Welcome to the beginning of the story, Did you enjoy the Prologue? I hope you did!
Now, Here we go! Please sit down and enjoy.
Act 01-1: Welcome to- Wait, This Isn't Mafia Town...
Her ears were ringing as she slowly regained her consciousness.
What had happened? Was her first question when she could feel her body once again, As pain flared throughout her entire body. Even her head throbbed so bad, She felt like she ate far too much sugar last night.
But she knew very well that was not what happened to her.
All she could remember happening was her getting dragged inside the Rift, Then... Flash! Everything went black.
She groaned as she tried to push herself up, But stopped when she felt like her arm was on fire. Searing pain surged through her arm, Making her yelp in pain and fall back down.
It looked like she would have to stay lying down for now, Her body ached far too much for her to get back up. She would recover soon, Maybe.
Where was she? She could feel the soft grass on her face, And she could hear some birds chirping around her. So she was in a forest? Maybe she was just flung back out to the Subcon Forest.
Wait.
Subcon Forest didn't have birds.
She groaned and somehow managed to roll over, Bright blue sky and green trees greeting her in return. It was somewhat calming and peaceful. She gazed around herself, Constantly shuffling in pain as she was still hurt from the previous travel of hers.
She was somewhere else, Subcon's sky did not look like that. It was always filled with the dark purple fog, Or black smokes. And there would never be any beautiful gardens in the Forest, All the trees there were dead.
After awhile of just laying still there, She felt somewhat better and pulled herself over, Her limbs screaming in protest. But she had to get up and find out just where she ended up.
With a huff, She managed to push herself up and stand up with both of her legs, Confused eyes scanning the forest around her. Alright, First, Gather some information.
She grunted and took a painful step forward. Then she took another, And another, And another. The more steps she took, The harder it was to take the next step.
Without knowing where to go, Wounded and confused, Hat Kid wandered around the forest for a long time. Everything seemed hopeless for her, As the green forest seemed to continue on for an eternity.
She was getting slower by every moment, And her body was getting more tired after every single step she took.
The pain in her legs was slowly starting to get overwhelming, And she couldn't walk for much longer.
She decided to take a moment to rest and recover, Taking her place beneath a large tree that looked just the same with every other trees around her.
She sat down, Leaning her back on the tree trunk as she sighed as she slowly took in her breath, Her pain slowly subsiding, Even if by a little.
She wondered if anyone inside her spaceship noticed her disappearance. How long had she been unconscious, Anyway?
As she was resting by the tree, The bushes in front of her shuffled, Making a loud noise and surprising her.
"Who's there?" She quickly shouted out, Her umbrella finding it's way to her hand in mere moments.
Quickly swapping her hat to the Brewing Hat, She prepared for anyone that might come out from the bush...
"My, What is a little girl such as yourself doing out here? It's dangerous to go alone, Even with that... Weapon in your hands." A calm voice spoke out, And it was quickly revealed that it belonged to a tall man with silver hair, Who stepped out of the bush with a cane in his hands, Startling her.
She raised her umbrella towards him, The other hand preparing an explosive potion just in case anything happened.
"There is no need, I mean no harm at all." The man raised both of his hands, Showing a sign of peace. So in response, She raised down her umbrella, And the potion she summoned earlier simply popped out of reality, Disappearing into a cloud of smoke.
"I simply came here to... Assist somebody in need, If they wish it, Of course." The man explained, Putting his hands down.
That was nice, But how did he know that she was in trouble? She just arrived here.
But... All those suspicions aside, She really wanted to get out of this stupid forest, She was getting sick of all this green.
Maybe, Just maybe she would trust him for once?
"I need help." She simply said, Putting her umbrella aside.
"Very well, Come along, I will lead you to a safe area, And we can converse there." The man smiled and responded, Mentioning for her to follow and moving along the way.
She gladly followed him, Her tired legs somewhat being able to function. She was still wobbling around a lot, Though. She really needed a break.
"I have a lot of questions that I want to ask you, Ms...?" The man asked her, Though she barely heard it.
"...Oh, It's... ah, Hat Kid." She responded with a huff, Exhausted and out of breath from the pain.
"Quite an unique name indeed, Though if you do not mind me asking, Do you require any medical assistance? You seem to be in a lot of pain." To be quite honest, She was. Maybe a Heart Pon or two could help her out.
"Yep, My leg hurts..." She gasped out, Still unused to the pain in her leg from both walking too much, And enduring such a travel.
"We're almost there, I believe you will be able to receive some medical assistance once we reach my academy." An academy? She never heard of an academy. But she could use some help anyway...
"Oh, And my name would be Ozpin, It is a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Hat kid."
"...Okay." She said in response, Her Brewing Hat had been long replaced by the Sprint Hat, But she never had any stamina left to run or summon a scooter.
The man named Ozpin pulled out a weird object, Maybe a cellphone of sorts. He tapped it a few times, And spoke.
"Hmm? Ah, Yes. Please send them down, Glynda."
Putting the weird object away, Ozpin turned back to stare at her.
"The medical team should be here in some time, But while we wait for them, I must insist that I need to ask you a few questions, Ms. Hat Kid." He said to Hat Kid, Making her frown but nod nonetheless.
"Very good, Let us take a seat, You look worn out, Though it was a short walk." She took offense from that, Her leg was hurt really badly! And probably everywhere else in her body too.
Grumbling, She sat down by the tree, Sighing as she felt some pain leave her legs. Her legs were killing her.
"Let us start from the very beginning, Shall we? Are you willing to explain further about who you are?" That was a very personal question, And she didn't really like answering personal questions.
"I'm Hat Kid." She simply put it at there, And refused to talk any further about herself.
"Is that really all you are? Just a small child with a hat? I'm afraid I see much more than that in you." He asked her, His eyes carefully scanning over her hat and her umbrella.
"That's all I am, What I do or did doesn't make me different from any others, Or what I look like, I guess..." She mumbled, Her hands slightly touching her hurt legs, But pulling back at the sense of stinging pain.
"That is a good mindset indeed, But we are here to talk about yourself. Perhaps you can tell me where you drifted off from?" Ozpin further questioned her, Making her shuffle uncomfortably.
"It's... Far from here, All I'm talking about, I'm sorry." Ozpin raised his eyebrows in question at that, But decided to stop bothering her with the same question.
"Very well, Then may I ask, Are you related to, Or perhaps do you know about any strange events that have been occuring lately?" Strange events? What strange events? She just arrived here!
"I'm sorry, But I just got here, What events?" She asked, Frowning.
"There has been some... Incidents, Happening around in the city of Vale, And almost all of it ended with some... Deadly results. And I fear that all of such incidents are linked to certain relics of interest." That got her interested, Powerful relics causing troubles? That sounded way too familiar.
"What kind of relics?" As she mumbled, She stared at Ozpin with eyes filled with seriousness.
"It is a sort of-" His words were cut off as a fairly big airship looking thing landed down on the opening, Surprising her with the loud noise.
"It looks like they've arrived, We will continue this after we take care of your injuries." Ozpin told her as he stood up, Motioning her to follow.
She slowly pushed herself back again, And followed Ozpin with slow and painful steps, Climbing inside the airship.
"Please do take a seat, It is going to be a short ride, But I do not want you to fall over." She listened to Ozpin's half-joking tone, Taking the empty seat and giving him a thumbs-up.
The airship lifted off sooner than she thought it would, And she watched and enjoyed the scenery as she peeked over the window.
'Woah, I think I've never seen this place before.' She thought as she gazed around the area with surprised eyes.
It was... Beautiful unlike the Subcon Forest, But it was...
Wrong. Twisted? The feelings her top hat gave off was not pleasant at all, Unlike the forest.
She sighed, It was a problem to worry about after she got her injuries fixed. She leaned on the seat, And closed her eyes as her body slowly relaxed.
Maybe a nap would make her feel better on the way.
Ozpin calmly watched this... Hat Kid, Close her eyes as she leaned back on the seat.
When he first saw her arrive, He would be lying if he said he wasn't worried at all.
Of course, The worry was for both her and Vale, As recent incidents have caused quite a few problems for him.
The sheer amount of paperworks he had because of them was unforgettable, And new problems were rising every day.
Her way of arrival was quite bizzare as well, As she literally... Appeared out of nowhere.
There were no traces of any Semblances, No Dust, Just the child and the Emerald Forest. How strange.
He had to worry if this child was linked to the recent issues that spiked up inside Vale and other kingdoms.
Maybe a coincidence, Maybe they were related.
Well, He supposed his questions could be anwsered after they reached Beacon.
He just wished so for the sake of Vale, And the people within.
She blinked her eyes as she slowly woke up on her warm bed, But she wanted to sleep more.
She snuggled inside the warm bed, Sighing as she expected the alarm to wake her up any minute...
Wait, She wasn't inside her ship.
She bolted up from the bed, White sheets and plain roof greeting her.
Oh, Yeah... Ozpin, Some kind of academy... Maybe she was in some sort of a medical room?
The room was sort of empty, And it seemed very quiet. Wasn't anybody there?
And most importantly, Her belongings were all placed on a small table next to the bed. Thankfully, None of it was missing, Including all of her hats, Badges and even her umbrella.
And also, She was feeling much much better, Although the bandages she felt around her arms and legs felt a little too overkill.
She hopped off the bed, Putting her top hat on her head and adjusting the angle.
Until she noticed a certain note with some handwritings.
I will be in my office to take care of some paperwork.
Until I am done, You can roam around and get used to the students and teachers, I am sure you'll handle it well.
And do get yourself comfortable, You are welcome here.
When you think you are ready to continue our conversation, You can always find me in my office.
If you are lost on your way, Do not be afraid to ask anyone you may find inside the way.
Ozpin
Huh, Looks like she would have to find his office later.
It shouldn't be too much of a problem!
Shoving the note inside her seemingly bottomless pocket, She picked up the rest of her belongings and walked up to the door.
She opened it and stepped out, Slowly closing the door behind her and looking around.
Huh, Hallways. Long, Boring, And gray.
She hated hallways, Especially after her visit to Vanessa's manor.
Nonetheless, She began to walk forward, Her hat unable to guide her, Since there were no Time Pieces or an object of interest nearby.
She looked around the boring gray hallways, Finding no one but herself as she walked by.
Oh well, She would find some people if she were to walk around the entire academy.
Consumed by her thoughts, She wandered around the academy buildings for quite a while, And she was unsure if she was either awake too early or too late.
She thought she would surely find someone, Maybe she was wrong? An academy is supposed to have a lot of people, Right?
Her train of thoughts were cut off as she heard a really loud scream.
"What?! Did you say 9 o'clock?"
"Uh, Umm..."
"It's 8:55, You dunce!"
A group of people in some sort of a uniform bolted out from the doors.
And then she was swarmed by what seemed to be a group of colorful and panicked older girls, Leaving her spinning and dizzy.
While she was regaining her balance, She heard another voice.
"We're gonna be late!"
And thus, She was left spinning again.
After she regained her balance, She looked back, What was that all about? She needed to find them so she could ask them some questions, Maybe!
She put her Sprint Hat on, And followed behind them.
After running for a short time, She saw the people going into some sort of a classroom.
Well, That explained the uniforms they were wearing.
Hmm, Maybe she could just wait. She hated boring classes, And she wasn't so sure if she was welcome to just budge inside.
And so, She sat and leaned on the wall, Keeping herself busy with some toys she managed to bring from the ship.
"Monsters! Demons. Prowlers of the night!"
And that spiked her interest, There were scary monsters in this world?
Maybe she could have a little peek...
As she slowly and quietly opened the door, She saw some boards with scary looking drawings, Probably the monsters the teacher was explaining.
Speaking of the teacher, He was currently busy lecturing.
"Yes, The creatures of Grimm have many names, But I merely refer to them as prey! Haha!"
The entire classroom went silent And she rolled her eyes. She silently shut the door again, Maybe she could peek back inside once she heard something exciting going on.
"Blah, Blah blah blah, Blah blah blah blah blah."
"Blah blah blah blah, Blah blah, Blah. Blah blah blah!"
After a long and boring speech which she blocked out most of, She was starting to get really, Really bored.
But she heard something interesting.
"So, Who among you believes themselves to be the embodiment of these traits?"
"I do, sir!"
"Well then, Let's find out! Step forward, and face your opponent!"
There was a fight going on inside there? Just what kind of academy was this? She opened the door again and peeked inside for a moment, And there was something moving inside the large cage, And she absolutely did not like that.
Then there was a girl in white with a sharp rapier in her hands in the middle of the room, Possibly preparing to fight something inside the cage. Oh well, Might as well watch for a bit, It couldn't hurt, Right?
"Go, Weiss!"
"Fight well!"
"Yaaah! Represent Team RWBY!"
Few more voices cheered her along, Then the girl now named Weiss turned back and sent a glare at someone, Possibly the one who shouted out so loud.
"Ruby! I'm trying to focus!"
Who in the world screamed at their own teammates when they were just trying to cheer her up? She definitely wouldn't. Though she was sure that it was quite distracting...
"Oh, Uhm... Sorry!" The girl named Ruby's voice responded with an apologetic voice as Weiss took her stance with the sword again.
"Alright! Let the match begin!" The professor shouted as he broke the cage's lock with a very large shotgun-axe, Which reminded her of the Mafia Boss' weapon of choice.
Immediately, The creature inside the cage rushed out, Revealing itself to be a boar-like monster with huge amounts of white armor on it's body and head, And not to mention that it had four eyes.
Weiss did manage to deflect the creature's charge with her rapier, Which was impressive considering it's size. She rolled to the sides, Expecting the boar-like creature to make another rushed move, Maybe. But it backed off far away from Weiss, Seemingly studying her from a safe distance.
They had some sort of an intelligence? That sorta surprised her.
"Haha! Wasn't expecting that, Were you?" The professor said as he observed the fight, And another voice found it's way to Weiss.
"Hang in there, Weiss!" That was probably Ruby cheering Weiss, It was a kind action, But wouldn't it distract her from the fight?
As if Weiss heard that and got angry, She rushed forward to stab her rapier into the creature's head, But as bold as the action was, It was very predictable, Even for the boar, It seemed as it trapped the rapier between it's tusks.
The poor girl was still hanging onto the handle, Being wildly swung around by the beast as she attempted to get her rapier back.
"Bold! A new approach, I like it!" The professor said out loud, It seemed like he had quite of an unique characteristics.
"Come on, Weiss! Show it who's boss!" That voice was Ruby's again, And it made Weiss turn her head to glare at Ruby for a split second before the creature turned and twisted, Ripping the sword out of Weiss' hand.
The sword slid across the room, Skidding to a stop far away from Weiss.
Oh no! What was she going to do without a weapon? Was she supposed to rush in there and save her? What if the girl got hurt because of her?
"Oh-ho! Now what will you do without your weapon?" The teacher's comment didn't help with the situation.
The boar charged at the unarmed girl, But thankfully Weiss managed to roll out of the way just in time, And also make a run for her sword! Meanwhile, The boar-like monster crashed into the desk right behind her.
Now with her sword back in her hand, She could fight back.
Hat Kid sighed in relief as Ruby shouted out again. "Weiss! Go for it's belly! There's no armor plates under the-"
"Stop telling me what to do!" Weiss glared at Ruby with a furious gaze. Now that was kind of rude, She was only just trying to help!
But as she was glaring at Ruby, The creature leaped up into the air and rolled up into a ball, Gaining more and more speed until it charged straight at her.
Something weird happened then, A transparent, Blue snowflake-shaped barrier appeared out of nowhere in front of the girl in white, Weiss, Stopping the creature in it's tracks and making it fall over on it's back.
Huh, Was that magic? Odd.
Weiss jumped high up, Then another one of those magical barriers appeared above her. She leaped off of it to speed herself towards the monster, Stabbing it in the stomach and finishing the creature off.
She silently cheered, That was so cool!
Weiss sighed in relief, Pulling the sword out of the motionless beast.
"Bravo, Bravo! It appears that we are indeed in the presence of a true Huntress in training!" Huh, A Huntress? Well, That explained a lot about this academy.
"I'm afraid that's all the time we have for now, Be sure to cover the assigns readings, And stay vigilant! Class dismissed!" The teacher said out loud, And the girl in white was the first to give a glare and walk towards the exit.
She had no time to close the door and back off before Weiss roughly pushed the door open, Knocking her back.
She didn't even bother to apologize or question her about watching their class, Angrily marching through the hallway.
But after a moment, A girl with black hair, and silver eyes rushed out of the door, Her worried eyes focused on Weiss. "Weiss! Wait, Weiss!"
Then she turned back towards Hat Kid, Who was currently knocked down from Weiss forcefully pushing the door open.
"Are you okay? I'm so sorry, I don't know what's wrong with her! Just stay here, I'll come back in a bit!" The girl quickly apologized to her before rushing to attempt on catching up to Weiss.
From the voice, She could tell that this was indeed Ruby, The girl who most likely irritated Weiss.
Though there was nothing she really knew about the situation, She wanted to follow them for some reason.
Well, She still needed to ask some questions... Might as well, Right?
It would be nice if she could gather some information after the situation calmed down a bit.
Maybe she would follow them. She slowly walked behind them, Not knowing that there was someone silently watching her.
To her disappointment, Ruby did manage to catch up to Weiss.
"Weiss!"
Weiss turned back while giving a furious glare to Ruby and the small child that was far behind her she didn't care much about at the time.
"What?"
"What's wrong with you? Why are you being so-" She was having no more of that, So she cut her off without any mercy.
"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you?! You're supposed to be a leader, And all you have been doing so far is be a nuisance!" She angrily shouted at her oh so special leader who scoffed and looked at her, And the child behind her frowned, Clearly unamused by her words.
"Me? What did I do?" That was exactly the problem.
"That's just it! You've done nothing to earn your position! Back in the forest, You acted like a child. And so far, You've only continued to do so!" Weiss shouted at Ruby, Possibly hurting her, But she didn't care.
The child behind Ruby flinched at her screaming as well, Still just standing behind Ruby, Not knowing what to say.
Although she indeed was glaring at her, Possibly angry from what she said.
"Weiss, Where is this coming from? What happened to everything about 'working together as a team'? I thought you believed in acting as a team!" Ruby almost looked like she was going to cry any moment, Deeply hurt by her anger.
"Not a team led by you. I've studied and trained so hard, And quite frankly, I deserve better." But Ruby's emotion didn't mean a thing to her.
"Weiss, Wait-" Ruby tried to reach out to Weiss, But she had already turned back, Beginning to walk away.
"Ozpin made a mistake." Weiss said as she didn't wait to hear Ruby's response, Leaving her behind.
She quickly left the scene, Leaving a broken Ruby and a strange child behind.
She needed some time alone.
What was that girl's problem? She was so rude!
After all that screaming and shouting, She even had the guts to call somebody a mistake? That really made her mad. And it also upset the other girl, Ruby.
She desperately tried to get Ruby's attention, Pulling her arms while smiling encouragingly while looking up at her.
"Do you think I'm a mistake too?" Ruby mumbled out as Hat Kid shook her head, Still smiling at her. She thought she could be a great leader! Anyone could with enough training.
And after all, Ruby was nice enough to look after her teammates and cheer them up as well, So she seemed like a nice person.
She gave her a small pat on the arm, And it was odd to receive a pat from such a small and young child for Ruby.
Hopefully it still made her feel better.
"Hmm, That did not seem to have gone very well." Surprised from hearing the voice speak so suddenly, Ruby and she both turned back to face the source of the voice.
And there Ozpin stood, Sipping his coffee as he somehow appeared behind them with a cane on his other hand.
Ruby looked at him, Quietly mumbling.
"Is she right? Did you make a mistake picking me as a leader?" Ozpin chuckled, responding with a vague answer.
"That remains to be seen, Ms. Rose."
Ruby seemed to be confused, And Hat Kid was just standing by her side, Staring at Ozpin.
"What do you mean?" Ruby asked, Confused about his answer.
"I mean, It has only been one day, Ruby. I've made more mistakes than any man, Woman, And child on this planet. But I do not consider your appointment to be a leader one of them." After giving his answer to Ruby, He leaned forward to look directly at Ruby.
"Do you?"
"Being a team leader isn't just a title you carry into the battle, But a badge you wear constantly. If you're not always performing at your absolute best, Then what reason do you give others to follow you?" Ruby thought about it for a moment, And nodded with a small smile.
And after all, He did have a point. Hat Kid agreed that no one would follow an incapable leader.
While she was busy thinking, Ozpin turned his back to Ruby and Hat Kid, Still talking. "You have been burdened with a daunting responsibility, Ruby. I advise you to take some time and think about how you're going to uphold it."
"Oh, And Hat Kid? Do spend some time with my students, I think you may enjoy their company. We can discuss about serious issues later." She smiled and nodded, She would enjoy talking to some of them!
"Okay!" She responded with a cheerful voice, And Ozpin slowly walked away, Leaving Ruby and Hat Kid behind.
"Oh, I guess you can talk, Hi." Ruby said to Hat Kid who nodded and waved back, She didn't like talking too much, But she did speak whenever she wanted to.
"I'm sorry for all the sudden fighting and stuff, I guess I didn't act like a real leader in front of Weiss. Oh, I'm Ruby! In case you didn't hear it." She giggled lightly, Motioning that it was fine.
"Hat Kid!" She told Ruby her name with a bright smile, Who nodded and smiled back.
"That name suits you, I like your hat! It's cute." Ruby laughed as she lightly tapped her hat, Making Hat Kid adjust the angle again.
"Oh, Right! I gotta go study and stuff, Since I slept through almost the entire class. Weiss is probably still angry at me for that... You wanna help me out?" Hat Kid shrugged and nodded, She had nothing to lose.
"Alright then! Let's go study!" Ruby and Hat Kid cheered together as Ruby lead Hat Kid to the library.
Hi, That one guy here, Enjoyed reading this chapter? I certainly hope so!
Hattie doesn't really like interrupting people's business, Huh?
Well, She's quite of a quiet character when others are talking in the game, And also, She doesn't like being involved in personal issues.
Which is why she didn't interfere while Weiss was screaming at Ruby.
Though that doesn't mean that she's careless, She tried to cheer Ruby up while she was left discouraged by Weiss.
Anyway, I'm here to drop off a few more infos about Hattie.
She's about 1.27 meters tall, Which is 30cm shorter than Ruby.
I was planning to make her slightly taller, But from the official game, She is seen to be very smol and precious.
So, I made her very smol and precious. :)
Which explains why she is very light, Since she can jump twice in the air, You know?
Her badge setup is usually 4 badges, Consisting of:
Hover Badge (Allows her to float and fall slowly with her umbrella open)
Hookshot Badge (Allows her to shoot a hook from her umbrella like a Grappling Hook, Attaches to most surfaces and allows her to swing around)
Heartseeker Badge (Absorbs kinetic energy to generate Heart Pons, 3 Landed umbrella swings generate 1, And 2 hits taken generate 1 as well. Paired with the Channeling Badge, 1 Kinetic Energy-Channeled umbrella hit generates a Heart Pon, Making it a powerful combination.)
A badge of her choice
Her selection allows her to be very mobile and restorative, As you can see.
And I forgot to mention that using her hat abilities drains her stamina, The Time Stop Hat being the most costly choice.
If she overuses them, Some bad things can happen.
And due to that reason, The Fast Hatter Badge has been remade in this story to provide Hat Kid an easier time recovering from the usage of her stamina.
And also, I made a few changes with her outfits as well.
She wears a slightly different attire, Since her old outfit got fairly damaged while fighting with all the foes she's been, And the Death Wish Contracts.
During the Death Wishes, Her outfit got damaged severely, So she had some time to "customize" it whilst repairing it again.
Currently, She wears a shirt with some small yellow ribbons on each of her wrist, And also she has a small hourglass amulet on her neck which glows slightly, Pulsing with energy.
And her pants are just slightly darker in color.
But asides from that, She's our usual Hat Kid!
I think...?
Anyway, That was a dragged out A/N, See you guys in the next chapter!