Aoi Hyoudou: Thank you for your continued support. I am pleased that everyone has been enjoying the revival so far. Since everyone wanted to see RWBY, I decided to go with it for the next visit. However, I might include RWBY: Ice Queendom later for Ash's revisit. We will see.
X
Emerald Forest - I
Ash found himself experiencing a sense of deja vu as he cruised through space once more, continuing his journey after bidding farewell to his friends, Kim and Ron. So far, his travels had been free of any rough turmoil, with a smooth passage through the vast, quiet expanse of space. Despite this, Ash remained vigilant, keeping a watchful eye out for any obstacles that might emerge and disrupt his journey. After a few moments, just like before, the advanced visor system picked up life signals ahead and alerted him to pay attention to his destination. He saw a floating world with a structure resembling a school or dormitory and a tall tower standing behind it. The tower had several green lights and a complex clockwork mechanism on top. Surrounding the school was a beautiful forest. Ash was impressed with the level of detail and found this world quite appealing. He set his next course to Emerald Forest based on the information displayed on his visor.
Ash made a safe landing in the midst of the Emerald Forest. He proceeded with caution as he walked along a path that was known to be dangerous due to the presence of the Grimm creatures. His visor had provided him with information about the forest and the potential dangers that could be lurking there. So far, Ash has only encountered Shadows and Neoshadows. Luckily, he was able to defeat them quickly and continue his journey deeper into the forest. After a while, Ash started feeling uneasy, as if something wasn't quite right. Despite the sun being out and clear skies, the atmosphere was oddly quiet, with no local wildlife in sight. It made him wonder if the Grimms were responsible for their absence.
The Keyblade wielder stopped in his tracks as he heard some rustling in the bushes behind him. He turned his head towards the source of the sound and cautiously looked over. The rustling grew louder, creating an intense moment of uncertainty, but suddenly it subsided, leaving him in silence once again. Ash hesitated for a moment, considering walking over to check the bushes. However, as they rustled again, he decided it was better to keep walking. Whatever was causing the disturbance could be playing mind games or waiting for him to approach. Without sparing a second glance at the bushes, Ash proceeded forward, and they immediately stopped their strange behavior.
Ash trudged along an unfamiliar path without knowing where it was leading him. He was about to turn back and try a different route when he heard a faint cry for help coming from somewhere deep within the Emerald Forest. "Help..." he heard again. Startled, Ash glanced around searching for the source, but he saw nothing unusual. He wondered if this strange forest was playing tricks on him. Just as he was about to give up and leave, the cry for help resumed. "Help! Can anyone hear me? I need help!"
Ash didn't waste any time and darted into the forest, determined to help whoever was calling for help. He ran as fast as he could, his legs feeling like jelly, but the cries grew louder, giving him hope that he was headed in the right direction. As he entered the thicker part of the forest, Ash paused for a moment and called out to the voice. "Hello? Are you here? I'm here to help you!" When he didn't receive an immediate response, he wondered if he needed to go further. As he was getting ready to move on and explore another section of the area, a voice suddenly spoke up, causing him to pause in his tracks.
"Oh, finally! I thought no one would ever come."
"Um, where are you?" Ash looked around the area, but he couldn't spot anyone nearby.
"I'm up here!" the male voice explained, which didn't provide much clarity or assistance.
"Up where?" The Keyblade wielder seemed confused as he scanned the trees in front of him, but he still couldn't spot anyone.
"I'm up against this tree! Turn around!" The voice finally added some clarification
Ash obeyed the instructions and pivoted around to look up. His auburn eyes locked onto a young blonde man who seemed to be trapped in the tree, his hoodie caught on a spear that kept him in place. The man gave Ash a feeble wave, looking a bit sheepish about his situation.
"What are you doing up in the tree?" Ash asked, unable to resist the question even though he felt the answer might be inconvenient.
"This is a beautiful spot just to take in the view and enjoy the nice weather," he said sarcastically, crossing his arms and looking down at the confused teenager.
"How long have you been stuck up there?"
"Over half an hour," he said dejectedly in a whisper, his head slumping in defeat.
Ash sighed softly, realizing he couldn't just leave him hanging like that - no pun intended. It wouldn't be right on his part. "Hang on. I'll get you down." The blonde teen's eyes lit up in appreciation.
"Thanks, man, I owe you one."
The Keyblade wielder was just about to assist the hapless teen when he heard the rustling of a nearby bush. As he stood his ground, he spotted a young woman with pale skin, pale blue eyes, and long, white hair that was often tied back into an off-center ponytail. She had a scar running vertically down her left eye and face. Her attire included a strapless dress that reached her thighs, with a color gradation from white to pale blue at the hem, white wedged-heeled boots, and a thin white sash tied around her waist with a pouch attached to the back. Ash took a moment to watch the girl brush off the dirt from her clothes with a grumble. Her facial expression indicated that she was in a bad mood. When she noticed that Ash was looking at her and Jaune was waving, she looked up at Jaune before turning her gaze to Ash with narrowed eyes.
"Hm, you seem more capable than this dunce. And more reliable than that annoying brat back there." Ash cocked an eyebrow at the brat's statement. He needed to find out who she was talking about. "How about it? Is there any chance you would consider becoming my partner?" she requested with a curious look on her face, waiting patiently for his answer.
Ash stood there, looking dumbfounded at her sudden request. He couldn't seem to comprehend why she would want him to be her partner or what it was for. "Um, for what exactly?" Despite sensing that asking would make the girl suspicious, he couldn't resist and posed the question anyway. He was met with a raised eyebrow and a frustrated sigh from her.
"For Beacon's initiation, what else?" The girl responded with a hint of irritation in her voice as she crossed her arms and glared at the clueless teenager.
"O-Oh..." Ash gave the impression that he understood what she was saying, but in reality, it was all very foreign to him.
The white-haired girl let out a deep sigh, indicating her growing impatience with him. She gave him a cold and disappointed look as if to say she had had enough. "If you don't want to work together, just tell me," she said in a tone that was tinged with anger. She then stormed past him, causing Ash to furrow his brow in confusion.
"Hold on a sec!" The Keyblade wielder apologized to her for the misunderstanding and ran after her, leaving the young man stuck in the tree feeling frustrated and ignored.
"Guys! Come back! Don't leave me here all alone!"
As she strode through the dense foliage of the Emerald Forest, the young girl with silver eyes and black hair tipped with red kept a keen eye out for potential allies. Her striking ensemble comprised a long-sleeved black blouse with a high collar and red trim on the sleeves, a black waist cincher with laces up the front, and a matching skirt with red lining. She completed the look with thick black stockings, combat boots with red laces and trims, and a red hooded cloak fastened to her shoulders by cross-shaped pins that gave her an extra touch of flair. Despite her striking outfit, she had trouble finding anyone to team up with.
"Wish I could find Yang," she muttered her breath, thinking about her older sister.
The sound of voices approaching her soon disrupted her anxious thoughts. One voice was particularly recognizable. She turned her head toward the sound and saw that the white-haired girl was being followed by a black-haired teenager she had never seen before. "Stop following me and shut up!" the white-haired girl snapped at Ash, quickening her pace.
"I said I was sorry!" The scene depicts the Keyblade wielder trying to reconcile with the white-haired girl who seems to be ignoring him. Despite his efforts to express pity and sympathy towards her, she remained unfazed and continued to walk away from him with her head held high, seemingly uninterested in his attempts to make amends. Her puffed chest and closed eyes signaled her frustration, while a small pout on her lips indicated her stubbornness.
The black-haired girl was unsure about the nature of their relationship, but she was elated to see the white-haired girl coming back to her. "Weiss, y-" Weiss wasted no time in grabbing the back of the girl's hood and pulling her along. It was clear that Weiss was not interested in idle chatter or any unnecessary hindrances.
"Shut up, Ruby! We're leaving!" The ice princess scolded the young girl as she grumbled about Ash's rejection, even though it was all a misunderstanding. "I can't believe he turned me down," she muttered.
Ruby couldn't help but feel curious when she noticed Ash was still following them despite Weiss' issue with him. She wondered what his intentions were and why he seemed so persistent in staying close to them."Oh, who are you?" The temptation to inquire was too strong for her to ignore.
"I'm Ash," said the Keyblade wielder with a smile.
Ruby smiled and beamed back at him. "I'm Ruby. Ruby Rose."
"Nice to meet you, Ruby!"
Ruby gestured towards her partner and introduced her with a flick of her thumb, "And that's Weiss, always a bit of a stick in the mud." Weiss' eyebrow twitched with irritation, displeased with her partner's improper introduction and lack of consideration for her consent.
"Excuse you, but who said you can introduce me in such a manner like that?" Weiss felt a strong urge to lash out at Ruby for her unwavering stance on her personality, but she managed to control herself and instead gave her a sharp glare.
"Well, it's true!" Ruby crossed her arms while still being pulled along. "I tried to be nice to you, but you're always so mean!"
"That's because you're a child!" Without glancing back, Weiss snapped.
"And you're a spoiled princess!" Ruby retorted with a huff.
The partners were in the middle of a heated argument, and Ash felt uncomfortable being a part of it. He slowed down his pace to put some distance between himself and the girls. While they continued to argue, the Keyblade wielder had a nagging feeling that they were being watched.
At the edge of his vision, he caught sight of a figure in a black robe watching him from the depths of the forest. It was unusual that the figure didn't seem to hide their face. It was a young man with lightly tanned skin, golden eyes, and silver hair that fell past his shoulders in the back, with four bangs framing his face. When he looked at the Keyblade wielder, the man gave a smug smirk. Then, he gestured to Ash to follow him before disappearing into black particles. Although Ash had never met him before, he felt a strange urge to trust the young man and decided to follow him.
Weiss angrily spoke out, "You know what! Maybe I should partner with Ash, after all. At least he seems more competent than you!"
"As if Ash would ever want to team up with a spoiled princess like you!" Ruby's words stung Weiss like a slap to the face. Weiss opened her mouth to retaliate, but before she could say anything, Ruby turned to Ash for confirmation. "Right, Ash?" When no response came, Ruby noticed that Ash had disappeared. Panic set in as she wondered where he could have gone. "Where did Ash go?!"
Weiss suddenly came to a halt, her pace grinding to an abrupt stop. She looked down at the ground, her lips trembling as she nervously bit her lower lip. She couldn't help but wonder if her impulsive argument with Ruby had scared him off. People always saw her as the "Ice Queen" because of her tendency to push people away and rub them the wrong way due to her uptight and pushy personality. After a few moments, she shook her head and dismissed her worries. "Why bother? He was only going to hold us back. Let's move!" Weiss quickened her pace while Ruby couldn't help but glance back at the forest, feeling concerned, before following her partner.
Ash continued to run deeper into the Emerald Forest, determined to find the mysterious figure he had caught a glimpse of. As he ran, twigs, branches, and leaves snapped and rustled around him, and bushes swished by his movement. He couldn't shake off the feeling that the figure's face looked oddly familiar, as if it had triggered a lost memory. After a while, Ash realized he had lost track of the figure and stopped in the middle of an open area, unsure of which direction to go next.
"I could've sworn I saw him in this direction," Ash muttered to himself, trying to catch his breath while glancing around the dense forest. He wondered what his next move should be, as he had lost sight of the figure in the black coat and was now hopelessly lost in the wilderness.
As the young teenager went about his business, he remained completely unaware of the danger that lurked behind him. A massive creature made of pure darkness, with a bear-like appearance, stood silently watching him. Its body was covered in black fur, with bony spikes on its back and arms. The creature's white, bone-like masks with red detailing only added to its menacing appearance. The temperature suddenly dropped without warning, and the area around Ash grew dark, filling him with an ominous sense of foreboding.
As he slowly shifted his head around, he found himself face to face with Ursa, snarling and ready to pounce. The creature lunged forward at Ash, but before it could do any harm, a slash-like sound echoed through the forest and the once-terrifying Grimm slumped forward at his feet with a loud thud. Ash was stunned, trying to process what had just happened. Suddenly, he noticed the same figure he had seen earlier standing at a distance, holding a blade predominantly colored in different shades of blue and decorated with elaborate, spiked shapes. The tip was modeled after a stopwatch, while the teeth were diamond-shaped spikes connected by a black web structure similar to the design on the base of the top spire of Memory's Skyscraper. Ash's eyes widened in surprise when he realized the mysterious figure was holding a Keyblade.
"Is that...a Keyblade?!" His visitor gave him an evil and smug smirk as a response, confirming his suspicion that it was, in fact, a Keyblade.
And the plot thickens! I can imagine Young Xehnaort appearing out of the blue must have been quite unexpected. As for Ruby and Weiss, it sounds like they could benefit from some counseling to work on their friendship. And poor Jaune - it seems like he can't catch a break. It'll be interesting to see how the differences in the RWBY route play out, especially with a major battle already set for Ash, RWBY, and the others in the next chapter.