Kaito had spent the past months traveling through Vale, helping villages, training, and—unexpectedly—making friends.
He'd met Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao Long two months ago when he'd stopped a Grimm attack near Patch. Ruby had been fascinated by his fighting style, asking a million questions about his techniques. Yang had challenged him to a spar (he'd let her win, mostly). Since then, they'd crossed paths a few times. Ruby even sent him scroll messages about "cool weapon ideas" he should consider.
As if I'd ever use a weapon, he thought with amusement, reading her latest message about "rocket-powered gauntlets."
But today was different.
Today, Mountain Glenn was screaming.
Mountain Glenn - The Broadcast Begins
The abandoned city had been quiet for years—a failed expansion of Vale, now overrun with Grimm. Most people avoided it.
But reports had come in of people trapped in the ruins. A research team, studying the old Dust mines, cut off by a sudden Grimm surge.
Kaito had been closest. He'd gone in alone.
He hadn't expected this.
The creature that emerged from the deepest ruins was wrong. Ancient. Massive. Its bone armor was cracked and yellowed with age, its many eyes glowing with malevolent intelligence that normal Grimm lacked. It stood nearly forty feet tall, a nightmare fusion of centipede and dragon.
The researchers later called it a "Nuckelavee variant"—but far, far older.
Kaito stood between it and the trapped researchers, who huddled in a partially collapsed building behind him.
"Get to the extraction point!" he shouted back. "I'll hold it!"
"Kid, you can't—"
"GO!"
The Ancient Grimm laughed—a sound like grinding stone. And then it attacked.
Meanwhile - Beacon Academy
"Professor Ozpin!" Glynda Goodwitch burst into his office. "You need to see this. Now."
She activated the holographic display. A news feed flickered to life—shaky camera footage from a civilian news drone that had been covering the Mountain Glenn rescue operation.
The footage showed a teenage boy with dark hair, fighting a Grimm that dwarfed anything they'd seen in years.
Ozpin's coffee cup paused halfway to his lips.
"Who is that?"
"Unknown. No Huntsman Academy records. No registered license. But look at what he's doing."
The boy moved like nothing they'd trained. Pure martial arts, no weapon. And then—
He thrust his palms forward, and energy—blue-white and crackling—exploded from his hands, blasting the Ancient Grimm backward.
"That's not a Semblance," Glynda whispered.
"No," Ozpin agreed quietly. "It's not."
The Fight - Part 1
Kaito dodged the Grimm's massive claw, feeling the wind pressure nearly knock him over. It's fast. Too fast for something this big.
He countered with a flying kick that would've shattered a normal Grimm's mask. The Ancient barely flinched.
Tougher than anything I've fought. Good.
He grinned—that Saiyan battle-hunger rising. But he pushed it down, remembering his balance.
Focus. These people need me. This isn't about fun.
"Big Bang Attack!"
The ki blast struck true, creating a crater in the Grimm's chest armor. But the creature regenerated almost instantly, black ooze filling the gap.
It heals. Of course it heals.
The Grimm's tail swept around, impossibly fast. Kaito took the hit, felt ribs crack, and tumbled through three buildings.
Pain. Good. Pain meant he was alive.
He stood, wiping blood from his mouth, and assessed. I'm strong, but not strong enough. Not yet. I need more.
His mind went to the technique he'd been practicing. The one he swore he'd only use in emergencies.
Kaioken.
Vale - Ruby and Yang's House
"YANG! YANG, COME HERE!"
Ruby's panicked shout brought Yang running from the kitchen. Their father, Taiyang, was right behind her.
The TV showed the Mountain Glenn fight. And there, clear as day, was the spiky-haired boy they'd been hanging out with.
"That's Kaito!" Ruby's voice cracked. "He's—Yang, that thing is huge!"
They watched in horror as their friend was smashed through buildings, only to rise again.
"Dad," Yang's voice was tight. "We need to—"
"No." Taiyang's hand on her shoulder was firm. "You're not going into Mountain Glenn. That's beyond your level."
"But—"
"We trust that he knows what he's doing."
They watched. They couldn't look away.
The Fight - Part 2: Kaioken
Kaito took a breath. Centered himself. Felt the ki flowing through his body.
King Kai's technique. Multiply my power, but at a cost. I've practiced it. I can handle Kaioken times two. Maybe times three if I'm careful.
"KAIOKEN!"
Red aura exploded around him. His power doubled instantly. The watching world—because now the broadcast had gone global, every news station picking up the feed—gasped.
Kaito vanished.
He reappeared behind the Ancient Grimm, driving a punch into its spine that actually made the creature scream. He didn't let up—combination after combination, moving faster than the cameras could track.
The Grimm tried to counter, but Kaito was everywhere at once. Each strike carried doubled power. The creature's armor began to crack.
It's working!
But his body was heating up. Muscles straining. Two minutes. That's my limit at Kaioken times two.
The Grimm adapted. It stopped trying to track Kaito and instead released a wave of smaller Grimm from its body—dozens of them, surrounding him.
Kaito landed, breathing hard. Red aura flickering.
Need more time. Need more power.
Bad decision.
"KAIOKEN TIMES THREE!"
The aura intensified. His power tripled. And immediately, Kaito felt something tear inside him.
Too much. Way too much. But I can end this!
He gathered ki in both hands—more than he'd ever channeled before. The energy formed a massive sphere, crackling with barely-contained power.
"FINAL… FLASH!"
The beam erupted from his hands, golden-white and devastating. It consumed the smaller Grimm instantly, struck the Ancient dead-center, and kept going—boring through its body, through the ruins behind it, carving a trench through Mountain Glenn for half a mile.
When the light faded, the Ancient Grimm was dissolving. Finally dead.
Kaito stood in the center of a crater, red aura flickering out.
Then he collapsed.
Meanwhile - Beacon
The entire staff watched in stunned silence as the boy fell.
"Get a medical team to Mountain Glenn," Ozpin ordered immediately. "And I want to know everything about this child. Everything."
Glynda was already making calls.
Ironwood's face appeared on another screen—he'd been watching from Atlas. "Ozpin. That power. That's not—"
"I know, James."
"If Salem gets wind of this—"
"I know."
Vale Hospital - Two Days Later
Kaito woke to the smell of antiseptic and the sound of medical equipment beeping. His entire body felt like it had been put through a meat grinder.
Kaioken times three. Stupid. So stupid.
"Oh thank goodness!"
Ruby's face appeared over him, eyes red from crying. Yang stood behind her, arms crossed but looking relieved.
"You IDIOT!" Yang punched his shoulder—gently. "What were you thinking?"
"Saved… the researchers?" Kaito croaked.
"All safe," a new voice said.
A man with silver hair and glasses stood in the doorway, holding a cane and a coffee mug. Behind him, a stern blonde woman in a cape.
"My name is Professor Ozpin. This is Professor Goodwitch. We're from Beacon Academy." His eyes—ancient, knowing eyes—studied Kaito carefully. "I think we need to have a very long conversation, young man."
Kaito tried to sit up, winced, and fell back. "About what?"
"About you. About your power. And about why someone with your abilities is wandering Remnant alone." Ozpin's expression was kind but firm. "The entire world just watched you defeat an Ancient Grimm using techniques that shouldn't exist."
Ruby grabbed Kaito's hand. "You're famous! They're calling you the 'Crimson Guardian' because of that red glow thing!"
"They're also calling you reckless," Yang added. "The doctors said you nearly killed yourself. Something about your muscles tearing themselves apart?"
Kaito closed his eyes. Kaioken backlash. Worth it. But yeah, I pushed way too hard.
"Mr. Kaito," Ozpin continued, "you saved seventeen lives. You destroyed a threat that might have spread beyond Mountain Glenn. But you also revealed yourself to a world that doesn't understand what you are."
"I'm just trying to help people."
"I believe you. But 'just helping' has consequences." Ozpin set down his mug. "When you've recovered, I'd like to offer you something. Not enrollment at Beacon—not yet. But perhaps… guidance. Training. And protection from those who might see your power as a threat rather than a gift."
Kaito looked at Ruby's worried face, Yang's protective stance, and Ozpin's knowing eyes.
This is getting complicated.
"Can I think about it?"
"Of course. Recover first." Ozpin turned to leave, then paused. "Oh, and Mr. Kaito? That red technique. I'd advise extreme caution using it again. Power that destroys the wielder isn't power—it's suicide."
When they left, Ruby squeezed his hand.
"You're going to be okay, right?"
Kaito smiled—his balanced smile, part proud, part warm. "Yeah. Just need to get stronger. The smart way this time."
Yang snorted. "Good luck with that, hero."
Through the hospital window, Kaito could see Vale. And somewhere out there, he knew people were watching. Wondering. Questioning.
The journey just got a lot more complicated.
But maybe… that's not a bad thing.
In the Shadows
Salem watched the footage again. The red aura. The devastating power. The alien fighting style.
"Interesting," she murmured. "Very interesting indeed."
Cinder stood behind her. "Should we investigate?"
"Not yet. Let Ozpin make the first move. But keep eyes on this… Kaito." Salem's expression was thoughtful. "He's not from Remnant. I can sense it. The question is… what is he?"