Welcome back everyone! I hope everyone's been enjoying this story so far! We're finally getting close to the gang getting to the actual RPG elements of the JRPG! Joking aside, I do want to speed things up a little. At this rate we won't be done with Kamoshida until like another 15 or so chapters. Not to mention that, in general, it's hard for me to just pick up on writing, especially on mobile. I wouldn't necessarily call it Writer's Block though.
As for the reviews:
NinjaAssassinM: Emerald could work as Akechi (and we get to keep the gayness) but Mercury was just the one who jumped out at me. In retrospect I also think Cinder would've been a good option for Akechi (and Takemi as you pointed out), but I'm a bit too far ahead now. I do plan on having Cinder being one of Joker's confidants though.
Carl Lee Ward: Thanks for telling me that! I originally looked up Shujin's definition and I mostly saw people saying it meant "master" so that's why I only included that translation of the word.
Guest: If I'm going to do Final Fantasy I'm probably going to at least start with the VII Remake. I know nothing about XVI so I'm not sure I'd do a great job with it in this story.
Intermittent: Glad you're enjoying the story! Yeah P5R is quite the beast but I do hope to give the game some justice here.
EXRB: This one's a long one so this'll be pretty big. Super Mario RPG is something I want to do, I just need to get around to playing it. As for the SS and BIS remakes… I'm sticking with the original versions. Minion Quest and Jr.'s Journey are fun side stories and I think the latter is especially well written but their actual gameplay is rather… lacking in my opinion and not in the way that'd make them fun to write and with Minion Quest specifically it contains things that get introduced in BIS that I want to have revealed in that game (Starlow, the Elite Trio, all of Fawful's robots), I also just feel like the original versions have slight bits more charm that would get better reactions from the cast, not saying the remakes are bad or anything (although I'd personally say the BIS remake is worse than the original but that's just my opinion). Also if you're wondering, I am doing the Switch remake version of Thousand Year Door. I also think I have a bit too much of the Mario series on here but the Galaxy duology and Luigi's Mansion do sound fun to write. As for the X series, I probably will use the tweaks patch for the actual dialogue. As funny as the group constantly finding typos everywhere, I do think it's for the best when it comes to the story. Will probably still use the original version for the actual gameplay part though since I don't have a way to actually play the tweaks patch unlike OG X6 not to mention it makes the actual gameplay part much easier to write (I also want the group to play at least one bad or frustrating game and Sonic 06 is too much of a punching bag as is). I'll also at least have the group be informed of what happens in the classic series. I considered doing it but writing for games that are 90% gameplay and are decently similar to each other doesn't sound super fun (although if I do go through with the "Gaming Side Stories" fic then I'll definitely have them react to the Mega Man Archie Comics).
HeiHeiTutra: I have a similar opinion on Jaune centric stories. I think Jaune is fine but I never liked how he was always the main focus. Especially when he isn't even part of the group that's reacting. I don't think it affects the actual quality of those fics, but it is just how I feel.
Mr. Popo TFS: Symphony of the Night is only in the maybe pile since I don't own it yet, once I do, I'll most likely be covering it.
triscythe59: Happy New Year to you as well! And to answer your question, yes, some of the P5R characters will stay the same, I already showed Morgana and Takemi as staying the same and you'll see they aren't the only ones.
As always, I hope everyone enjoys the story and let's get the show on the road!
—
Blake continued to lie in her bed as she thought back to the night she was arrested.
Blake
(That day…)
(I ended up going home late…)
HOMETOWN NEIGHBORHOOD
"Guess we're seeing how it all happened…" Blake said lightly. She tried to put on a calm face but the rest of her team and some others could see that it was all a front.
Blake gained control of her past self as she guided her around the neighborhood
?
Just get in the car!
Blake went further down as she stopped and turned to see the scene of the incident.
Blake
(I can hear a man and a woman arguing in the distance…)
(I think they're just up ahead…)
Blake continued to come closer to the two.
?
How dare you cross me!
Blake eventually came to a stop as she came just barely close to the car.
Struggling Woman
No…!
Drunk Man
Don't give me that shit…
Ruby, visually nervous, asked Weiss a question, or at least started too. "Weiss, has your dad ever…"
"Y-yeah Ruby. Ever since mother locked herself away he's been far more… active." Weiss practically threw up in her mouth.
Yang would've normally said something about how shitty Weiss' dad was but she was too focused on Blake. She looked tense. Yang wanted to say something but couldn't think of anything. She decided to leave things to Blake.
Blake
(It looks like that drunk man is bothering that woman…)
Struggling Woman
Ow! P-Please, stop..!
Blake
(She's in danger…)
1: I can't ignore this.
2: I have to save her.
Blake took a deep breath before picking the top option. Both of them were practically the same, but she resonated with the top one more.
After selecting the option Blake immediately rushed over to the woman to help her.
Drunk Man
Tch… what a waste of time.
You think you're worth causing me trouble? Huh?
Struggling Woman
I-I'll call the police!
Drunk Man
Heh, call them if you want!
The police are my bitches. They're not gonna take you seriously.
Qrow just scowled. "Of course Mr. Cashstache over here has the police in his pocket."
"Cash… what?" Winter questioned.
"Oh it's just a little nickname I gave to your shitbag father. Does it bother you or something?"
"…no. It was just unexpected." Normally, Winter would bash Qrow over giving higher ups nicknames like this and making mockery of them… but she really didn't give a shit about her father.
Struggling Woman
No… Stop!
Suddenly the sound of police sirens filled the air. Jacques came to a halt.
Drunk Man
Someone called the cops, huh?
Get in the car!
Incompetent fools like you just need to shut your mouths and follow where I steer this country.
"'Steer this…' oh don't tell me he's running as a politician here!" Yang realized.
"Well that's just great. The last thing I needed to think about again was my father and elections." Weiss complained.
Jacques turns to look at Blake.
Drunk Man
…What're you looking at? Get outta my face!
This ain't a show. Get lost, kid.
He turns to the woman.
Drunk Man
See? This is all because you're so damn slow.
"Disgusting." Coco said with venom in her words.
"Unfortunately, people like my father are becoming more and more common as of late." Winter said.
Drunk Man
Get in the car!
The flashback ended as it went back to Blake laying on her bed as she decided to close her eyes.
Blake breathed a sigh of relief from them not showing the full incident.
Ozpin however noticed this. "You seem to be troubled Ms. Belladonna."
"Well, seeing myself get arrested like that was honestly kinda scary. So seeing and controlling myself through what led to those events when I knew what was going to happen made me tense up." She explained.
Ozpin let out a small "mmhhh", before talking again. "That is understandable. Although I do wish to ask you something. If you were in the position of your other, would you do something similar?"
Blake thought about it, but for only a second. "Of course I would. I want to help people, even if I get arrested I wouldn't let an asshole like Jacques do what he wants."
Ozpin smiled at this. "I figured you'd give me that answer."
Winter had thought about what Blake had said. As someone in the military, stepping out of line was a serious matter. She'd been told plenty of times about what would happen should she disregard instructions. To step out of your boundaries to do what you yourself thought was right… She wanted to let it go but she couldn't. It'd have to be something she'd think about later.
As Blake closed her eyes, her Scroll suddenly rang as that red and black app from earlier appeared on it again.
Blake
(Hm, it's that weird app that somehow ended up on my Scroll…)
"Seriously, the hell is up with that damn app." Yang said.
"I don't know about you guys, but if my Scroll had an app that kept appearing and made me see things like I'm on Acid, I'd probably get it checked out." Nora said.
"Have you…"
"No, she hasn't taken any LSD." Ren answered Tai. "In fact I'm positive none of us have done any drugs."
"Just looking out for you kids."
Blake
(The icon looks almost like an eye…)
1: (I thought I deleted it…)
2: (It's so creepy…)
"Yeah I think the more concerning thing is the fact I deleted it and now it's back." Blake said as she picked the top option.
The Blake on screen deleted the app again.
Blake
(My eyelids are starting to get heavy…)
Blake slowly closed her eyes as she drifted to sleep.
At least, that's what the audience thought, before she suddenly woke up in a strange, blue room. Chains hung from the wall.
"…The fuck?" Mercury asked. The previous stuff bored him but this certainly got his attention.
After a close up of the toilet, Blake found herself lying on a bench, now in stereotypical prison clothes and in handcuffs.
"Is she… dreaming about prison?" Ruby asked.
"Maybe. We'll just have to see Red." Coco commented.
Blake held her hand to her head as she heard someone chuckling. She turned to the prison bars, as two short girls in prison uniforms(?) and an eyepatch over each other's opposite eye stood side by side to each other.
"Gonna go out on a limb and say no one knows these two?" Yang asked. Everyone shook their heads.
Blake stared blankly back at the two as she tried to walk around, only to see a ball and chain on her leg.
"A… ball and chain?" Weiss asked.
"What kind of prison uses a ball and chain anymore?" Qrow asked.
"Again, it could be a dream like Ruby guessed. Ball and chains are pretty stereotypical for prisons." Oscar noted.
Blake slowly made her way to the prison bars and gripped them. The two girls turned out of the way and looked at a strange man sitting at a desk. Blake looked in shock as it zoomed in on his face.
?
Trickster… Welcome to my Velvet Room.
"Okay…", Yang said stifling a laugh, "why does he look like that?"
"Why are you laughing, he looks creepy!" Weiss argued.
"Creepy? Weiss look at his nose!"
Blake meanwhile stopped at that word again, 'Trickster', why was it coming up so often and why did she seem so… connected to it.
"Look at that Bun-Bun, you got a whole room named after you." Coco joked.
"Um… cool?"
The cutscene finished as Blake shook on the bars to no avail.
?
So you've come to, Inmate.
?
The you in reality is currently fast asleep.
You are only experiencing this as a dream.
"E-excuse me?"
"I… think she's trying to say you're in a dream world?" Pyrrha attempted to answer Blake's confusion.
Blake pondered Pyrrha's words before saying something. "I'm not sure about that. I can't put it into words but I'm just getting a feeling this is more than just a dream."
?
You're in the presence of our master. Stand up straight!
Yang scowled. She understood the reason for that girl's tone (those two seemed to be wardens or something) but it wasn't any less frustrating.
?
Welcome. I am delighted to make your acquaintance.
"At least he seems more caring than her." Jaune said.
"Is anyone else getting Ozpin vibes from this guy or is it just me?" Nora asked.
"He does seem to invoke similar feelings, albeit more…" Ren trailed off.
"Mysterious?" Pyrrha finished.
"Yeah, that."
?
This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter.
It is a room that only those bound by a "contract" may enter.
"If that man is telling the truth, then it's just as I thought, this isn't just a dream." Blake said.
"What's this about a contract though, Blakey never signed anything… not that we know of anyway." Yang pondered.
"There was that… weird thing at the beginning that said 'the contract has been sealed' or something." Ruby remembered.
"Either way he looks like someone who's going to be saying a lot of cryptic shit." Emerald said.
?
I am Igor, the master of this place. Remember it well.
"Don't worry Igor, I have." Odd said.
"You sound like you know the guy." Weiss noticed.
"Well, not personally, I don't, but Igor and the rest of the Velvet Room crew are… unique." Odd responded, his eyes shifting. "They're… one of a kind in the multiverse."
"Meaning…"
"They're like Odd and I." Draken answered. "Igor doesn't exactly watch the multiverse but he exists in a similar… reality as us." He continued, trying to find the exact words. "As such he and the other Velvet Room attendants don't have counterparts, much like how Odd and I don't have counterparts."
"And for the record, we don't just mean in your universe like that blue haired lady you'll meet later on, we mean Igor doesn't have a counterpart in any other universe, period." Odd too explained. [1]
Everyone understood what the too hosts meant and turned their attention back to the screen.
Igor
I summoned you to speak of important matters.
It involves your life as well.
Blake
1: Important matters?
2: Let me out.
Blake selected option 1, she figured demanding to be let out wouldn't lead anywhere.
Igor
Still, this is a surprise…
The state of this room reflects the state of your own heart.
To think a prison would appear as such.
You truly are a "prisoner" of fate.
Yang and Tai snickered at Igor's pun.
"So Blake's heart is making the Velvet Room appear as a prison?" Velvet asked, ignoring the blondes.
"Given her recent circumstances, that tracks." Qrow pitched in.
Igor
In the near future, there is no mistake that ruin awaits you.
Blake
1: Ruin?
2: Are you kidding me?
"Well if that isn't fucking ominous." Mercury said.
"Knew he was one of those guys who say cryptic shit." Emerald also said.
Ignoring the two, Blake selected the top option.
Igor
I speak of the end to everything.
Ozpin suddenly got a chill up his spine. He had lived through the end of one humanity, to see it coming about now across multiple universes, it was a terrifying thought.
Igor
However, there is a means to oppose such a fate.
You must be "rehabilitated." Rehabilitated towards freedom…
"Rehabilitated?" Ruby questioned.
"Ruby if you seriously don't know what rehabilitation is…" Weiss began.
"I know what it means Weiss, at least in the normal context. But how is rehabilitating Blake gonna help stop ruin or whatever, she doesn't even need rehabilitation, she's innocent!" Ruby continued.
"And this is why I hate people who speak cryptically, just say what you mean!" Emerald complained.
Igor
That is your only means to avoid ruin…
Do you have the resolve to challenge the distortion of the world?
Blake
1: I'd rather avoid ruin.
2: …wait, what?
"Well I'm not entirely sure what Igor's asking but if it means preventing ruin, I'll do it." Blake said as she picked 'I'd rather avoid ruin.'
Igor
Allow me to observe the path of your rehabilitation.
The two wardens suddenly turned towards Blake.
Igor
Ah, pardon me for not introducing the others.
To your right is Caroline; to your left, Justine.
They serve as wardens here.
"Well at least we know their names now." Pyrrha said.
"This is… strange." Winter said with a look in her eye.
"For what reason?" Blake asked.
"I admit I don't use Specialist Cordovin's first name very often but it's still weird to refer to someone as 'Caroline' that isn't her." She explained.
Caroline
Hmph, try and struggle as hard as you like.
Justine
The duty of wardens is to protect inmates. We are also your collaborators.
…That is, if you remain obedient.
"At least Justine seems reasonable enough." Weiss observed.
"Caroline is like if Yang was a warden," Nora said.
"Wha- oh come on I'm not that bad!"
"Yang no offense but I feel like if an inmate threatened your hair, you'd instantly start attacking them." Pyrrha replied.
Yang took a deep breath as she tried to calm down. "Okay look, I love my hair, and yes I get mad when it's messed with but I'm not going to severely hurt or kill any bystander over it. I'm not… like that." [2]
"Yang… I- I didn't-"
"I-It's fine P-Money. I know you were just joking and didn't mean anything." Yang took another deep breath. "Let's just get back to the game."
Igor
I shall explain the roles of these two at another occasion.
Caroline and Justine turned back to their master.
Igor
Now then, it seems the night is waning… It is almost time.
Take your time to slowly come to understand this place.
We will surely meet again, eventually…
"Well Igor, I can't exactly say it was nice to meet you but I'll trust what you say for now." Blake said.
"You know he can't hear you right?" Winter questioned.
"Have you never talked to a character on screen before?" Yang questioned back.
"N-no? Am I weird for not doing that?"
"I wouldn't call it 'weird' but… well I'm not exactly sure what to call it. It's just something a lot of people do." Odd attempted to answer.
Winter only gave a small 'huh' before resuming her attention back to the screen.
With a flick of his hand, Igor made an alarm in the Velvet Room go off as Blake got confused.
Caroline
Time's up.
Now hurry up and go back to sleep.
Blake rushed over to the bars again but the screen faded out as the in game Day Count met went to the next day.
9 Saturday — 10 Sunday
Blake had now woken back up in the real world.
Blake
(…I had a strange dream.)
"Yeah that makes sense, I mean, who wouldn't think that whatever happened with Igor was just a dream?" Yang pointed out.
Blake
(Ruin… Rehabilitation…)
(What does it mean..?)
"Asking here the real questions here."
Qrow
Looks like you're up.
"Wait hold on-"
Before Yang could finish, Qrow walked into Blake's room extremely well dressed, even had a fedora on.
"Damn Uncle Qrow, you got style!" Yang exclaimed.
"I uh… wasn't expecting to wear something so, I don't know, fancy." He responded, Winter silently quipping something about Qrow actually being well-dressed.
"Gotta say, the outfit really works for you, not to mention it's really nice looking." Coco critiqued. "Honestly, you might want to look into buying a similar outfit."
"Thanks, but I'll stick to my regular attire, it'd probably cost too much anyway." Qrow said before thinking to himself. "Although actually, fighting while wearing that does sound pretty cool, but then again it'd probably be easily ruined, especially with my Semblance."
"You could just… not fight in it." Tai pointed out.
"Tai, as the resident action movie connoisseur, I am deeply ashamed of your words." Qrow replied.
"Well not everything is like the movies y'know." Tai joked.
Mercury stared at the screen for a moment. 'Fuck, that is a nice ass suit.' He'd never tell anyone but he was someone who liked to pay attention to someone's drip.
Qrow
Well then, let's go introduce ourselves properly to the staff about your transfer.
The school you're attending is in the Aoyama district.
It'll take a while to get there by train. The transfers are a real hassle, too.
I'll drive you there, but just for today. Let's go.
"Oh yeah, before I forget, I decided to check the translation for 'Shujin' again. 'Master' is one translation but it's also a homophone for 'prisoner'," Odd informed. [3]
"Yeah, definitely sensing a theme here." Blake said.
Qrow began to walk out of the room.
Qrow
Sheesh… minors aren't usually allowed in my passenger seat. [4]
"So who is allowed in your passenger seat then?" Yang teased her uncle.
"Well if I had to guess, probably ladies. I mean you don't just own a suit like that for no reason." Qrow figured.
4/10 Sunday
Early Morning — Daytime
Qrow and Blake had reached Shujin academy. It was a very large school, although it seemed to not have much color to it.
"Shujin looks… kinda bland." Ruby admitted.
"Well to be fair, this isn't exactly a huntsman academy." Jaune commented.
"I mean yeah, but even our normal schools aren't this dull." She said back.
"That reminds me, we haven't heard or seen anything involving any huntsman or huntresses. Plenty of cops and agents but I'd figured at least one huntsman would help them out." Winter realized.
"Oh, that's because huntsmen and huntresses don't exist in this world." Draken said suddenly.
Everyone had to take a step back and process Draken's words. It was almost unfathomable.
"No huntsmen? T-that's insane. They're some of the most important people in our world!" Pyrrha exclaimed.
"Wait a minute." Blake said suddenly. "If there are no huntsmen, then what about the Grimm?"
"They also don't exist in this world, or most as a matter of fact." Draken explained.
"That's i-impossible, Grimm not existing-"
"Makes perfect sense." Ozpin suddenly interrupted Weiss. "They are like no other living creature, created by an unnatural source. If that source doesn't exist in other universes, neither would the Grimm."
"Exactly, Oz." Draken said.
"Man, that's real shitty. Knowing we're one of the few universes with Grimm in it." Yang said annoyed.
"Is it though?" Tai questioned. Everyone turned to look at him. "Well, in a matter of perspective I mean. We all saw those Shadows right? Imagine instead of the regular Beowulf we had to fight those things. I know we barely saw what they were capable of but from what we've seen I'd definitely take the Beowulves." He explained.
Everyone pondered Tai's claim. By all accounts he wasn't wrong. Not to mention this was just one universe, imagine the terrifying creatures in others.
"If I may offer my opinion," Odd began. "While Grimm aren't as dangerous as some of the other creatures you'll be seeing, they're still a burden of your world. It isn't exactly fair or unfair, it just… is. The burden you guys have is just different from the burden in other worlds, it doesn't make them any less of a struggle." He provided.
Everyone accepted Odd's words as they turned back to the screen.
Qrow
Do me a favor and behave yourself all right?
Don't get me wrong-I don't care what happens to you.
"Oh my gods Qrow is a tsundere." Yang said laughing.
"A… what?"
"It's a Mistral term used for people who have trouble showing affection so they mask it by acting cold, usually for a love interest but sometimes it can just mean general endearment." Ren explained to Qrow.
"Basically what Weiss is." Blake said.
"Excuse you?!" She exclaimed.
"Well, come on Ice Queen, it's true, besides we know you're a massive tsundere for Ru-"
Before Yang could finish, Weiss had quickly put her hand over Yang's mouth. Although that did little to hide her now extremely red face.
Weiss glanced at Ruby who was similarly blushing as red as her cape, and Winter who was slightly skeptical.
"W-we'll… talk about this during a break." [5]
Qrow
Just don't cause me any trouble.
Qrow and Blake walked into the school as the screen transitioned to them standing in the principal's office, with Leonardo Lionheart at the desk and Glynda Goodwitch standing beside him. Qrow seemed to be signing a paper.
The sight of Lionheart took all of the good guys who were at the Battle of Haven aback.
"Leo…" Ozpin said quietly. 'Why did things have to end like they did, my old friend?'
"Well… oh hey it's Miss Goodwitch." Ruby pointed out.
"Man, we haven't seen her in ages, I wonder what she's doing." Jaune wondered.
"Last I remember, she was helping out the people in Vale and attempting to fix up Beacon. I hear it's got a long way to go but she's been doing a steady job." Ozpin said.
Principal
To reiterate, just so we're clear, you will immediately be expelled if you cause any problems.
In my opinion, you're nothing but a liability, but we had our circumstances to consider…
"Harsh." Nora said, wincing.
"I mean, I guess I can't blame Lionheart, taking a student with a criminal record in isn't exactly ideal." Blake guessed.
"Still, he could at least pretend to care." Yang said annoyed.
Principal
Whatever you might've gotten away with in your hometown… those days are over.
If you're thrown out from our school, there will be no place for you to go. Keep that in mind.
"I assume, given Mr. Lionheart's stance on Blake, he's going to be extra strict on her. He already considers her a liability so any opportunity for him to get rid of her he'll probably take." Winter said with a hint of disgust. She'd known plenty of people (namely her father) who'd do similar things when bringing in Faunus or others with criminal records.
Principal
This is the teacher in charge of your class.
Goodwitch
I'm Glynda Goodwitch.
Here's your student ID.
Glynda handed Blake her ID, but seemingly some sort of pink brochure was with it.
Blake
…?
"Uh, excuse me-"
Glynda quickly noticed her mistake and took the advertisement back, as Blake took the ID.
"That was weird. Think Miss Goodwitch is hiding something?" Ruby asked.
"Eh, it's probably nothing major, I wouldn't think too hard about it." Qrow replied, after all, Goodwitch didn't seem like the type of person to hide something, even if this wasn't their Goodwitch.
Goodwitch
Be sure to read the school rules. Any violations will send you straight to the guidance office.
And, if by chance you cause any problems, I won't be able to protect you at all.
Glynda turned to look at Lionheart.
Goodwitch
…That IS your promise, yes, Principal Lionheart?
Principal
She is responsible for all her actions.
Goodwitch
But really though, why me? There should've been better candidates.
"Y'know usually when I hear Goodwitch complain, it comes from annoyance, here she sounds kinda, I don't know, I guess whiny is the right word?" Yang pointed out.
"It is rather strange seeing this side of Glynda." Ozpin admitted.
Principal
It was a sudden transfer, and your class was the only one that had an opening.
Qrow
If you're done explaining things, mind if we get going?
I got a store to get back to.
"Good to see you care about me Qrow." Blake said sarcastically.
"Hey now, give me a break, I'm sure that my store is rather busy."
"You mean you want to get back to having 4 hour conversations with people?"
"…good point."
Principal
Mr. Branwen, please keep a close eye on her.
Don't let her cause any trouble outside…
Blake just let out a sigh. It'd been hammered into her at this point how much of a menace she was being treated like. And it never seemed to let up.
Qrow
Well, I'll be sure to have a serious talk about the situation she's in.
Goodwitch
*sigh* Come to the faculty office when you arrive at school tomorrow. I'll show you to your classroom.
The scene transitioned to Qrow and Blake leaving, still in the school.
Qrow
Everyone's giving you the cold shoulder.
That's what having a criminal record does to you.
Turns out your past follows you wherever you go.
Those words hit Blake hard. Her past. She thought about all the stupid decisions she'd made. About the White Fang and Adam. If your past always followed you, then those mistakes would stick with her forever.
Yang noticed Blake's mood and put her hand on her shoulder. "Look, I get you've made some shitty choices, but that's how we learn, right? To make sure we don't make some even shittier choices."
Blake now had a small smile. "I'm not sure if that exactly helped, but thanks Yang."
Yang laughed a little. "Hey, I'll take it."
Qrow
By the way… if you get expelled now, I won't hesitate to kick you out. Got it?
Blake
1: I'll be careful
2: I think I'll scrape by.
"Heh, I don't have the guts to say something that snarky." Blake said, referring to the 2nd option. She picked 'I'll be careful'.
Qrow
Hmph…
*sigh* School never changes, huh?
Come on, we're going home.
Qrow and Blake began to walk out as the screen transitioned again. Glynda was walking outside the school when she met with an unfamiliar face.
PE Teacher
What a troublesome situation.
"Okay, is it just me or is anyone else getting bad vibes from this guy?" Velvet asked.
"Yeah. I don't want to assume anything but for some reason I'm feeling like there's something fishy about this guy." Yang said.
Odd collected his thoughts for a moment. 'Ah Kamoshida, it'll be fun watching you fall once again.'
Goodwitch
I can't believe they pushed someone with a record on me. A male teacher would be better suited for this…
"It's so weird seeing Goodwitch so… humble." Yang noted.
"The day Goodwitch acts humble is the day Remnant blows up." Qrow joked.
Coco narrowed her eyes at something though. "What does she mean by a male teacher being better handled for this? Please don't tell me Japan has issues with gender." She asked.
"Admittedly this is only from not a lot of research, but while things are a lot better, gender norms and inequality do still exist, heck I'm pretty sure Japan is ranked at one of the lower rated spot when it comes to countries with gender equality and women's rights, but that's a whole another rabbit hole." Odd explained with a sigh. Sometimes the truth wasn't great. [6]
"Well, that's rather unfortunate." Winter noted.
PE Teacher
Why in the world was someone like that admitted here?
Goodwitch
Who knows? It was the principal's decision.
I was told that it's for the school's reputation.
"Really? I don't see how taking a convicted student would raise reputation." Weiss questioned.
"Well, think about it from the school's perspective. If Blake behaves at the school and completes her probation, then the school gets credit for 'helping her reform'. But if she causes too much trouble then she isn't a problem for them anymore and can be covered up. It's a low risk, moderate reward." Pyrrha explained. She didn't agree with it but it was the logical explanation.
"I… suppose that makes sense." Weiss said.
PE Teacher
I would've thought that my volleyball team has contributed more than enough to cover that.
Goodwitch
That's certainly true.
PE Teacher
Be careful, okay?
Then again, if anything were to happen, I'd kick out a student like that right away.
Goodwitch
I keep wishing that she'd end up just not coming to school.
Still, that isn't something I should be saying as a teacher…
"I mean… I hate to say it but, I kinda get where Goodwitch is coming from. If a kid with a criminal record got transferred to one of my classes in Signal, I wouldn't exactly be thrilled." Qrow admitted.
"I keep forgetting you teach at Signal, ever since… Beacon… I haven't really thought about school much." Yang said.
PE Teacher
Well, I should be returning to practice.
Goodwitch
Oh, right. The tournament's coming up, isn't it?
PE Teacher
Hehe, having such high expectations placed on you by others is quite a problem in itself.
"Yeah, expectations suck." Pyrrha said. Weiss and Ruby nodded in agreement.
"Wait Ruby, why are you…"
Before Jaune could finish Ruby answered his question. "I was accepted into Beacon two years before everyone else, guess I never actually told you guys, huh?" She told Jaune and his team. [7]
"C'mon Rubes, I told you that you'd be the 'bee's knees'." Yang teased.
"Normal knees are fine, thank you!" Ruby said in response.
"Honestly Ms. Rose, I probably shouldn't have moved you up. Not because you're not skilled, you're exceptional, but the fact you possessed Silver Eyes… well it's no excuse for putting unneeded pressure on you, but I seemed to have tunnel vision in my fight against Salem." Ozpin explained.
"No, I get it Ozpin. Besides, I got to meet people I can genuinely call some of my best friends. I'm not sure if that would've happened under normal circumstances." Ruby looked to Weiss and Blake as well as Team JNPR.
"Ruby, you don't have to be so sweet." Pyrrha said, a little embarrassed.
"Well that's just our team leader." Yang said, putting her arm around Ruby.
"Yang!"
PE Teacher
We'll have to work hard to make up for the track team too.
Goodwitch
Yes… that's true.
"I don't… like the way they're talking about the track team." Oscar admitted. There wasn't anything specific but the general tone of the conversation led him to believe there was more going on.
The PE Teacher walked off as Glynda was left to think about her own problem.
Goodwitch
Why'd it have to be my class?
The scene faded out as it cut back to Qrow and Blake driving home.
Qrow
Uuugh. Traffic's not moving at all…
You're taking the train starting tomorrow.
"Blake has nothing to do with the traffic! Uncle Qrow, why does your counterpart have to be so mean." Ruby pouted.
"Hey his choices aren't my choices, plus it's technically Blake's fault we're driving right now." Qrow answered.
"Way to throw me under the bus…" Blake said in a low voice.
Qrow
…So how was it? The school, I mean. You think you can manage?
Blake
1: It seems fun.
2: It'll be rough.
3: Eh, we'll see.
"Think it's a bit too early for me to tell. Leaning negative but I'm sure things will get better." Blake assumed, picking the third option.
Qrow
…
Now listen up.
Still, you were expelled once already. To think you'd re-enroll at a different one.
It's not like anyone will be sympathetic with you.
…If that's what it was like at school, people might say stuff about me in the future too…
What a troublesome kid I've taken in.
Before anyone could say anything, Blake's dialogue options showed up.
Blake
1: Why did you take me in?
2: …
"Huh. Qrow never did give a reason for taking in Blake." Jaune realized.
Blake selected the top option.
Qrow
I was asked to do it and I just… happened to agree to it.
I've already been paid for it too, after all.
"There's more to it. I doubt we'll get anything concrete soon but there's definitely more to it." Yang said.
"Yeah, my counterpart doesn't seem like the type of guy to deal with stuff he deems unnecessary." Qrow followed up.
Newscaster
…And now back to today's top stories.
A subway train has derailed, severely affecting the timetable across all of-
Qrow
…Another accident?
So that's why it's so crowded. There's been a lot of those lately.
"Sheesh, you'd think with all the accidents lately someone would look into this." Jaune noted.
"Or at least close the subways down. I can't imagine that people use trains so much that they're unable to close them." Weiss claimed.
"Actually Ms. Schnee, trains and subways are the most common transport option in Japan, even more than cars." Draken explained. "Hell, some even arrive at the station 3-6 minutes apart."
"Hmm. Well in that case, yeah I guess I can see why they couldn't just close them down, still it definitely needs to be looked into."
"What if they already have?" Blake responded to Weiss. "We haven't actually heard anything regarding investigations, just that the accidents are happening, not even when exactly they started. Maybe they did investigate and found nothing." She explained.
"Regardless, we clearly don't have enough information." Ren said.
Qrow
In fact, there was a real sad one just last month…
It happened before you came here.
If I remember right, the girl that passed away was only fifteen.
Her parents have gotta be just…
"That's… awful." Yang said. She remembered two years ago when Ruby was fifteen, she didn't even want to think about what would happen if Ruby was in that situation.
"Yeah, I can't even begin to imagine how her parents must feel." Oscar said.
Interestingly, Pyrrha had a strange feeling when hearing about the accident. She was disheartened like most of the others, but she also had a strange sense of unease. She decided to just ignore it for now.
Newscaster
…All traffic around Shibuya Station is being redirected due to the accident, so drivers should expect jam-packed streets.
"At least they're doing something about the accident." Winter said.
Qrow
Oh, come on!
The scene transitioned as the cutscene ended.
4/10 Sunday
Daytime — Evening
We transition to another anime cutscene, with people waiting for the train to arrive. The train suddenly speeds past all the people, shocking them. The people on board are worried and panicking.
Passenger
Hey! What's going on!?
The man driving the train is shaking and drooling, a close up on his face shows him without pupils.
To say everyone was shocked would be an understatement. It was honestly a bit horrific to look at. Sure, with most of the group being huntsmen and huntresses, they were expected to see some morbid things but…it was still haunting.
"What… the fuck." Yang said slowly.
"There's definitely more to these accidents…" Winter said. She was the most composed out of them, being in the military.
The only people not taken aback were Cinder's group, and even then they slightly winced.
As the train kept going, it began to tilt off the rails, many on the train lost their balance and began to panic. We cut to some people waiting for the train.
Man on Speaker
We're experiencing technical difficulties in the lower line.
Man on Phone
I don't have a visual yet. Oh f-
Everyone jumped out of the way as the train crashed head first into the waiting area. People ran for their lives, screaming, as the train cars piled up.
Newscaster
That was direct footage from the accident. According to the police, the engineer's life was not in danger, despite his injuries.
Some of the heroes breathed a sigh of relief, glad that despite what they saw, he was ultimately okay.
The shot zoomed out, revealing that Cordovin (the SIU Director), and Winter were watching the broadcast.
Newscaster
After questioning, even he could not explain his high speed when approaching the station. No further comments were made.
Police are still looking for a plausible motive.
SIU Director
It's less of an operating accident and more of a crime of the company and the government.
Site inspectors apparently reported all of this six months ago-the deterioration of the tracks and the ATC.
"Sure that's the answer that makes sense, but there was definitely something fucked up with that guy." Mercury noted.
"Why do you care all of a sudden?"
"Well Em', unlike Miss Probation over there, this actually seems interesting." He explained. The cat Faunus herself silently gave Merc the middle finger before turning her attention back to the screen.
SIU Director
Seems the railway company and the Ministry of Transport both turned a blind eye to the truth.
There's no way they can hide. This will go all the way to the top.
Newscaster
Now, on to our main story.
With this derailment accident, as well as other recent incidents of unknown motive, concern is spreading among the general public.
Just what could be causing such a drastic change so suddenly in these people?
Cordovin turned her attention to Winter.
SIU Director
Everything's linked-that's what you're thinking, correct?
"Well, yeah. If these 'accidents' have been consistent for six months, there's no way this isn't connected." Winter assumed.
The Winter on screen however, said nothing.
SIU Director
Ah, well.
Are you free? You and I haven't gone for a drink in a while.
"Ew, no thanks." Winter said with scorn.
"Not a fan of alcohol?" Tai asked.
Winter sighed as she explained. "Yes. Not only is it far from what the model soldier does, it… reminds me too much of mother."
"To clarify… mother locked herself in and became addicted to wine because of that… parasite I call father. She doesn't ever come out… not for us anyway…" Weiss explained.
"Oh. Oh shit." Qrow said quietly. Suddenly, a few things started to make more sense.
"Weiss, Winter, I-I'm so sorry-"
"It's okay, Ruby. Well, it's not, I hope one day mother can withdraw from this but… I've learned to deal with it. Still, I appreciate your sympathy." Winter said.
Winter
Thank you, sir, but I have another meeting to attend.
I must be going.
As the witnesses explain their side of the story in the background, Winter walks out of Cordovin's office.
As she descended down the stairs, she came across her associate: Mercury.
"Okay so, what am I, a cop?" Mercury rolled his eyes.
"A detective actually." Odd clarified.
"…Honestly, I'll take it at this point. I mean, working with Ice Queen Senior sucks but detective stories are actually pretty cool." He said. Winter rolled her eyes.
?
Did you ask for me? Is it a case?
Winter
Not quite. I want your opinion on something.
?
Sure. Your judgement is quite often correct, though.
Can we discuss this over sushi, perhaps? You are making a student work late, after all.
"Student? Now that I say that, I do look a little younger."
Winter
Conveyor belt only.
?
Aw.
"Conveyor belt?" Blake said suddenly, slightly drooling at the thought of sushi.
"It's a type of sushi restaurant, commonly found in Mistral, although it's seemingly popular in Japan as well." Ren explained. "As the name implies, its plates of sushi that are continually delivered on conveyor belts." He explained.
"Hey Blakey, you know we can just summon food, right? If you want fish you can just-"
Before Yang could finish, Blake was already filling her mouth with lots of sushi. Yang giggled at her teammate's antics.
The cutscene ended as Blake and Qrow walked back into Café Leblanc.
Qrow
Damn, to think there'd be that much traffic… What a waste of time.
I wasn't able to open the café today…
…Whatever.
Just head upstairs. There's something I need to give to you.
The two walked upstairs into Blake's room. Qrow checked the news on his Scroll.
Qrow
Talk about a gruesome accident… Eighty people were involved.
"80…?" Nora said in disbelief.
Qrow suddenly pulled out a book.
Qrow
Here's a diary. Make sure you keep it up to date.
"Huh. Never thought about keeping a diary, sounds like a nice idea though." Blake said.
"They're only nice if someone doesn't go through it, *cough cough* Yang *cough cough*." Ruby said.
"Oh come on Rubes, I'm just making sure you're not hiding something in that diary, besides, It's how I found out you were massively crushing on Wei-".
Once again, before Yang could finish, she was shut up, this time by Ruby. "I said we'll talk about it during a break!" Ruby quickly and loudly said, very much failing to hide her blush.
Qrow
You may be under probation, but there's no special limitations on what you do in particular.
Besides following the law, that is.
However, I'm obligated to report on you, which is why I'm having you record your daily activities.
"…Oh this is how we save the game, isn't it?" Jaune realized.
"Bingo." Odd responded.
Qrow suddenly received a call on his Scoll.
Qrow
Hey, what's up?
…I'm about to leave right now.
Don't worry. I'll be there in no time.
…Uh-huh. I'll see you soon.
Qrow turned back to Blake.
A couple people questioned who Qrow could be talking to but there wasn't anything that could tell them.
Qrow
Well, I'm off. I'll lock the place up, so do whatever you want for the rest of the night.
"So Blake just gets free reign of the house, er, café? You sure that's a good idea?" Coco asked.
"Ehh, she seems content enough, and from what Ruby and Yang have told me, she usually keeps to herself, and it doesn't seem like that's changed much… relatively speaking." Qrow responded.
Qrow
Oh, but don't mess up my store. If something goes missing, I'll hand you right over to the cops.
"…well, that too." Qrow also said.
Qrow
You got school tomorrow… You better head off to bed, all right?
With that, Qrow made his leave from Blake's room and Leblanc. Blake went ahead and picked up her diary.
Blake
(I should do as I'm told for now…)
The scene transitioned as we were now back to normal gameplay.
Blake
(I should write down what happened today in my diary…)
The tutorial for saving popped up as Blake sped through it. She wasn't exactly a gamer but she did know what saving was.
Blake
(I need to get up early tomorrow… I should get plenty of rest today.)
Blake decided to test out the save feature, the voice line of her in-game self, "I should write something", playing. She quickly saved the game as she then heard a Scroll ringing downstairs.
Blake
(That ringing sound isn't coming from my Scroll…)
(I hear it coming down stairs.)
Blake moved… Blake, downstairs as she went over to the older, pay Scroll.
Man's Voice
Hey, it's me.
Blake
1: Who is this?
2: Is this a prank call?
Blake just went with the first option, she already knew the person calling was Qrow.
Qrow
Sheesh, have you forgotten my voice already? It's Branwen.
Anyway… I closed up shop, but I forgot to flip the sign to "Closed" when I left.
It's too much trouble for me to come back just for that. Think you can do it for me?
"You left for three seconds! You seriously couldn't be bothered going back to flip a sign?" Winter questioned.
"Well… yeah I got nothing." Qrow said.
Blake
1: Okay, got it.
2: I don't feel like it.
3: You called the public Scroll?
"Wait yeah, why the fuck did you call the public Scroll?" Jaune asked.
"I don't exactly appreciate your tone, kid." Qrow answered.
"Sorry, force of habit." Jaune sheepishly apologized.
Blake selected the third option.
Qrow
It's a personal policy of mine not to save a minor's number in my phone.
"…Even if you're her guardian? Like I get why you don't, I just don't think it'd be that hard to explain." Velvet asked.
Qrow
Either way, I'm glad you actually picked up. Anyway, I'll leave the shop sign to you.
Qrow hung up the Scroll as Blake made her way outside. Flipping the sign was but a simple task as she made her way back inside.
Before heading back upstairs, Blake decided to check the TV.
Newscaster
…Many were wounded in the subway derailment accident.
The train schedule is disrupted, and there's no estimate as to when train service will resume.
It seems the transit problems caused by the accident will continue until tomorrow morning.
"I'm sorry, tomorrow morning?! The whole damn platform was destroyed!" Yang exclaimed.
Blake
(It's new coverage about the derailment. It looks like a major accident.)
With nothing else to do, Blake moved herself upstairs and straight into bed.
Blake
(I need to take the train to school…)
(Yongen-Jaya… Aoyama-Itchome… Transfer…)
(It looks like I need to get out to Shibuya, then transfer there.)
(More news about that subway accident.)
(It sounds like a lot of people were hurt.)
(I bet this'll affect the timetables for tomorrow too…)
"Great. It's like the universe itself is out to get me." Blake said.
"That's Murphy's Law for you." Odd gestured.
"I don't know who Murphy is but their law is fucking stupid."
As Blake was checking her Scroll, she noticed the same damn app she had constantly deleted.
Blake
(That strange app I saw last night is back…)
(It keeps showing up…)
"What does it even do? All it's done is make you trip balls one time and keep downloading itself back to your Scroll." Nora asked.
"It'd describe it more… tactically, but yes that does seem accurate." Weiss noted.
Blake
1: (I thought I erased it.)
2: (Time to delete it again.)
Blake selected the second option as her other self deleted the app yet again.
Blake
(I should probably reboot my Scroll, just in case…)
"Either that or take it to someone who can fix it. This clearly isn't normal." Weiss noted.
Blake
(My eyelids are starting to get heavy…)
With that, Blake Belladonna had once again finished another day, as she fell asleep.
—
I know what I said during the New Year's update, and yes, the original plan was going all the way until Kamoshida's Palace was first entered, but I figured doing all of 4/11 in one chapter was the better option.
But anyway, as we march closer to the Metaverse, let's look at the casting choices.
Caroline, Justine, and Igor - Unchanged: I'll explain this when we get to the 1st index.
Principal Kobayakawa - Leonardo Lionheart: I wanted at least one of the headmasters to be the principal of Shujin and Kobayakawa is already meant to be a bit unlikable so Lionheart I felt fit the role decently well. Not to mention some other similarities such as working for (one of) the main antagonist and later being killed by them.
Kawakami - Glynda: This is hardly a unique pick. Admittedly the similarities kinda start and end with "they are teachers" but I figured how much they differed from each made it interesting. Also this has nothing to do with it but when I typed out Kawakami's name it autocorrected to Kowalski which made me think of Penguins of Madagascar. I don't know why but I thought that was funny.
Kamoshida - Unchanged: In truth, I just did not believe anyone on Remnant could take on Kamoshida's role. Dude is such a realistic monster and I don't think anyone could replace him.
As for the index…
[1: I always see react fics like this replace these characters whose very existence is beyond almost everything and I always thought it was kinda dumb. I have no doubt I'll inevitably do this by mistake too but I felt it'd be more interesting if the Velvet Room characters were beyond the "characters having counterparts" thing. Plus it means Odd and Draken aren't automatically the top dogs.
[2: I… really don't like it when characters have their negative traits amplified. I specifically see this a lot with Yang and her hair and it just makes the characters so unlikable.
[3: Again, I'd like to thank Carl Lee Ward for telling me this. I was kinda dumb.
[4: This line and the other line regarding cell phone numbers had to be changed due to Joker now being female. And unfortunately this isn't the last that the playable character being female will change.
[5: Yes, I ship WhiteRose. It's the only non-canonical ship in here but what can I say, I just really like the ship.
[6: I don't actually know how accurate this is, it mainly comes from a few Google searches and reading a Wikipedia article. If this happens to be wrong, please let me know.
[7: Correct me if I'm mistaken but I don't think there was ever a point where Ruby actually told JNPR she was accepted two years early, or at least it was never shown that was the case. It's not like it's something Ruby would explicitly show off.
Stay safe everyone, see you guys next chapter!