RWBY: Innocence

No More Tricks

"Alright Torchwick, listen up. This fight is going to be just you, me and nobody else. This isn't a battle to the death, as much as I wish it was. I don't want to see any members of the White Fang during our fight, understand? If I do, Yang is gonna join in. Is that clear?"

"Sure kiddo, I came alone so I'll fight alone!"

Kenzo and Torchwick stood before each other in the dark forest, ready for battle. Thunderclouds were rolling in from the sky, ready to send in a storm fit for the atmosphere of the oncoming fight. Yang watched from a distance, worried for her lover and ready to step in if things went haywire.

"So Kenzo, where's your sword that's clearly compensating for something? Don't tell me you left it behind?" Torchwick called out.

Kenzo shook his head, knowing that he had deliberately left EMZ behind at the camp. But he had made a plan. It had all started with Miss Goodwitch...

********

"Each of you will be assigned one rocket-propelled locker to store your weapons and extra armour. Additionally, your locker can be sent to a custom location based on a six-digit code."

"How can we bring our Locker to our location, Miss Goodwitch?"

"Excellent question Kenzo. The Tablet Device you received this morning is called a Scroll. It comes with every contact number in Beacon Academy, an analysis of your Aura and Semblance and access to your Locker, depending on if you remember the six-digit code. The Scroll has a constant connection to your Locker, so do not worry about connection statuses."

"Right...Got it..."

********

Quick as a flash of lightning, Kenzo shoved his hand into his pocket and mashed in the code on his Scroll. A crack of thunder shot through the sky and like a fiery meteorite, his Locker shot down from the dark sky and slammed down behind Kenzo. The impact shattered the earth behind him, but Kenzo took no notice as he taunted Torchwick with a mocking smile. Kenzo then walked towards his Locker to retrieve EMZ, leaving Torchwick awestricken.

"Honestly, kids these days with their fancy gadgets..." He muttered to himself.

Kenzo couldn't help but laugh as he pulled EMZ out of its case and turned to face his opponent.

"Says the guy who has a Cane that can be used as a Gun!" Kenzo retorted.

Kenzo watched Torchwick smile at his weapon and pushed EMZ deep into the soil beneath him. The thunderstorm began to grow even stronger as his Aura began to boil within him, becoming more volatile by the second. He stared at Torchwick and noticed that his smile was beginning to grow wider. He could feel his heart racing, pounding against his chest as Lazarus began to creep out from the depths of his soul.

Before that, Kenzo reached into his pocket and pulled out a Blue Water Dust crystal as well as a White Air Dust crystal. He dropped them on the floor in front of him, taking note that Torchwick didn't attempt to steal the Dust for himself.

Now he was fully ready to fight.

"Hey Torchwick...You said you wanted to see Lazarus, right?" He growled at his opponent.

Torchwick nodded slowly, gritting his teeth with excitement. Kenzo nodded back at him and tensed his whole body, spitting on the floor and letting out a heavy growl.

"Alright then...Here he is..."

Leaning back and shutting his eyes tightly, Kenzo let out a ghastly howl that echoed for miles. The ground beneath him almost shattered as a Red light burst from his body and surrounded him with smoky clouds of dust. The light slowly dimmed after a moment and the dust settled, revealing Lazarus standing amongst the earthy rubble, cracking his knuckles and gritting his sharp teeth.

"At last!" Torchwick cried joyously, "I finally have you right where I want you!"

Lazarus paid no attention to the meaningless words and stared at Torchwick, secretly satisfied that he too had a chance to destroy his enemy once and for all. As the moonlight shone onto the forest and made everything clearer, both of the combatants adopted a fighting stance.

"Listen here, you little freak...I've had almost every single one of my plans ruined thanks to you! A Dust robbery in Mistral? Nope! A riot in Atlas? Not gonna happen! A bombing in Shion? Never ever! It's all because of you!" Torchwick ranted.

For once in his life, Lazarus let out a quiet and gravelly laugh. The noise was so undoubtedly haunting that Torchwick shivered with fear at the sickly sound. Torchwick's frustration and anger had entertained Lazarus from the very beginning, but it was only now that he was letting his amusement show.

"Ignore him...Stick to the plan..." Kenzo's voice echoed in his mind.

Switching his gaze from Torchwick to the Dust crystals in front of him, Lazarus lunged forwards and stuffed the crystals into his mouth, crunching them with his razor sharp teeth. Swallowing the remainder of the crystals, Lazarus hunched over and let out a long screeching sound as his body was engulfed in a Light Blue flame. His wings were set alight with the fire, his Cape practically burst into flames along with the rest of his body. After letting his body soak in the bright flames, he stood up straight and glared at Torchwick once more.

"Deja Vu..." Torchwick muttered at the sight of Lazarus burning.

Lazarus closed his eyes and partially opened his mouth, letting his long forked tongue lick his lips and drool slightly. As his tongue slithered back into his mouth, Lazarus turned to see Yang and gestured for her to leave. Yang obeyed and ran off, not wanting to irritate Lazarus.

"Aw...Sending off your girl?" Torchwick taunted.

Lazarus spread his wings and turned to face his opponent, flashing a horrendous smile. He watched Torchwick grasp his Cane and swing it through the air a few times, clearly showing signs that he wasn't fully prepared for the fight. Lazarus didn't need any preparation though; Torchwick was never a challenge from the beginning.

Then the Mutant pounced as the epic battle commenced....