(POV: No One)

Thud
Thud
Thud

Amber, Ozpin, and Glynda Goodwitch walked together down the halls of Beacon Academy toward the central hall, where Ozpin would deliver a speech to the new generation of young Huntsmen.

But something else was going to happen during this "speech." Today marked the beginning of his move against Salem.

("I’ve been playing my pieces defensively throughout this game. Perhaps that’s why all I’ve gained is the deaths of my people instead of victories, however small.")

Ozpin reflected, his expression thoughtful.

He had always believed in being defensive—gathering enough information, waiting for the right moment, and striking with caution.

It wasn’t a bad strategy. It had kept humanity alive for many years and ensured the protection of various kingdoms and their people.

But it hadn’t stopped the source of the danger itself. All he had done was fend off attacks and occasionally launch offensives, most of which ended in the deaths of his allies.

How many years had he stuck to this mindset? 869? 657? Maybe 598? He no longer knew.

But during all that time, the closest he came to an offensive move was sending Raven and... Summer to fight Salem.

That had been a complete failure. Raven cut off all communication and refused to cooperate on future missions.

And then she discovered the truth about Salem and her immortality.

Of course, on that mission, something else had happened too...

...

It didn’t matter anymore. The past couldn’t be undone. All he could do was learn from his mistakes.

Back to the present.

Despite all the disadvantages and more bad news than good, offense had never been his strong suit.

But he realized he had to change that mentality when he saw a certain green-haired teenager make more progress against Salem than he had in years.

A boy, a single 16-year-old boy with a powerful semblance, had achieved what Ozpin could only dream of.

And he did it by acting offensively and without waiting for orders.

The boy saved the Maiden, killed two of Salem's agents—one of whom was the leader of their group, both reportedly incredibly strong together—and severely injured another.

He gathered information on Salem's group, including names, ages, and details about their pasts.

Their semblances and possible future alliances. Most impressively, he also had plans for how to defeat each of them.

...

So, was that what made Ozpin change his strategy?

The answer was no. It was a significant factor, but it was also the conversation they had at the precinct.

Ozpin had taken the papers Izuku gave him and read them with astonishment. Adjusting his glasses, he asked, "This... is impressive. How did you...?"

"How did I get the information?" Izuku leaned back in his chair, his feet on the table, and gave a cocky smile.

"Because I'm ridiculously powerful, and in this world, that's all that matters. Or am I wrong?"

Ozpin studied him with curiosity.

"Let me tell you something," Izuku said, leaning back further with a smirk.

"Stop being so boring. Attack. Train not just yourself but your men as well. Salem isn't as strong as she seems. At least, not her group of villains. It was relatively easy to take down the strongest ones."

"...I understand your point, but attacking senselessly like a beast would achieve nothing."

"First of all, I never said to attack without reason. You're smart; think offensively. Treat it like a game of chess. You play with pawns, protecting your most valuable pieces to the point of barely using them or only using them for defense." Izuku sighed, sounding bored.

"And those pieces could do a better job than any pawn. Eventually, you'll run out of pawns and be forced to defend yourself to the death with your most valuable pieces because your opponent advanced too far. You use their potential to last as long as possible."

Ozpin remained silent, staring at Izuku.

Perhaps... Perhaps the boy was right. Or maybe he was just spouting nonsense, thinking he sounded intelligent, like any other teenager. Either way, Ozpin would reflect on his current tactics and see what he could change.

...

Ozpin adjusted his glasses, recalling his conversation with the green-haired boy.

("You'd better be on our side, young Midoriya. Otherwise, I'll have to use my contingency plan designed specifically for you.")

Yes, just as Batman has contingency plans for all his superhero allies, Ozpin had them for his fellow Huntsmen.

But some might wonder:

Was it crazy to have a contingency plan to eliminate a 16-year-old boy?

To Ozpin, no.

In fact, he saw it as essential.

Izuku himself had stated it clearly:

"What’s my motivation for helping take down Salem and her group? Because I want to fight and because they’re the bad guys. I want to humiliate and steal the powers of every one of those idiots with my own hands. I’m not doing this because I’m a hero or anything like that. No, God, definitely not." He chuckled.

"I'm just doing what entertains me. Life is precious, and you never know when you’ll die, so you have to enjoy it to the fullest. Isn’t that right, Mr. Immortal?" Izuku said with a broad grin, his eyes glowing red from activating All For One.

Crack

Hearing those last words made Ozpin grip his staff so tightly that he broke it.

Izuku watched, amused, before straightening in his seat and looking at him calmly.

"So, count on my full support. I’ll help with whatever you need, but on one condition."

Ozpin sighed, trying to calm himself, rubbing his forehead in irritation and exhaustion.

"...And what would that condition be?"

"I want to enter Beacon this year. I don’t want to wait another year to enroll. Pretty simple, if you ask me," Izuku said with a calm smile.

"Hmm... Very well. But you’ll have to pass the entrance exam, as that’s where teams are assigned. With your power, I doubt it’ll be an issue anyway," Ozpin replied, sighing.

"Great. I wanted to take the test anyway."

...

("Despite being quite insane and a huge danger if you ever betray me, you’re essential to my new offensive strategy. That’s why I’ll have to trust you for now... and also because you know about my past and Salem’s. Regardless, I’m confident my plan will work if you decide to act against me. It’s always worked with others, and you’ll be no exception.") Ozpin thought calmly.

Still, he doubted the boy was crazier than he was. Ozpin himself knew it was hypocritical to say that.

Even though Izuku had killed and humiliated several people for fun, it didn’t come close to the things Ozpin had done to "defend humanity" or attack Salem.

Brutal, horrible, and sorrowful decisions he had made.

He knew it well: no matter how powerful and egotistical Izuku became, the greatest threat to humanity was still himself.

That’s why Ozpin would give Izuku a chance. He could change—he was young and naive, after all.

...

Amber decided to break the silence, snapping Ozpin out of his thoughts.

"Ahem." Amber spoke purposefully to get Ozpin and Glynda's attention.

"So, is it confirmed that today’s my presentation?" she asked, looking at Ozpin and Glynda.

Presentation? What presentation, you might ask.

Well, it turned out that...

"Of course. It’s time they see Beacon’s strength and understand that this academy isn’t defenseless, much less an easy target for them," Glynda said calmly.

"And of course, it’s also time for them to witness your incredible power. You’re one of the strongest Maidens I’ve ever known, and you’re still very young. It’s time they stop underestimating you and sending fools to try to kill you. Today, you’ll show them who the Fall Maiden is—who Amber is," Ozpin said with pride, making Amber’s smile grow even wider.

("They already know who you are, where you are, and that you’re the Maiden. I shouldn’t keep you caged your whole life.") Ozpin thought with serenity.

After being confined to the academy for so many years and moved from continent to continent to train in places she didn’t even know existed for her safety, she was finally strong enough to take care of herself.

"Yes, damn it!" Amber cheered, raising her arms in delight.

Ozpin/Glynda: "Language." They said, making Amber abruptly stop her celebration.

"Ugh, boring old people."

"Who are you calling old, young lady?!" Glynda snapped, making Amber shiver.

...

...

...

...

Izuku and Yang walked behind Ruby, who was rambling endlessly about the weapons of each student with a big smile.

"Oh my God, look at that! It’s a shotgun that transforms into a chainsaw! Can you imagine how fun it’d be to use that against the Grimm?! Haha." Ruby chattered, oblivious to the path ahead.

Yang and Izuku looked at her, confused about how someone could switch from being angry to happy so quickly. Just minutes ago, she had been lecturing them like street dogs after their fight.

That was until another Bullhead arrived, unloading more students with their respective weapons, making Ruby lose all interest in them and start marveling at everyone’s hunting tools.

"How much time do we have until we need to listen to the headmaster’s speech?" Izuku asked with a disinterested expression.

Yang checked her Scroll before putting it away.

"Half an hour. We still have time to explore more of Beacon," Yang said calmly.

"Hm..." Izuku responded with a dull expression.

"Yup..."

"Hahaha! Guys, look! Those are two swords that transform into a bow! I saw it in the weapons commission last month, but I didn’t think anyone would have it yet." Ruby kept babbling.

...

Knowing Ruby was in her own world and likely wouldn’t listen until every student disappeared or she finished inspecting all their weapons, Yang decided to have a quick chat with Izuku to resolve some doubts.

"Hey, shorty, I’ve got some questions, and I need you to answer them."

A vein popped on Izuku’s forehead as he glared at her irritably.

"Call me shorty again, and I swear I’ll—ugh, whatever. Spit out your questions; I might answer truthfully, or maybe not. Who knows?~"

"Tsk, fine. How did you get information about my mother? I’ve been searching for any trace of her across the kingdom but found nothing."

Izuku shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Internet," he said simply.

Yang stared at him for a few seconds, thinking it was a joke.

"Is that a joke or—"

"No. Your mother belongs to a trashy bandit clan that kills and loots villages. The group's name is—"

"Branwen. Yeah, I know. I read it in your reports," Yang said with a heavy tone. It was hard to learn about that.

She planned to confront her father about it—why he hadn’t told her—but with Beacon enrollment so close, she didn’t want to leave on bad terms.

"Well, once I found out she was still with that garbage clan, the rest was simple. I just followed the trail of that crappy group, and everything else was easy."

"I see..."

Izuku yawned. "Any other questions?"

That snapped Yang out of her trance. She shook her head and thought.

"Hmm, oh right. During our fight, you said you didn’t work for Junior. So why did you decide to fight me?"

"Because I love fighting. You should’ve figured that out by now. I saw you were strong and decided to kick your face in—and also copy your power. Simple as that," he said with a cocky grin.

A vein popped on Yang’s forehead.

"You decided to fight me because you wanted to?! You’re—"

"Save your words. I don’t care. You gave me an entertaining fight, so I decided to reward you with information about your mother, which is what you were looking for."

"But... how did you know she was my mother?"

("Crap,") Izuku thought.

"Doesn’t matter. I just knew."

Yang clenched her fists in anger at his vague answer, clearly unhappy with the lack of information.

"Last question. Make it quick."

("Hm, I wanted to ask him more things. I guess that’ll be for another time. For now, I’ll ask the most important one.") Yang thought.

"...Tsk, fine. Since when have you been a Faunus? I don’t remember seeing your tail during our fight. Also, about your semblance—you have several very different abilities. I doubt it’s just one. Plus, you managed to copy my semblance. How did you copy it, and how does your semblance work? Was it from watching me use it, or was there another reason?"

("Hmm, perceptive. Good thing she’s not as stupid as I thought.")

"That was more than one question, you damned mule. But fine. I’ve always been a Faunus; I just hide my tail well. As for my semblance, I can essentially copy, grant, or take semblances. That’s all I’ll say. I’m tired now." He stuffed his hands into his pockets.

Yang was stunned by Izuku’s semblance. It was so versatile and had so much potential that she felt a tinge of envy.

Just as she was about to speak, Glynda Goodwitch’s voice came through the speakers, announcing that the headmaster’s speech would begin shortly and all students needed to be present.

Izuku stood up, excited.

"Finally! Let the fun begin."

Yang was equally thrilled, so she quickly went over to her sister.

"Alright, sis, let’s go." She grabbed Ruby by the cloak, who was still muttering about weapons.

"Huh?! No, wait! I haven’t seen the weapons of the students over there yet! Let me gooo!" Ruby protested as she was dragged along.

As they walked leisurely, Izuku caught sight of someone he immediately recognized.

("Oh, I almost forgot you appear here and know Ruby. Same with Jaune.") Izuku thought, watching the young woman who wouldn’t stop ordering her... bodyguards or whatever they were.

"Handle those things carefully, or I’ll fire you myself, you brutes!" a white-haired girl barked at her assistants, who were carrying her Dust-filled luggage.

"Y-yes, Miss Schnee!" one of them stammered.

"R-right away!"

"O-of course!"

Midoriya watched Weiss with amusement as she impatiently supervised her men carrying her belongings.

("Weiss Schnee, one of the best characters in RWBY according to most fans. I can’t wait to see your face when a 'faunus' humiliates you~") thought Izuku, laughing quietly to himself.

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

The End.

Translated by AI

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

"Got you adam~"