"WHAT'S THIS?! RIO AMAKAWA FROM BEACON ACADEMY~! Please step forwarrrrrrrrrrrddddddddddddddd~!"
In a different part of the stands, Cinder raised an innocuous eyebrow.
This was because, accompanied by that deafening reveal, one of the screens above her chose that moment to flash, where the rather stationary image of the two professors changed to something else entirely. Actually, it was of the arena stands, where like herself, the majority of the audience sat.
It wasn't Cinder captured in the frame though, nor was it the visible but muted shock of many other students in the background.
No.
Just a white-haired boy currently sitting hunched over, one arm in his lap, the other covering his face.
In other words, it was someone who could not have looked more dejected at this turn of events if they tried.
Cinder's eyes flashed with interest, however small.
Right, the boy from before... the one without a team. Ah, I see. How benevolent of Ozpin. Well, it's of no consequence. The more attention off of me the better.
Or so the young woman concluded, interest diminishing.
And yet...
Still, Cinder's head subtly tilted as she stared at Rio, eyes narrowed.
I suppose he IS still an unknown. This bout should have informative if nothing else. Well... as informative as an instant defeat can be. Besides the Nikos girl, none of the 'toddlers' here should even be capable of lasting more than a minute against Ozpin's dogs.
Still, with small smile tugging at her face, as if finding it all fun either way, Cinder opened her mouth.
"If only as a desperate measure, Amakawa will at the very least be pressed to reveal his semblance to us. He is a male, after all, so I'm sure he doesn't want to make a total fool out of himself."
Naturally, Cinder wasn't talking to herself.
She was sitting with her own team.
Mercury and Emerald flanked her on either side, although, this was made plenty obvious by the way the lone boy in the group was snickering to himself in what looked to be genuine hilarity.
Ah, Mercury had shown some semblance of cheer trying to banter with the boy the other day, hadn't he?
After all, if nothing else, the white haired youth on screen did have quite the strained smile on his face at the present moment.
Of course, then there was Emerald.
And yet... even though the red-eyed, dark-skinned girl had been looking bored until now, it was with a rather unexpected show of energy that she actually sat up straighter in her seat, looking at the screen with not only faint traces of interest, but curiosity as well.
And, that just left the final member of their hastily put together team; another girl, one with green eyes and black hair, sitting behind them without a sound.
Not that Cinder expected her to start talking.
"Oh, that's right," Cinder tossed over her shoulder. "You haven't met him yet, have you Neo? I'll ask you to watch closely as well. He might very well be a future 'contender' for you, after all."
Not turning around, Cinder was unaware of the abruptly changed brown and pink eyes narrowing ever so slightly.
…
…
…
Elsewhere, not in the Amity stands, but a private booth with a superb view of the arena and all that surrounded it...
Glynda was quite certain her eye had yet to stop twitching.
The reason...
"Wow, out of all the people here, not only was a Beacon student chosen, but Mr. Amakawa himself. How fortuitous indeed considering he didn't have a team. Hm. Yes. This might be his only chance to succeed," Ozpin said unashamedly, taking inter-frequent sips from a steaming cup of coffee.
"Ozpin, what have you done?"
"Why, whatever do you mean Glynda?"
She shot Ozpin a look, which he took without flinching.
The woman could only sigh.
Honestly, if the press caught wind that a student had been given an unfair advantage like this, however small, in a tournament as widely known as the Vytal Festival... Glynda didn't even want to think about the fallout.
No, forget the fallout.
It was the paperwork that made her shiver.
Nonetheless, since Glynda was more or less used to Ozpin's questionable behavior by now (re: favoritism), she resigned herself to just watching the outcome unfold before her.
Right, watching.
Just, with a slightly furrowed brow.
Yes, with one leg crossed over the other, and even as the blonde professor found herself settling into a somewhat relaxed position in one of the room's unnaturally comfortable chairs, Glynda's emerald green eyes were doubly affixed to the white haired boy as he currently exited the stands, no doubt to the communal lockers where his gear had been stored in advance.
Still, knowing Mr. Amakawa... this kind of situation would have been the last thing he would have imagined... or wanted.
Nothing said that more than the unparalleled stiffness she could see travelling up and down Rio's face at the moment, no doubt caused by the far too excited reactions of the wide-eyed but smiling Teams RWBY and JNPR, and if not that, then the several dozen cheer-filled cries of support from all those in the vicinity...
Indeed, far from his usual, Rio looked uncharacteristically at a loss.
And if only because Glynda felt like a co-conspirator to Ozpin's machinations, well, she couldn't help but feel the need to apologize on the man's behalf.
Of course, that was all she could do.
Things had already been set into motion, after all.
But... does he really stand a chance, even with Ozpin's strange meddling?
Glynda couldn't stop that stray thought.
Rio held a considerable amount of combat prowess, unexpected for his age. She knew this. But was that really enough to outlast four trained adult Huntsmen, likely on the same level as her and the other Beacon professors, and dare she even that drunken fool as well?
"..."
Regardless, face schooled with composure, Glynda could only watch.
Of course, that was around the time a door opened behind her.
"...Oh? Is this the boy you recently picked up, Ozpin?"
A different voice suddenly came into the room, and although she didn't need to, Glynda still craned her head to see the well-dressed man with a white overcoat taking slow steps towards them.
His eyes weren't on her or Ozpin, however; they were on the singular monitor that was in the front of the room, which existed for their sole viewing pleasure.
"Quite right James," Ozpin answered without missing a beat, but accompanied by somewhat of a wry smile. "Although I'm a bit worried for him to be honest. He got here only a few days ago, so I don't think he was quite expecting something of this magnitude."
"..."
Glynda actually stopped to glare at the headmaster.
In any case, not noticing the staring contest happening between the disapproving woman and the unapologetic man, General James Ironwood just nodded along, and yet, with eyes that quite seriously never left Rio's retreating form.
Ah.
Perhaps it was obvious what the Atlesian General was thinking.
Naturally, Ironwood soon spoke up.
"Ozpin, that boy, by any chance..."
"He's not, James. Rio's last name is Amakawa." Ozpin didn't even turn to the man, taking another sip of his mug.
"Last names can be altered."
"Not when he explicitly stated otherwise after agreeing to take part in my own questioning. We even used one of your kingdom's apparatuses to determine the truth."
"You interrogated him...?"
"Questioned, not interrogated. At his permission. I'd implore you not to get those facts twisted, old friend."
Glynda watched as Ironwood looked at Ozpin for a moment, before breaking off just as quickly. "...Apologies. I'm just imagining the uproar this is going to cause the SDC. Rumors of an illegitimate child, whether false or not, are no laughing matter."
"I understand. And while our very own Schnee daughter holds no recognition of him, maybe after meeting with the one under your employ, we can lay such claims to rest, hm?"
Ironwood thought about it for a moment, before nodding.
"That will do. Winter should be arriving soon."
All eyes eventually turned back to the screen, even as Glynda hid a quiet sigh of relief? Exasperation?
Even she didn't know.
…
…
...
Meanwhile, in a certain bar in Vale...
Two girls, twins, looked at the television screen with abstract interest, not able to figure out what it was about the white-haired boy that struck him as familiar.
"Hey, give me anotherrrr!"
Of course, they lost their concentration somewhat when a slurred voice came their way, that is, from a middle-aged man hunkered over the bar counter, one with black hair and slight amounts of stubble on his chin.
A Huntsmen, by the look of it.
He had an odd sword strapped to his back, after all.
"Who said could talk to us, Geezer? We're way out your league," Melanie complained with an edge to her voice.
"Don't get your panties in a twist, you brat. I asked for a drink, not your number. And you're half my age. I might be drunk, but I'm not that drunk."
The oddly flippant man waved his hand dismissively, with the girls glowering at him silently before he threw some more lien on the table.
They groaned and got to fixing him another drink.
The man, however, took that moment to turn back the screen, right as the Schnee-looking youth was getting slapped on the back by a girl with long unruly blonde hair, an ecstatic grin on her face. Also, a girl with short black hair and reddish tints hovered over him excitedly, her mouth moving rapidly.
"Heh," Qrow snorted.
Looks like he had even more reason to come down now.
…
…
…
In the very center of the octagon shaped arena, Aqua Keeyes waited patiently.
Well, as patiently as she could in front of so many people.
Even if she was now a fully-fledged Huntress, she was still someone who would feel nervous at being stared at by literally about half the population of Vale.
Of course, Aqua wasn't worried about performing badly in the fight per say, as she gathered that this was a sort of promotional tactic for the city.
Showing off their strong Huntsman and presenting it in a way that provided benefits and encouragement to not only the warrior hopefuls in the crowd, but the chosen student too, if they managed to win.
If.
Aqua wasn't an arrogant person, but she knew there was only one outcome to a fight like this.
Poor kid. Rio, was it?
After all, she knew she wouldn't want to get beat up by four professionals in front of all her friends.
Really, the only strategy Aqua could think of him employing was to stick to the outskirts of the arena and try to avoid them as best he could.
But even that wasn't really the best of plans.
Of their team members, three of them had ranged options on their weapons, after all.
It was unlikely he would be able to avoid all their fire for even a full minute, let alone fifteen.
Aqua sighed.
Even though this was a marketing tool to make the Huntsmen look good, she would no doubt be seen as a bully when all this was said and done, huh?
Who came up with this idea anyway?
Even with the alternate win conditions, there was no way someone who was still in training could survive all of them.
Maybe if it was that Nikos girl it would be a different story, but this boy could be your run of the mill student.
Aqua honestly questioned the sanity of the event organizers.
"So, you're sure we can go all out against this kid?" a male voice asked, resting a spear over his shoulders with a lazy expression, Teale.
Teale was a tall man with red eyes and short light blue hair, slightly spiky.
And true to his height, his limbs were long as well, which made his dark red combat jacket all the more noticeable as it stretched over his body. His pants were red as well, creating an ensemble that clashed with his blue hair well.
If anything, it made it hard to ignore him.
His weapon, however, the long pale white spear, looked simple upon first glance, but its lower end was outfitted with a small indent where a trigger could be easily deployed with the press of a mechanism.
In the same way, a scope would appear on the front end.
Like Aqua said, most of them had ranged options at the ready, not that any of them were slouches in melee though.
"It wouldn't do for us to hold back, considering that if he 'somehow' survives the time allotted, he would be facing off against the best of the best. Well, not better than us, but still the best."
Someone else answered Teale's question, a man with a sharp and serious attitude, that Aqua knew was more of a front than anything.
He rested both hands on the hilt of a long ground planted sword that reached up all the way to his chest. No, not only was it long, but it was also about a foot wide as well.
Out of all of them, he was by far their heaviest hitter.
Grey.
His hair was dark black and a little spiky as well, but instead of spiking upwards like Teale's, it seemed to droop downwards. His frame was large, with a firm rugged face and two onyx eyes.
Grey's fatigues were all black with just a dash of grey here and there. Noticeably though, while he did wear long pants, that did not hold true for his upper body, as the shirt exposed large solid arms.
"Always so serious, but hey, you're right," a different person spoke up, spinning flame red circlets in his hands, however they were outfitted with jaded edges, and as they all knew, gravity dust.
That person, Rouge, wouldn't need ranged ammo if he was constantly throwing those and making them come back to him.
Rouge had blue cerulean eyes, but just like his weapon, long flame red hair, almost longer than Aqua's, the sole woman on the team.
He wore a bad-boyish black jacket with no sleeves, but zippers and all.
Not only that, but it was open down the chest, revealing the solid individual squares of his abdominal muscles, the only one among them exposing that much skin. Trailing below his waist though, were dark green cargo pants.
"But man, I hope the kid's not a pushover. It would be no fun if he lost not even ten seconds in," Rouge said, a bleeding smirk tugging at his lips.
Right.
Aqua forgot to mention, but his ego always seemed to be on fire as well, which no one present could say they appreciated.
Rouge spotted her glowering at him and instantly raised his hands.
"Hey, all I'm saying is if we're doing this in front of all these people, I wouldn't be satisfied if it ended just like that, you know? Or if he just tried to run the whole time, heh, not that he'd be able to avoid all four of us if he tried."
Aqua frowned, but, begrudgingly, nodded, as his thoughts matched up with the ones she had already had.
Now, in line with her name, Aqua had both blue eyes and hair.
It was a deep blue, similar to the ocean or the sky just after sunset.
The best way to describe her outfit was a combination of black and blue.
She wore a skintight black top which exposed her upper arms, as well as black shorts that trailed down to reveal the tiniest amount of exposed thighs, right until long black stockings sheltered the remainder of her long legs.
Additionally, a blue skirt partially enclosed the black shorts, but not by much. In the same fashion, she had separate blue sleeves which covered the rest of her arms until her black fingerless gloves.
Aqua looked down at her own weapon now, which she had been squeezing repeatedly to ease her anxiety for the last few minutes.
It was a thin, silverish blue rapier, its point held outward facing the ground.
While it did have dust capabilities that could manipulate the elements if she chose, they were more like attacks that would affect a wide area. So, she didn't have any way to pick off people from a distance beyond hurdling super-powered energy at them without distinction.
That wasn't even counting her semblance, which should also prove useful in the right circumstances.
But it wasn't just her who didn't dare show off those needlessly, not that there was any way she could.
It was a rather subtle one, after all.
Anyway, Aqua wouldn't be making a rookie mistake like revealing something like that without thinking.
Not even Rouge was that careless.
At the very least, you didn't get to be a professional Huntsman by flaunting what was supposed to be your trump card, against Grimm or otherwise.
Nonetheless, for Aqua, she would use it as necessary, but honestly... as much as a touch of shame caressed her admitting it, it probably wouldn't come to that.
But still.
Like Grey said, it would be an insult to his potential opponents if we held back and allowed him more of a fighting chance. Not only that, but it would be disrespecting him and his growth as a fighter...
So Aqua took a deep breath and steeled herself.
Yes; just in time for the intercom to buzz to life, announcing their competitor's impending arrival.
…
…
…
Rio stood in the underground pathway connected to the main arena, waiting for his name to be called.
Left unsaid was that he had long since changed out of his school uniform, opting for his travelling attire instead, that is, the black wyvern cloak. After that, there was of course his mythril sword at his hip.
But also.
Upon reaching behind the coat near his waist, Rio felt the two requests he had asked for fastened securely in place.
At first, he had thought them unnecessary, but since he felt comfortable enough with them, and since substantial preparation could be the most important of deciding factors in any fight, Rio figured he might as well go about incorporating them into his arsenal.
Of course, such idle musings were at the back of his mind.
A mock battle... is it?
With a rather strange smile on his face, Rio had such a thought.
Although maybe, it was because he was trying to dig through his memories and recall the last time he had done something so...
So...
Well, pointless.
Ah, no, that probably wasn't the right word.
Just...
For Rio Karasuki...
The boy who had toiled through deadly battles aplenty, where for some reason or other his violent end had always been desired by others, and in horrendously creative ways as well; assassins, nobles, the most depraved of humans...
Expecting such people to have observed etiquette at the last second? Stopping their sword just shy of striking?
Well... it was laughable.
But back to topic.
Practice matches, spars, and duels?
It wasn't like Rio was a stranger to them.
There was the academy sanctioned match against the young Charles Arbor when he was still attending that school for nobles.
Then later, it was him being coerced into dueling with the Earth-summoned heroes, their reasons aplenty.
Satsuki, the rather kind girl thinking it was the only way to beat it into Rio to stop holding others at arm's length.
Takahisa, where he genuinely seemed to believe that by besting Rio in armed combat, Miharu would not only fall in love with him, but come live with him forever.
And finally, Hiroaki, arguably the simplest of them all, where the boy's obscene levels of pride demanded he challenge Rio to a duel, if only to prove he was stronger.
In other words...
As one might be able to imagine, it had all been incredibly tiresome.
That said, Rio could only hope this wouldn't be a repeat of the same.
'Are you going to try to win, Haruto?' Aisha suddenly asked, her soft voice immediately claiming ownership of his previously silent surroundings.
"..."
Rio didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he thought of what Ozpin had talked about, where he only stood to gain from making it further in this competition, whether that be by way of resources, knowledge, or even influence.
In fact, Rio knew that it would take all three and more to complete his goal in a reasonable amount of time.
Just because he was preparing himself for the possibility of spending years in this world, that didn't mean he wanted to.
Yes, when it came right down to it...
He didn't want to.
So, that meant he would have to treat this with meticulous seriousness, behavior he typically forwent in the effort to not draw attention to himself.
And rightfully so.
Standing out unnecessarily wasn't something he wanted in his old world.
But, neither did he want to forever be in a world not his own.
Obviously, one of them had to give, and it was just as obvious which one it had to be.
There was no reason for him to hold back.
Not when doing so would only prevent others from taking him seriously when it counted.
In other words, he wasn't about to purposely lose just for the sake of maintaining the appearance of an average student.
Again, he would have done that in his old world.
Without even hesitating too.
But now...
'Well, I'll try my best,' Rio eventually replied.
'Hm,' Aisha hummed back.
That was all he could do, after all.
Still...
But while I don't intend to hold back, I should at least try to make it look close, Rio mused to himself. Who knows how many people will be watching this. There isn't any benefit in revealing all my cards at once.
"Alright!"
And it was with that thought that the crackle of the intercom he had been waiting for finally pierced the quiet air.
"The Vytal Festival's opening entertainment will now officially be underway! Will the Beacon Academy student please step into the arenaaaaaa~!"
With that prompt courtesy from Oobleck, and then with the tiniest breaths from the white haired boy who simply couldn't refrain, Rio took steps into a future that, while uncertain, would likely be anything but boring.