Disclaimer: I do not own any of the material appearing in this story. The OC's belong to their respective owners.
While Nyx and Co Were Heading To Face Donkey Kong
"Every night, it's the same dream… watching everything I love get destroyed by this… demon. Nuked. Obliterated… and that demon is the only one standing there watching everything burn, watching everyone burn alive and wanting to be saved for the torment only to be burned away…"
Pyrrha closed her eyes, lying down on a couch as a tear ran down her cheek. "I just… don't know if I can escape it. I was the one who destroyed Argus… my home. Even if I want to, I just… can't. And even if I try to confront it, I… can't do it."
She sighed. "I'm sorry if I haven't made much progress since our last visit…"
"Everyone handles their trauma differently. You shouldn't feel ashamed of this being a slow burn." Bereto said, giving her a small smile. "Therapy is handled differently by all too. Sometimes it takes months or even years, so don't feel ashamed if this is a slow burn."
"Right… but what do I do?"
"What I would suggest is listen to some easy listening music when you're about to fall asleep. It may help change your dreams a bit. Perhaps have someone cuddle with you-"
Pyrrha blushed at the thought, picturing Jaune snuggling up to her as they were sleeping.
Bereto noticed this blush, knowing exactly what she was thinking of, causing him to chuckle in amusement. "Something a lot cuter than Jaune, like perhaps-"
"Are you implying there's something cuter than Jaune?"
Bereto gestured over to Zwei. "I might have an idea or two."
"Oh. Right…" Pyrrha nodded, forgetting that Zwei was even there. "Dedede told me I should have a Kirby in my life as that would probably cheer me up."
"Indeed. You have told me that you had stopped smiling ever since you were rescued."
"It feels like I haven't…" Pyrrha mumbled.
"Being around those that care about you and finding your Kirby would probably bring that smile back. Of course, Nora's antics would make anyone smile at her."
"That's true."
Bereto stood up. "Same time in a few days?"
"Yeah…" Pyrrha stood up as Bereto went in to hug her. "Oh…!"
"You need this. Trust me." He said.
Pyrrha returned the hug, but a smile did not form. "Thank you…" She said softly.
Outside…
"Wait, time out a second!" Jaune said. "You're saying that Laxus actually faced Salem?"
"Oh yeah." Bisca nodded as she was sitting on a rock with Erza. "After Phantom Lord destroyed the guild, Salem paid Fairy Tail a visit and mocked Makaro-, er, Ozpin for having his strongest guild be destroyed. It was at the time that Laxus was around and heard her bashing everyone in Fairy Tail, including the S-Class Huntsmen who failed to save the guild. Now, keep in mind, everyone in Fairy Tail knew Salem couldn't be killed… even Laxus knew, but he wanted to beat her to a pulp to teach her a lesson."
"He got destroyed by her, didn't he?" Ren asked.
"Actually, Laxus managed to bruise her up pretty good, especially when he had the Thunder Legion with him. When Evergreen and Fried got hurt pretty bad, it turned into a one on one when Bickslow pulled them aside. Damn near turned Salem into paste too. She got a few good hits on him as well, but it would seem, at the time, Laxus and Salem were evenly matched. Then she said this:"
"I have to say, I'm impressed that Ozma managed to have someone strong enough to even match me. You have my… respect, boy. But do not think you have won easily."
"As a matter of fact, every time Salem and Laxus got stronger, they'd meet just out of Fiore to see who'd come out on top. And every time, Laxus would win, though Salem came close a few occasions." Alzack said.
"Mhm! …And then came the Dragon King Festival." Asuka sighed.
"From what the old man had gathered, he suspected Salem sent Amethyst to take care of Laxus, only wanting Mavis as a ruse. The moment Acnologia was killed and Laxus was distracted, Amethyst made her move. Ozpin believed she was sent so Salem could have the final victory. She knew about Mavis, but when Ozpin went to confront her:"
"I wasn't interested in the Spring Maiden this time… "Makarov". I simply wanted to get rid of that road block that's been a thorn in my side for years."
"So Amethyst was originally there for my grandson? Not for Mavis?"
"You would be correct."
"Amethyst is dead. I made sure of it. She did not shatter the crystal prison she made for him."
"But he's imprisoned. That's all that matters. I have won, Ozma."
"Salem… I swear…!"
"Don't you have some funerals to attend to? After all, they're your "family", as you had put it."
There was some venom in the word "family".
"Your "grandson" is no longer your concern. Try as you'd like, the boy is doomed the moment you start breaking him out. I no longer have to endure those hard hitting electrical attacks. Good riddance."
"Sheesh… that stinks…" Jinx said before chuckling. "Bet she's feeling really stupid now that the big guy's out."
"I don't think she knows Laxus is free." Erza said. "...That being said, I want to see the look on her face when she sees Laxus alive and well."
"Heh, I can just picture it now." Bisca chuckled.
At that moment, the front door opened as everyone looked to see Pyrrha walking out of the home with Bereto.
"How is she?" Jaune asked.
"Slow and steady, that's for sure." Bereto said. "It's slow, but progress is progress regardless."
"I'm… surprised you'd wait for me. Though I guess mom didn't want to stay…"
"Actually, she said she wanted to surprise you with something, so she had to hurry home." Erza said as she hugged her, as did JNR and Jinx.
Pyrrha closed her eyes, feeling the warm embrace of her friends… yet she didn't crack a smile as much as she wanted to.
"Now come on, let's go get some pancakes to cheer us all up!" Nora said. "...Not Cafe Cirrostratus though. The management there has been totally totalitarian these days, especially when they kept banning folks left and right for the silliest of reasons."
"There's always MKHoP." Ren said. "Mushroom Kingdom's House of Pancakes."
"Oh yeah~! We're their best customer too~!" Nora smiled.
"Tinka Tinka!" Magnhild grinned.
"I… could eat." Pyrrha nodded.
"Alright, let's go!" Jinx smiled as they headed off.
"Take care!" Bereto waved. "Pyrrha… I wish you the best. You're gonna need it."
A few minutes later…
BGM: Toad Town (Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story plus Bowser Jr's Journey)
"Hmhmhm~" Nora skipped along to her heart's content while everyone else walked, Jaune holding Pyrrha's hand.
"Hey, what are you guys up to?" A voice asked as they saw Laxus approaching.
"Going to MKHoP~!" Nora grinned.
"Really now? Heh, I'll come join ya." Laxus said as he pulled out his scroll. "I'll let Zapple know. She'll join us there."
"Where is she anyway?" Erza asked.
"Oh, at the Reds and Blues base. Medic called us over and thought it'd be best if she got her own semblance since she's the odd one out compared to the rest of us."
"Oh right, I forgot he was doing that. Does anyone else in there have it besides Grif?" Ren asked.
"Just him so far, though Zapple might be right behind him. And don't worry, Hazel's keeping an eye on them."
At the base…
"And you sure you know what you're doing?" Hazel asked cautiously.
"Ja, of course! Herr Grif was zhe guinea pig and he turned out okay."
"It shaved off a minute of my life! I'm still not over it!"
"Ah, walk it off." Medic said. "I've done zome more testing and it turns out that shaving off a minute of your life was just an extremely rare side effect. Zhe testing on some Scaredy Rats turned out to be one hundred percent safe! …With another rare side effect."
"And what is it?" Zapple asked.
Somewhere, in an alleyway…
A cat dug through some trash, pulling out an uneaten apple. "Mrow~!" It smiled and hopped off… and then it got poked on the shoulder. "Mow?"
The cat turned his head to see four Scaredy Rats with human body builder shaped figures, complete with their heads still being rat like.
One of them pounded their fist into their palm.
"Squeak!"
"...Mow…"
Back with them…
"You did what?" Zapple deadpanned.
"I didn't zhink zhey would be human shaped. I'm currently working on an antidote zhat will-"
"MROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!"
"-get zhem back to normal." Medic sweatdropped. "Oh dear. Zhey probably found zhat alley cat."
Medic smiled. "Anywho! Despite you being a half genie, zhis will give you an aura and a semblance. Zhat way, you will be protected against attacks zhat may normally severely hurt you."
"I mean, I can handle myself just fine but… it probably wouldn't hurt just so I'm not knocked out very quickly."
"Precisely~!" Medic smiled as he pulled out a syringe almost gleefully. "Prepare for your examination~!"
Zapple paled. "Hazel… hold me!" She whimpered, unaware that even Hazel was a little freaked out over Medic as well.
So it IS true… Hazel thought.
Back with JNPR and Co…
"What was with that cat?" Jinx wondered.
"Someone probably threw an object behind 'em." Nora shrugged as they walked in.
"Welcome to MKHop~!" The waitress smiled. "Let me get your seats."
Several orders later…
"Wooooow~!" Nora's eyes sparkled at her stack of pancakes as there were a few extra plates for her Raichu and Tinkaton, who went to work on devouring them while everyone else ate like normal people.
"This is actually pretty good." Pyrrha said.
"Mmmm! Man, I think I have a new favorite pancake restaurant!" Jinx said as Ren glanced over to see Aqua eating some pancakes while chatting with Yuyuko with the Wario Bros behind them, while nearby, Kirby sucked up his pancakes with a happy smile on his face.
Nora giggled. "This restaurant actually has an unlimited amount of pancakes, so even the bottomless pits can enjoy a meal here."
"That explains it." Laxus nodded. "In fact, I'm surprised those goofballs are here too."
"Sorry I'm late!" A voice said as Zapple walked in with Hazel.
"You feel any different?" Laxus asked.
"Well… I did feel a little woozy but I'm alright."
"So! What's your semblance?"
Zapple smiled, her eyes started to glow as electricity wrapped around her to create yellow armor on herself with white thunder decals on it. "Thunder Armor. I can use my natural born electric powers to create armor for myself, making me a bit tankier. Plus when I get hit, it absorbs all the energy and then I can release it back ten fold." She explained. "...Might have to practice it a bit so I don't drain my aura…" She sheepishly rubbed her cheek before she sat down next to Laxus, dismissing her Thunder Armor.
"That's actually really cool!" Nora said.
"Sure, if you don't mind wild experiments from a mad scientist…" Hazel shuddered as Zapple noticed some pancakes left for herself.
"Oooh!" She smiled as she dug in.
Laxus chuckled before looking at Pyrrha. "How are you holding up lately?"
"I've… been somewhat better…"
Laxus nodded. "It's better than nothing, I suppose."
"Would you like some desserts?" The waitress asked.
"Yes, please~!" Nora smiled.
"What do you got for us?" Ren asked.
Several chocolate lava cakes, apple pies and chocolate chip cookies later…
"Man… I'm stuffed. That lava cake was good." Jinx said, rubbing her belly.
"You said it, sister." Nora grinned
They all walked out after paying the bill as JNPR and Co and the Thunder Legion went their separate ways.
"Ah, shoot! I meant to ask Laxus how it was like fighting Salem!" Nora said. "...Oh well, maybe next time!"
"He fought Salem?" Pyrrha wondered as they filled her in, only to stop at one point to see the alley cat walking around as if it was drunk, also looking comically beat up.
"What happened to that little guy?" Jaune wondered.
"Beats me." Ren shrugged as they walked off back to Pyrrha's home to fill her in, while Jinx glanced over at the community board and walked over, noticing something that caught her attention.
"Come join the Kitakami Mask Festival…? Seems to be starting in a week or so." She said, taking a picture of it and sending it to her friends before joining up with the others.
"Kitakami?" Jaune wondered as he got the message. "Seems like fun. Maybe we oughta go."
"Hmm… perhaps." Pyrrha said melancholically before sighing. "I'm sorry… I just wish I could find some joy again…"
"We'll help you find it, and find a way to get you to smile again too." Nora smiled, giving her a gentle hug.
"Thanks, Nora…"
End BGM
They walked into the house, where Athena was finished baking some brownies. "Ah, right on time, honey! I just finished making a recipe that Rosalina had shared with me. She thought these Star Bit brownies would cheer you up."
"I…" Pyrrha tried to smile but no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't force one out. "Thank you…" She said as the duo hugged one another as the group ate the brownies up.
"Mmm! Honey mixed in with chocolate is a strange combo and yet… that cosmic queen makes it work!" Jinx said.
"Indeed." Ren nodded.
A few minutes of hanging around, Pyrrha walked out to the back door, only letting Jaune come with her to be alone together.
"You, uh… you feeling okay?" Jaune asked.
"To tell you the truth, I'm genuinely feeling a little better but…" Pyrrha turned around to face him with a sad look. "I… don't know if I'll ever be myself again."
Jaune frowned. "Because of what happened, right?"
BGM: Destiny (RWBY) (Minus 1:47-2:07)
"Right…" Pyrrha nodded. "Me being trapped is one thing… but to be brainwashed and be forced to watch myself drop Kyoko into deep space and watching her explode… not to mention unwillingly commanding the mech that nuked my home…"
"That's been a hard one for you."
"And… on top of that, I just wanted to clear my head at Yoshi Falls. I didn't mean to make anyone think I was… you know…" Pyrrha sighed. "But… I want to thank you for being by my side during this horrible time I've been experiencing… you, Ren, Nora, Jinx, Erza, my mother… everyone."
Jaune smiled. "If anything, I should be thanking you."
"Hmm…? What for?"
"You stuck by me when I was nothing more than a liar. I cheated my way into Beacon and… if anything, I was surprised you stuck by me, even more so with Ren and Nora. Because of that, and with your guidance, I became a stronger Huntsman. You believed in me."
Pyrrha nodded. "Yeah, I have fond memories of that." She said before frowning. "So fond that I can't bring myself to smile over it…"
Jaune wrapped his arms around her. "We'll get your smile back… I'll be sure of it."
"Thank you…" Pyrrha gently said, resting her head on his chest. "Will I ever smile again? I wish I could… I'm sorry for being melodramatic."
"No no, you're okay… anyone would be depressed over what you had went through." Jaune then looked into her eyes. "I promise you… what happened to you on the Death Egg? I'm not going to let something like that happen to you."
A few tears swelled in her eyes. "I'll do everything I can to protect you from something like that too…"
Both of them shared a kiss, and then one by one, Pyrrha's Pokemon cuddled in to hug them… and then her Alpha Hisuian Goodra pulled them all into an affectionate hug, which in turn caused her Nidoqueen to accidentally stab Jaune in the shoulder with her horn.
"Ow!" Jaune winced as the Goodra let go. "Ooooh… that's not good…"
"Nido Ni…" Nimue apologized.
"You're fine… you have a Pecha Berry in your room, don't you?" He whispered to Pyrrha as she nodded. "Yeah, you're fine!"
"Goo Goodra~!" The Goodra smiled happily.
"Hey lovebirds!" Nora called out. "There's a present in here for ya, Pyrrha! Apparently Ibuki made it for you to cheer you up!"
"Coming!" Pyrrha said as they started to walk in. "...Wonder if I'll ever find my Kirby."
Jaune pulled up his scroll to look at what Jinx had sent. "Well, there's always the festival at Kitakami. Maybe you'll find your Kirby there!"
"Here's hoping…" Pyrrha hoped as they walked inside… with Jaune making a beeline toward Pyrrha's room to find the Pecha Berry.
Credit goes to Jacob for this idea and...
Hoo boy... I was not expecting Akira Toriyama to pass away... I may have not been a huge fan of Dragon Ball (I tried to play catch up by watching DBZ Kai so I could then watch Super, and yet... I couldn't get into it for the life of me. Thankfully, Cody gives me the lowdown on what the heck happens throughout the anime so I'm not completely out of the dark. That said, I actually did enjoy Battle of the Gods, Resurrection F, Broly and Super Hero. Those movies were REALLY good.) and like, don't get me wrong, I'm not completely anti-Dragon Ball because I do love the characters! It's just that I can't get into the plot for whatever reason.
And I also do watch clips on Super that pop into my YouTube feed from time to time, so I do enjoy some of those moments. (I still question why Beerus lets Bulma get away with sassing the hell out of him though...)
That said, considering he's done Dragon Quest, and DQ11 is in SRS, it's... sad to see him go. An end of an era.
Ibuki: *saluting*
Deadpool: We'll miss ya!
Rest in peace, Toriyama.