on its four legs it stood a head higher than either Yang or Blake. It's body, long and muscular, Reminiscent of a tigers. It had dense black fur interspaced with white stripes all along its body and running down its tail. Along its spine ran bony plates that protruded into small spikes. It's head was fully covered in the same bony white mask that all Grimm have. The Byakko's mask covered its entire upper head, with two large curved horns protruding from the top of the skull. All of this accentuated by the deep red glow coming from the Byakko's eyes.

The Grimm stared at the pair, growling as it began to circle the them. It kept circling them, until it suddenly paused and raised its head to look into the forest, before running off into the forest, leaving two very confused girls in its wake.

"Yeah! Run away scaredy cat!" Yang shouted towards the rapidly disappearing Grimm. Blake didn't respond as she kept her guard up and kept scanning the forest for a minute before releasing a relieved sigh as she holstered her weapons.

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"I'm guessing that's where Ruby and Weiss are." Arthur muttered to himself as he stared into the distance at a part of the forest that was set ablaze earlier during a fight Ruby and Weiss were having against a pack of Beowolfs.

"Okay, so sun is still rising, that means north is… that way!" he said as he began walking north towards the temple where the target of the initiation was. Not long after he began walking Arthur heard the soft sound of footsteps rapidly approaching his location.

Unsheathing the sword he was given by Ozpin Arthur raised it in front of himself in a ramshackle stance full of openings. Not the he would get to use it, as seconds later he was launched into a tree by the same Grimm Yang and Blake had encountered earlier.

Arthur fell to the ground, propping his body up with his arms as he began coughing in pain from having been launched through a tree. Once his breathing had calmed down Arthur looked up in an effort to locate his assailant, only to be met the large imposing mask of the tiger Grimm.

'oh, shit' Arthur thought as he closed his eyes and tried to get into a defensive posture, anticipating his demise, knowing full and well that even with Cross he wouldn't be able to kill the Grimm. Yet after a few minutes, nothing, no blood curdling crunches, no slashes of claws, nothing. Only the heavy sound of the Grimm breathing could be heard.

Slowly opening his eyes Arthur was surprised to find the Grimm was silently staring at him, not moving to attack him. It simply stood there, watching him. 'What is going on? Why isn't it trying to maul me?' Arthur questioned as he began analysing the imposing figure of the tiger Grimm.

Arthur and the Grimm watched each other silently for what felt like an eternity, before the Grimm leaned forward and took a deep breath of Arthurs scent, before turning and walking away. Leaving a dazed and confused Arthur sitting on the ground.

'What just happened?' He asked himself as he watched the Grimm fade into the forest. Letting out a relieved sight once it was far enough away from him. Taking a deep breathe Arthur stood and reoriented himself using the sun 'I can think about this later, for now I need to get a relic and get out of this forest before it returns… Is it even hostile?' Arthur contemplated, looking to the direction of where the Grimm walked off to before turning North and began his hike to the temple with even more haste then when he started.

'Man spawn… We shall meet again…' came the soothing voice of a woman, surprising Arthur as he began to look around to find the origin of the voice, only for his eyes to meet the gaze of the tiger Grimm as it watched him from afar before it turned and left once again.