Hey guys! So… this took more out of me than I expected. Just writing the opening cinematic took a while and while other games will definitely be easier, please expect updates to not be that frequent. On the plus side while writing this chapter I essentially found an entire transcript of someone's playthrough of P5R so that'll make things easier. Anyway, after our introduction we are starting with Persona 5 Royal! Bit of a big game but it sounded fun to do.
Guest: Don't know anything about Dishonored and I've only played a little bit of DMC 3 so I'm not sure either would make for good reactions.
bjilpcell: Don't know much about LittleBigPlanet but I'd totally be down to do the Kirby series, specifically Return to Dreamland and Forgotten Land sound like they'd be fun to do!
Jamieoeyes: Yeah I'm giving myself quite a big hurdle to start with. Don't worry P5R won't be done in one sitting, after Kamoshida's palace we'll be switching to Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga. As for why I have Blake as Joker… I'll explain it at the end of the chapter.
Himicate: Aside from the stuff involving the loading screens, I don't know enough about Spec Ops: The Line to make a good reaction for it (shooters were never really my thing, sorry)
NinjaAssassinM: Yeah Blake isn't a choice I've seen anyone do before for Joker. I've seen Jaune, Ren, hell even Cinder. And yeah most of these casts will be swapped, although not everyone.
trisycthe59: Sorry but that's what I intend to do. Not to say fics that don't replace the cast are bad or anything, I actually really enjoyed stories like Team RWBY plays Ace Attorney by Randomuser9001 and Fairy Tail Watches DBZA by SilverSoulmmc and they don't swap out those casts. However, as a personal preference I just think it makes the reactions more interesting and it's fun as a writer to think of who replaces who.
LoneMaruader: Mega Man will come later. I attend to start with the X series (since it's my favorite) as the third game they play.
natsuheartfilia32: Haven't played the remake yet but I would be interested in doing that if I get around to playing it.
As always, I hope everyone enjoys the story and let's get the show on the road!
With everything set in stone, everyone looked towards the screen as the console powered on. Odd hadn't told them much, only saying that while a lot of the game was voiced, a lot of it also wasn't, so they should speak their respective characters' dialogue if that's the case.
The game booted up with a strange mask in the middle of a black screen with some text.
"THIEVES GUILD"
"You can use a variety of features by connecting to the network. Do you want to connect?"
"'Network?" Ruby questioned. Odd immediately appeared in front of the group.
"Right, sorry. This game allows you to connect to the internet to access features. Just hit no though, my realm doesn't exactly have… Wifi." Odd explained begrudgingly. It wasn't his fault Draken told him he couldn't just make his own internet connection because it'd look suspicious.
Ruby selected the option not to connect.
"You have chosen not to connect to the network. You can change this option at any time in the Config menu."
After the selection was made, a shadowy figure, presumably Blake, appeared, now wearing the mask seen on the screen. She jumped up as a bunch of buildings zoomed past and revealed a logo for "ATLUS", "P-Studio" and "Criware".
After that we see a… close up shot of that person's ass, followed up by that cat creature's ears.
"Uhhhhh…"
"Don't worry, while this game has some… less than favorable anime tropes, this is the most 'in your face' it gets." Odd told Oscar. The boy said nothing, turning his attention back to the screen.
"Also during cinematics like this, it will pause if you say something so that you can get your thoughts out." Draken explained. Everyone nodded.
Someone then fires a gun with a bullet having the word "Punish!" in graffiti text. Suddenly a few splash images of Yang in what seems to be an outfit and a skull mask with a face that can only be described as looking… ridiculous.
Team RWBY (aside from Yang) and JNPR sneered. Yang can only act in disappointment.
"Aw come on, that face I'm making looks ridiculous. And what's with that outfit I'm wearing?" Yang questioned.
Even Mercury thought it was a bit funny, although his laughter wasn't exactly welcomed as the good guys stared at him.
"What? You all laughed, I can't?" Mercury questioned.
"You know why we don't like your input." Blake responded with a glare.
Mercury simply scoffed at them. This was going to be a long "break".
Two people's hands suddenly high-five as that same mask from earlier is seen attached to… a body with no head, presumably Blake's from earlier as she grabs her mask as the words, "You're Myself" and "I'm Yourself", appear from the sides.
"Wha…"
Blake suddenly erupted in shadows before a towering figure in red appeared. Baring wings, and outfitted with a suit and large hat, its face being seemingly demonic.
"Woah!"
"Holy-"
"Godsdamn!"
Many had let out a yelp of surprise as that… thing appeared from Blake. Many were speechless to its form. Qrow finally being the one to break the silence.
"Hey Odd," he questioned, "what the hell is that?!"
Odd pondered a bit, not really knowing how to answer the question at first. "That…" he began.
The words "Take your Heart" appeared in a flash before being immediately dispersed. As 7 mysteriously shadowed figures leaped out in different directions. The game's title "Persona 5 The Royal", showing itself on the screen.
"…is the titular "Persona" the series is named after, though this one is far from the only one of its kind. More will be explained as the game goes on so I'll keep things vague for now."
The rest of the group could only sit in awe of what they just witnessed.
"…I'm just gonna…" Qrow summoned a bottle of alcohol and downed it immediately. Winter could only groan at this.
"It looked…" Ren started to say but seemed to not be able to find the words.
"…awesome." Blake finished. That power already looked crazy, the fact that it was her wielding it, even if it was another version of her, it felt incredible.
Draken could only smirk at this. If this was how they reacted to just seeing Arsène, they'd be completely in shock seeing some of the other Personas.
Cinder's group, although they didn't say anything, had to admit that whatever this, "Persona" was, looked impressive. If only it existed in their world.
The lyrics to the song started playing, as a black, cat-like(?), truck drove into the camera.
The cat creature from earlier appeared in full display, resembling something of a mascot. He was holding a briefcase, seemingly infatuated with it before it was taken out of its hands by the lady who was running with him via a whip. They didn't recognize her at first but upon further inspection of the hairline, they figured out it was Coco.
"Coco?!" Quite a few of them, including Velvet, had said in shock. The girl in question in disbelief.
"What am I wearing?!" Coco exclaimed. "That red does not suit me, much less a… cat skin suit!"
Blake had been staring wide eyed at what this Coco was wearing, not really knowing what to think.
"Hang on a second." Weiss observed.
Ruby looked at her partner puzzled. "What is it Weiss?"
"You saw how Yang, Blake and that… mascot from earlier looked correct?" Weiss asked.
"Are you trying to say that these versions of you guys are thieves?" Jaune asked.
"I wouldn't say it's unlikely, the imagery and general vibe of this intro do seem to depict these people in an unlawful way." Winter said, giving her own opinion.
Suddenly Blake looked concerned. That Persona looked incredible but if she was using it for purposes similar to the White Fang…
Yang noticed her partner's worry and threw her arm around her shoulder.
"Remember Blake, these aren't us, just different versions. You'll still be the you that matters to us no matter what we see on screen." Yang reassured.
Blake was still worried however. "But that's still me Yang! That's still myself on that screen potentially doing bad things-"
"We don't know that."
Ruby had suddenly cut Blake off mid-sentence, and looked her in the eyes.
"We've barely seen a minute of this Blake! We don't know anything about our other selves, we don't even know if they're actual thieves! Besides, you're different from every other Blake out there, I may not be the smartest person but I know what the multiverse is. I'm sure there's some bad versions of you but you're not one of them." Ruby had finished talking, catching her breath. Blake took a moment to let those words kick in.
Ruby continued to talk again. "We can try to learn from ourselves but that doesn't mean we are them. Let's… let's just keep going."
Yang had now put her arms around both Blake and her sister, concerned for the two. Tai had also come next to them for support. "We don't have to do this-"
"No, we should." Blake said, interrupting Yang. "Ruby is right and even if we are thieves in this world, we shouldn't be so simple minded and assume they're the bad guys." Blake knew the feeling of others assuming you to be a bad person, she (as well as some of the others) felt stupid about essentially doing that here.
The group decided to continue on.
The briefcase is taken by Yang, donning the same outfit as she was seen in seconds earlier, she tossed it over to another costumed individual who resembled Ren, as he continuously sliced at the briefcase, turning it into a… heart?
"Hmm, fox motif." Ren mumbled to himself, a little surprised seeing himself wearing the outfit although he wouldn't physically show it.
"Something up Ren?" Nora questioned.
"Nothing, it's just, I know Mistral always liked its foxes and kitsune, but I never expected anyone, least of all myself, to wear something resembling them." Ren answered.
Oscar focused on something else, the heart that had once been that briefcase. 'What do you think it means?' Oscar questioned Ozpin.
'Well it could be an insight to the students' abilities in this world or…'
'Or?'
'It could be just for theatrics. I've known many teachers of Beacon with a flair for presentation, this entire intro seems to be filled with non-literal imagery.' Ozpin answered.
Oscar could only reply with a subtle "hmm", not really expecting what Oz had said.
The heart(?) was caught by a figure resembling Weiss, riding a motorcycle.
"So Weiss, you interested in riding motorcycles?" Yang quipped, they were currently trying to ignore the whole "thief" thing.
"I have heard horror stories from Ruby about the type of reckless things you've done on your motorcycle. Hard pass." She answered.
"Oh… I don't think I've heard many of these horror stories. Do you mind sharing with the class Yang Xiao Long?" Tai had said, hovering over Yang.
Yang was sweating at this point. Anyone knows that if your parent uses your full name it's over. "Uh… well I was only a bit reckless by myself, I was always safe while Rubes was with me."
Everyone looked at Ruby for an answer. "…Honestly yeah, every time Yang took me on Bumblebee she was really careful. I know my sister wouldn't let me get hurt while on it."
"Aww thanks for having my back Rubes!" Yang said, hugging her little sister.
"Well I'm not saying you've never been reckless, you've told me your experiences quite a few times." Ruby said, trying to breathe from being hugged by her sister. Yang let go after such words were spoken.
"Betrayed by my own sister, oh the horror!" Yang said sarcastically, faking a fall.
"Seriously Yang, be more careful on that bike." Tai said. Qrow nodded in agreement. Yang gave an "alright", before turning back to the screen.
Weiss tossed it into the air towards another person, this one being Nora, who had a giant ax in her hand.
"Oooh an ax!" Nora exclaimed.
"Y'know axes and hammers aren't all that different, similar muscle memory and all. I don't think it'd be a bad idea if you redesigned your weapon as an ax." Qrow told.
"Nah, I like Manghild just the way it is." Nora said in response.
"Gotta say what you're wearing is very stylish. Not particularly good in combat but it looks good on you." Coco said. Nora smiled at that.
"Hey Coco, I know you're a fashionista and all but you've just been talking about are people's outfits so far." Velvet mentioned.
"Well what do you want me to say? I mean the whole cinematic is cool and I'm enjoying the song but I'm mainly drawn to what everyone's wearing. It's very striking compared to what we're all wearing now." Coco explained. Velvet couldn't actually argue against what she said so she just returned to looking at the intro cinematic.
After Nora hit the heart into the air with her ax, some tentacles had seemed to grab it, revealing them to be from a figure looking like Ruby, with some sort of spaceship appearing under her.
"W-what?" Ruby questioned. Her expression, what she was wearing, it was… strange to say the least.
Pyrrha pondered a bit, looking over the version of Ruby on screen. "Don't… quite know what's up with that saucer but, judging from your outfit you probably serve a different purpose to the group, tech support maybe?" She guessed.
"Tech support huh… I'd rather be out there with you guys fighting but I guess it's nice that I'm still helping." Ruby told.
Cinder growled from the inside, they were so supportive and giddy, it was annoying.
That's when Blake had swooped in with a grappling hook in hand attached to a helicopter, grabbing the heart for herself.
Blake took a sigh, thinking over what they've seen so far. "And there's me again. Since I'm apparently the 'main character', that would mean I'm the leader of these… thieves." Blake said, although that last part was a little lower.
Yang looked at her partner again and put her hand on Blake's. "Come on, it's not just you remember? Besides, I don't really know much about multiverses or anything but they're our counterparts for a reason." It was tough seeing Blake like this and Yang had to say something. Blake wasn't sure if Yang's actual words helped but at least the support was nice.
"I know this isn't exactly relevant but I only just noticed it with Blake due to her hair. Seems we're all in our teenage years still in this world, or more accurately our Beacon days." Ren assessed.
A bunch of colorful blocks filled the screen as the scene changed. Those seen before in the intro were now in what appeared to be a small version of a city, now in everyday attire.
They each had objects in hand, as Yang took a baseball bat to one of the cities, exploding it into more of those colorful blocks.
More of the group took to beating up the city, one in particular person standing out.
"The hell are you doing with them?!" Emerald questioned Mercury.
"Hey I don't control what the other me does okay?!" Mercury argued. "Gods, I'm gonna be some goody two-shoes in this, am I?" He complained.
Cinder said nothing… for now. It was rather annoying that one of her subordinates were seemingly friends with those idiots but it meant nothing for the real Mercury.
Odd silently laughed, Mercury's role in this game was going to be a wild ride.
The rubble from the buildings suddenly turned into rain drops after Blake hit it, transitioning to a rainy day with Pyrhha holding an umbrella with a bunch of shadow people in view.
Suddenly Pyrhha started dancing with her umbrella, imitating what you'd see gymnasts do.
"Good moves P-Money! Also nice to see you in this world… and just in general." Yang still wasn't over the fact that Pyrrha was alive again, none of them were, it was nice.
"Thanks! I never thought about taking dance classes or gymnastics but-"
Nora cut Pyrrha off. "Are you kidding?! It hasn't been so long that we forgot the dance at Beacon, Pyrrha. I saw those moves you had!" She exclaimed.
Pyrrha giggled at the memory, 2 years felt like so ago. "I mean, I guess I did take some interpreted dance when I was younger but that was before the whole 'champion' thing. Some of it stuck I guess."
Her umbrella began spinning, becoming a scene transition as diamonds began raining on the rest of the characters. The characters all looked up in surprise as they started to play with it as if it were snow. Throwing it like snowballs.
Blake lay down in the snow diamonds, landing next to Mercury as the camera zoomed in next to them.
They continued to play in this diamond snow until Nora and Coco threw a snow sculpture of what appeared to be that same cat creature from before, exploding in color.
"Well it seems like we're all still good friends at least." Yang said.
"I admit it is a little jarring seeing myself so buddy-buddy with you guys." Coco began. A small "welcome to the club" left Mercury's lips. "No offense of course I'd just rather be hanging out with my team or even other second years." She finished.
"Nah it's fine Coco we get it." Ruby assured.
"…are we just not going to talk about that cat?"
"And you have something to say on it, Qrow?" Winter questioned
"…fair enough." Qrow said taking another drink from his bottle.
Blake in her thief attire came back onto the scene, holding the heart in her hand as a subway passed by her, as she now looked like a normal school girl, holding a bag that contained a cat that bore some resemblance to that cat creature from earlier as Blake walked into a large city. We cut to an overhead shot where in the middle we see "Presented by ATLUS."
"So… how'd everyone like that?" Odd asked.
"It was really cool! All those visuals and the music, it was great!" Ruby exclaimed.
Everyone shared similar thoughts as they talked amongst themselves, although Jaune (who had mostly been quiet) looked down. Pyrrha noticed this and put her hand on his back.
"I know you're upset you weren't featured like the rest of us." She said, "But that doesn't mean you aren't important to us here." Pyrrha finished reassuringly. Jaune gave a small smile.
"Thank you Pyrrha. I… forgot what it was like to talk to you." He said looking at her.
A wave of buildings passed by as a red silhouette of Blake swooped in on her grappling hook. She jumped towards the ground, landing dramatically as she posed in place, the rest of the silhouetted thieves landing right after her as the game's logo appeared.
P5R
PERSONA 5 ROYAL
PRESS ANY BUTTON
"This game's style is really impressive. I can tell so much work went into this." Weiss proclaimed.
"These are still different universes though. I'm still not exactly sure calling them games is completely accurate." Tai pondered.
"You'll get used to it. Besides, these worlds were created in such a way like they were designed for a medium. It may seem weird to you guys but it's natural to me." Odd said, giving his thoughts.
Ruby pressed one of the four face buttons as the screen jumped to Pyrrha doing a twirl as the New Game option was hovered over. Ruby quickly selected the option as-
"What, are you not going to check the Config menu?" Yang asked.
"Well I don't know, I just didn't think it was important. Already hit 'New Game' anyway…" Ruby trailed off.
The camera zoomed into the screen on the building until everything went black. A bunch of DLC popped up that Odd made Ruby quickly skip through as to avoid spoilers. Another quick screen about save data popped up as Ruby hit the "Okay" option.
That's when another option presented itself, language. Either the characters would be voiced in English or… Japanese.
"Hey Odd, what's… Japanese?" Ruby asked.
"Japanese is the language Japanese people, who are in my world, speak. The closest comparison to Japan would be Mistral in your world. Very beautiful country and also this game's setting." Odd explained.
He always wanted to visit Japan but Draken always talked him out of it. Even someone as powerful as Odd needed money and he knew he'd spend a lot of money in Japan. Everyone was intrigued but before Odd could keep going, Draken stopped him.
"We can talk about the intricacies of Japan later. For now let's select English and move on." He said. There would be many moments in Persona 5 that would allow them to discuss Japanese culture after all.
Ruby selected English as the screen faded to black.
"This story is a work of fiction."
"Similarities between characters or events to persons living or dead in your world are purely coincidental."
"Only those who have agreed to the above have the privilege of partaking in this game."
I agree
I disagree
Everyone was quite understandably confused as they looked towards Odd for answers.
"I'm going to be completely honest, I have no idea why it does this. I know for a fact it's another real universe, maybe it being in the form of a game has something to do with it? I'm not sure but just agree to it so we can continue." Odd had answered. It wasn't exactly the answer they wanted but it was likely all they were gonna get.
Ruby selected the option to agree.
"…The contract has been sealed."
"The world is not as it should be. It's filled with distortion, and 'ruin' can no longer be avoided."
"Those who oppose fate and desire change…
From time to time, they were referred to as Tricksters."
Blake suddenly felt… something inside her. She didn't know what it was but it was a strange feeling she couldn't describe. It wasn't necessarily "bad" but… strange.
"You are the Trickster…
Now is the time to rise against the abyss of distortion."
The scene changed to anime style cutscene. Helicopters were closing in on a bright city, specifically what appeared to be a large casino.
"Woah… it's massive!" Yang yelled. She'd never say it a lot loud but Yang has wanted to go to a casino before. Yeah she knows gambling is bad but she knows not to bet too much… hopefully.
"I haven't seen casinos in Atlas this big!" Weiss exclaimed in surprise.
"Wait, you've been to casinos before?" Jaune asked.
"I'll give you three guesses why."
"Oh….. you're dad." Jaune realized.
"Exactly."
The camera went into the "W" on a sign and then into a building. Alarms were going off as people began panicking.
A blur of black leaped past the point of vision, people attempting to spot it as it jumped across the ceiling.
Someone
There's something here!
Three men in black suits came in as we continue looking at the black figure jumping around, now more easily recognizable as Blake.
She stood on top of a light fixture, holding a briefcase in her arm, a smile on her face as she made her appearance known to the crowd.
"Not a bad entrance Blake. We should try doing that more often on enemies." Nora suggested.
"Eh, doubt it'd be very effective." Blake mused. "Ignoring that most of us aren't exactly… stealthy, Grimm aren't really like wild animals, they see something and destroy, they don't really get defensive. The other me and even White Fang members are using the tactic to disorient and do it while they have the element of surprise, it likely wouldn't work on Cinder and her group either for that reason as well." She explained.
Someone
Hey… Up there!
Agent
She's here. Move in immediately!
The black suited men perused Blake. The girl in question only smiled more as she jumped out of the light, the anime cutscene ending.
The song "Life Will Change" started to play as we switched to actual gameplay, Blake standing on ceiling decorations.
Boyish Voice:
Good. Now get running!
"Wait, that cat can talk?! I thought he was just a weird mascot or something!" Yang exclaimed.
None of them were really expecting the cat to say anything but there wasn't really much to say in response to it.
Boy's Voice
This is our only chance!
"We never actually saw Mercury as a thief with us but… I guess this confirms it." Ren pointed out.
"Still not a fan, thank you." Mercury complained.
"Mercury quiet down! I'm not exactly liking this either but we don't have much choice but to accept it." Cinder told Mercury. He growled and looked off to the side, not looking at anything in particular.
Girl's Voice
Stay calm! You can get away now!
"And there's Rubes." Yang said.
"Hmm, you seem to be quite sure about Blake's path. Perhaps you serve more as a navigator than tech support?" Ren questioned Ruby.
"Well either way my stance doesn't change." Ruby answered.
Girl's Voice
We'll retrieve the briefcase on our end.
"It feels weird that I'm working with thieves." Weiss admitted. Sure she wasn't as snobbish as she was before but she still was heavily against criminals.
"Don't let it get to you Weiss, I'm sure it's weird for mostly everyone else." Jaune assured her. Weiss felt a little better but was still unsure about the whole situation.
Mysterious Transmission
…suspects…not…confirmed…
…hold…your…positions…
Girl's Voice
Hm…? What was that…?
Boyish Voice
Don't worry about us. Just concentrate on getting away!
The dialogue finished up as Ruby was given control. She moved Blake forward, pressing the appropriate button prompts as she hopped across the various ceiling fixtures.
Boyish Voice
But I have to say, showing yourself above that crowd earlier was an excellent move.
Boyish Voice
Nice work as always, Joker.
"Wait a minute. Joker?" Jaune questioned.
"It's likely a codename." Emerald explained. "Unlike some people that I know, you wouldn't want to reveal your real identity to any witnesses, especially since Belladonna here is masked." She continued. Emerald didn't consider herself a complete jerk like Mercury. She could provide information if needed, as long as it didn't interfere with her or Cinder's plan of course.
"Oh uh thanks Emerald." Jaune said.
"N-no problem." Emerald wasn't exactly great with being thanked, never was used to it.
Girl's Voice
I bet Skull wouldn't pull it off that smoothly.
"And I'm assuming Skull is…"
Boy's Voice
This happens because you have no sense for aesthetics.
Girl's Voice
Nobody asked you, Inari!
"…yeah that makes sense." Weiss sighed.
"Wh- I can totally pull off something like that!" Yang argued.
"Yang, the last time I saw you do anything 'theatrical', you fell off the couch and busted your face up." Tai told, barely keeping a straight face.
"Oh you should have seen her at Beacon." Blake said enthusiastically.
"Don't you even-"
"Yang was being a total hotshot saying 'I can totally land feet first from the bunk bed!' She ended up going too far and hit the wall!" Ruby could barely contain her laughter while saying as the rest of _WB, JNPR and the rest of the good guys laughed out loud, Emerald did as well, though she kept it to herself. Even Odd and Draken let out a chuckle.
"I still have that video on my scroll." Nora admitted while wheezing.
"You recorded that and sent it to people?!"
"You gotta show me that during a break or something."
"Uncle Qrow?!" Yang exasperated.
"Okay as funny as that was, let's get back to the game." Weiss said.
Ruby guided Blake over until it zoomed out to some of those agents.
Agent
There she is!
Girl's Voice
Just run! Get out of there!
As Ruby regained control, the cat began to speak again.
Boyish Voice
Okay, the enemy's focus is on her. Looks like the rest of us can slip away.
Girl's Voice
Everyone remember where we're meeting up?
Girl's Voice
No worries, I can guide you all.
As Ruby maneuvered Blake around, she eventually reached an in-game cutscene. The two agents from earlier arrived and seemed to… mutate? As their bodies swelled up and they donned blue masks.
"Hold on wha-"
A third one suddenly appeared behind Blake.
"Blake behind you!"
"I'm… right here Ruby it's okay." Blake said with a smile.
"Oh… sorry, leader instincts kicked in." Ruby said with a nervous smile, hand behind her back.
Blake simply turned around towards the enemy with a smile.
Girl's Voice
Take 'em down, Joker!
Blake dramatically leapt into the air as she landed right on top of the guard, gripping his mask and pulling it off with extreme intensity.
The guard began to explode into shadows, also like it was bleeding as it reformed into a monster; a massive bull like creature with bull like features and multiple legs.
"I'm- hold on- excuse me- what the fuck just happened?!" Weiss screamed. Her extreme confusion was unanimous among everyone, although everyone who knew Weiss hardly expected her to swear.
"Language Weiss!" Winter scolded. "But I do agree that what we just saw was rather…"
"Bat-shit insane?" Qrow provided.
"Well I definitely wouldn't put it as crude as you but yeah that seems accurate." Winter said, not knowing the exact words on whatever the hell just happened.
"That is a Shadow." Odd explained, clearly enjoying everyone's hysterical response. "Trust me when I say that you'll be seeing many more of them, just as if not more crazy than this."
Everyone was intrigued but also worried, especially those who valued Blake's safety.
A battle was entered with the Shadow, or as the text called it a "Sacrificial Pyrekeeper".
Girl's Voice
Comparing power levels… No threat. Get 'em, Joker!
"Oh it's an RPG! Guess we never actually confirmed the game genre." Ruby said sheepishly.
"Well you heard yourself Rubes, get 'em!" Yang said in support.
Ruby looked at the various options but decided to do a basic attack. Blake moved in and got a few swipes of her dagger in, before rolling back and delivering a shot with her pistol, knocking the enemy down.
"Pistol and dagger, pretty different from your Gambol Shroud isn't it?" Coco mused.
"Y'know I actually wouldn't mind keeping a couple of daggers on me for backup." Blake said. "Definitely couldn't see myself using a regular handgun though." She let out a little laugh. Not that handguns weren't effective but they were typically used by cops or common civilians rather then full blown weapons like Huntsmen.
"Handguns aren't actually as ineffective as people say, especially when used in mech-shift weapons." Ruby explained. "They're actually quite effective, being light-weight and small means better precision, not to mention it's less bulky than a sniper rifle and can be used one-handed rather easily. The reason they're not used by Huntsmen very often is because they aren't versatile. For example, my sniper shots aren't just for shooting, the kickback helps to build momentum for my speed. Not to mention-"
"Okay Ruby that's enough on weapons thank you very much, we've already had to deal with Port's class back in Beacon, I don't think we need more long lectures." Weiss interrupted.
"Oh sorry! I'm… still a weapon nut y'know." Ruby replied sheepishly.
"If you ever became a weapons teacher, I don't know if students would love or dread your class." Qrow joked.
"Weapons teacher… might actually look into that." Ruby said to herself.
Ruby returned her focus to the game, with the enemy knocked down she had another turn, she was about to hit the basic attack option again before Yang interrupted her.
"Hey sis, try messing with that Persona option. Says under it that you can use a skill" Yang suggested.
"Odd said that guy we saw in the cinematic was a Persona, I wonder if-"
Ruby hit the Persona option as Blake summoned that same creature from earlier, though its name was currently unknown. A list of abilities was also shown.
"Okay so Blake can summon that guy, and that's how I can access skills." Ruby figured.
"That Brave Blade skill costs HP, about a third of it actually." Oscar noticed.
"Yeesh that's pretty high, stick too… Eyegoan? Eigon? Ei-"
"Eigaon." Weiss corrected Yang.
"Okay you can't blame me for mispronouncing that one!" Yang argued.
"Yeah but it's funny." Odd argued back.
"…Honestly, I'd probably say that to someone else in a similar situation. I'll accept that." Yang admitted.
Ruby selected Eigaon as a torrent of Curse energy flowed into a huge explosion of damage, a scary face could be seen in the middle of it, as the enemy was defeated.
Girl's Voice
Okay, pull out before their backup gets here!
The battle ended as we cut back to standard gameplay.
Boyish Voice
Good. You defeated them with ease!
Girl's Voice
More of them?! Be careful!
More shadows appeared, one of them attempting to attack Blake, only for her to backflip out of the way and jump to an upper floor.
Girl's Voice
Joker, behind you! Go through that door!
Ruby regained control as she guided Blake to the door, the screen transitioning to a new area.
Girl's Voice
You should be able to get out that way! Hurry!
Girl's Voice
Dude, can she even hear us?
Girl's Voice
Don't worry, I'm picking up everyone's voices. Just go, Joker!
It was very subtle but it was something Ruby, Yang, Qrow and Tai picked up on.
"Huh, called you dude instead of like, sis or something." Yang noticed.
"Well I mean, a lot of people call girls dude, it's practically gender neutral at this point." Pyrrha said.
"I think what Yang's saying is that she's referring to Ruby as if she isn't her sister." Tai explained.
"Well… that's because in this universe, she isn't." Odd explained.
It took everyone a bit to process Odd's words. Maybe they should have expected it but the idea that someone could not be related to their own family in another world was a bit crazy. Oscar however thought of something equally bizarre.
"So wait, if people who are related in our world can be not related in another, does that mean…"
"Yes, the opposite holds true as well. Any of you guys can be siblings or even each other's parents in another world." Odd explained.
That one made them very uncomfortable. It took a while to process it all but eventually everyone calmed down and just… had to accept it.
Girl's Voice
Hm? Wait a sec!
What the- I'm getting a weird reading heading your way! C'mon, run!
"I'm sorry, what do you mean 'a weird reading'?! That giant ass monster wasn't weird?!" Nora exclaimed.
"Whatever it is, I hope Blake is okay." Ren replied.
Ruby led Blake through the room, the map indicating where she needed to go.
Girl's Voice
Tch! We got away from a bunch of those guys in black, but there's still loads more of 'em…
Blake continued to go through the building, as one of those agents approached a window.
Agent
Where'd they go?! Damn it!
I can't confirm the intruder's location.
Blake went ahead a little before the Ruby on screen stopped her.
Girl's Voice
Up ahead, stop!
This is bad! Hide, Joker!
Blake quietly and quickly hid behind a container.
Girl's Voice
You'll never get away if you just keep fighting.
Hide in the shadows, and sneak past when you see an opening!
"The shadows huh, sounds like someone we know?" Yang teased. Blake blushed, in all honesty, even with this version of her as a thief, she could definitely see her doing all these things, in her own way of course.
Ruby was given an action to move to the next hiding spot, she did so as Blake from spot to spot, closer to the agent.
Agent
…Hey, are you sure she came in this way?
Understood, I will continue the search!
The agent ran completely past Blake.
Girl's Voice
Now's your chance! Make a run for it!
Blake headed up the stairs as she soon faced another agent.
Girl's Voice
Ugh! How many of them are there?!
Blake quickly hid once again.
Boy's Voice
Everything okay? The security level might rise if you take too much time.
"Aw look how concerned you are for them." Emerald teased.
"Shut. Up. Em." Mercury said through his teeth.
Girl's Voice
I know, I know! I'm looking for another route. Just hang on.
"Okay we haven't mentioned it but this Ruby's navigation has been… weirdly extraordinary." Jaune noticed, he then turned to Ruby. "Not saying yours is awful or anything but it's like she knows the entire layout of the casino.
"I've been thinking that as well. I doubt Miss Rose in our group is bad at navigation herself but not even the Atlas Military has navigators this good!" Winter pondered. How could only teenagers have this level of coordination and capability?
Girl's Voice
Oh, perfect timing. Joker, look up!
The camera panned up to a metal grating, something shiny right below it.
Girl's Voice
Can you use that thing and just fly over there?
"Wait, fly?"
Before Blake's question could be answered, a prompt appeared on that object. When Ruby pressed it, the Blake on screen whipped out a grappling hook, swinging right past the agent and looping back around on the grate.
"Well… I've used Gambol Shroud to swing around before but never a full on grappling hook." Blake mused.
"Hey why don't we use grappling hooks?" Ruby questioned.
"Well Ruby, do you know where you would find a place that sells them or know how to build one?" Weiss quipped
"Um well, no…"
"Well there's your answer."
Girl's Voice
All right, go straight from there!
As Blake made her way to the door…
Girl's Voice
Joker-stop!
It's an enemy-right near you!
Blake was suddenly caught off guard as Shadows suddenly spawned right on top of her and behind her.
"Crap, she's surrounded!" Qrow exclaimed.
Girl's Voice
Even you can't take on this many-
Huh?!
Joker! That weird reading from earlier's closing in on you too!
"Fuck are you kidding me?!" Yang yelled.
As Blake found herself surrounded, she noticed a girl walking in with red hair as she drew her sword.
Mysterious Girl
I'll end this right now.
"Hold up, Pyrrha?!" Jaune yelled.
"We did see me in the intro after all, granted I wasn't technically with your group or as a thief but we never saw Mercury in thief attire either." Pyrrha mentioned.
Girl's Voice
Joker, it's her! She's the weird reading I've been getting!
"Wait, Pyrrha is the weird reading?!" Nora questioned.
"Judging by Ruby's response she doesn't seem to know Pyrrha in this world. Perhaps she's part of something else." Ren assumed.
"This whole prologue has been crazy, I hope this all gets answered." Ruby hoped.
Pyrrha juggled her sword in the air before throwing it right at Blake… past her and hitting the Shadow square in the chest.
The rest of the shadows honed in on her, as she dodged an attack by cartwheeling away. She closed her eyes, focused, before twirling and pulling out a flintlock, her silver emblem shining as she pulled the trigger and sent the Shadow flying.
"Good moves P-Money!"
She cartwheeled again, backflipping behind another Shadow, shooting it as she landed. She began walking towards Blake.
Mysterious Girl
My weak self relied on you so much…
Jaune looked at the Pyrrha on screen and back to the one sitting next to him. Pyrrha having to rely on someone, that was different.
Mysterious Girl
That ends today.
The three remaining Shadows showed their true form as Pyrrha kicked the sword out from the Shadow's stomach and stood next to Blake.
Mysterious Girl
Let's do this, partner!
They entered another battle, this time facing off against two bipedal leopards with swords and a giant bird. Things were certainly getting weirder for the enemies.
Girl's Voice
The enemy readings have decreased?
Boyish Voice
That's…
"Whoever this cat is seems to know Pyrrha…" Weiss guessed.
"Well I seem to know her too. Either way things are intentionally being left vague." Blake said.
Pyrrha dodged the bird's attack, Garula.
Mysterious Girl
It's been a while since we last fought side-by-side.
But this time, it's my turn to come to your aid, partner. Now let's win this!
Ruby regained control as she decided to use another basic attack. Pyrrha went automatically, using a skill called Vorpal Blade as she too summoned a Persona although the camera angle made it difficult to see as she crit all the enemies.
Hold Up!
Blake and Pyrrha flipped backwards before jumping into the air. The entire scene turned red before cracking as Blake and Pyrrha continuously ransacked the Shadows. A flash of yellow led to Pyrrha dancing with a ribbon, before the screen splashed into art.
"Beauty is Devotion"
Everyone was left speechless, well until someone broke the silence anyway.
"THAT LOOKED SO COOL!" Nora exclaimed.
"I know right?!" Yang agreed.
"Even I'll admit that what I just witnessed looked rather nice." Cinder confessed. The Glass Unicorn had practically soured her mood on anything remotely fancy but this was different.
"I can't believe I'm agreeing with her but if we see more of that later down the line then I'm looking forward to this." Tai claimed.
"…wow…" Velvet had been mesmerized by what she had seen. Coco had to snap her fingers to get her partner back to reality, much to her embarrassment.
Mysterious Girl
I think… that's the last of them?
Girl's Voice
I genuinely have no clue what just happened, but I take it you're okay?
"You and me both… me." Ruby agreed
Girl's Voice
Wait-bad news! Enemy backups headed your way! You need to book it, right now!
Mysterious Girl
Please go. I'm going to make it harder for them to track you down.
…You still have something you need to do as a Phantom Thief, right?
The Blake on screen nodded.
"You seemed to be more of a silent protagonist, Blake." Ren assumed.
"That's… fine. Less of a chance I hear myself say something out of pocket." Blake said.
Odd thought about the Persona 5 anime, while it wasn't a great adaptation, it did give its protagonist a lot more to say. He considered showing some clips just for fun, but that'd have to wait until much later.
Mysterious Girl
Then I won't stop you.
Since I'm not a member of the Phantom Thieves I'm in no position to interfere.
"Even when you're not associated with us you still manage to help her Pyrrha." Ruby mused.
"Well, I try to help when I can." Pyrrha smiled
Pyrrha performed a massive jump and landed on top of a vent.
"Damn girl, how can you make my quads withstand that?!" Nora exclaimed.
"I doubt I can do something that impressive, but I can tell my workout routine after this."
"Oooooh can you give me that too?" Yang questioned.
"I'll give it to any of my friends who ask." Pyrrha nodded.
Mysterious Girl
However… please don't forget the promise we made, okay?
Pyrrha leapt out as the camera cut back to Blake.
Girl's Voice
Joker, you need to get out of there! Go go go!
Blake proceeded as we cut back to standard gameplay.
Girl's Voice
Go up the stairs at the end of the path! Just a little more so hang in there!
Ruby moved Blake up the stairs as she became closer and closer to escaping the casino. Another anime cutscene played.
Blake sneaked across a hallway of word bubbles, looking into a room full of agents on computers.
Agent
She's not alone! Find them and kill them all!
"Wait kill?!" Nearly everyone had said. Was Blake, and apparently the rest of them, really deserving of the death sentence here?
Some more agents approached Blake's location as she bolted up the stairs, the agents hot on her trail. She went through a door but all it lead to was a balcony.
Girl's Voice
Something wrong? The exit should be up ahead.
"Real nice exit, Ruby!" Weiss complained.
"Uhhhhhh, other me?" Ruby tried to grip to an answer.
"Blake"
Through there…?
Girl's Voice
Nnh…! That's just how it is! After that commotion the bottom floor's-
Girl's Voice
-completely closed off. Hey, can you make it?
Agent
Over there! There's nowhere to run!
The men held guns in Blake's direction as she looked at them and gave a small smile before jumping off and running across the bars before leaning right in front of the stained glass window.
"Blake"
See ya!
Blake spiraled out of the window, broken glass of all colors showering around her.
"This version of me seems more…"
"Theatrical?"
"Enthusiastic?"
"Grandiose?"
"Yeah all those."
Girl's Voice
What a show off.
Girl's Voice
You're so reckless. You know that?
Blake landed on the floor and rolled in what was supposed to be a clean getaway. She stood up only for what seemed to be hundreds of lights to shine on her.
Girl's Voice
Enemies, here?
Boy's Voice
What's wrong?
Girl's Voice
These readings… it can't be!
"What the hell?!" Jaune questioned.
"How could they possibly know that Blake was going to do that?" Weiss also questioned.
Winter kept to herself but she had an inkling of an idea of what might've happened, as did Qrow, Tai and the Oz inside Oscar.
Girl's Voice
What happened?!
Girl's Voice
An ambush?!
Boyish Voice
Joker, can you handle this?!
Boy's Voice
Joker!
Girl's Voice
Oh no!
Police
Capture her!
Blake quickly attempted to get out of there as the cops chased her trail. She grabbed onto a ladder, smirking at the police, assuming she was safe but unfortunately at the top were more enemies.
Blake was shocked as one of them hit Blake with the blunt of their gun, causing her to fall down, making most of the audience flinch.
She was immediately surrounded and apprehended.
Agent
Didn't expect to find some kid.
You have your teammate to thank for this.
The agent kneels down and grabs Blake's head.
Agent
You were sold out.
And that's when the agent walked away.
"What? We would never betray like that!" Ruby exclaimed.
"Well I know someone in that group who would." Yang said, referring to Mercury.
Mercury said nothing. Who gave a shit if he betrayed them. After all, Emerald, him, and Cinder already tricked them once.
Police
Suspect confirmed! Cuff her!
As the cuffs were put on Blake, we flash forward to her getting pictures taken with her criminal ID. And that's when the cutscene ended.
"No Odd you can't just skip the intro like with what Risingthunder45 did for Yakuza 0, you have to transcribe the whole thing and have reactions throughout it all."
Sometimes I hate past me for making me do this. But yeah that's the first actual chapter. I was originally going to go further in this chapter up until we get to Joker telling Sae the events leading up to the intro but I felt here was also a good stopping point.
Also I've decided to delete this story from Wattpad because trying to create stories on there with the mobile app sucks. If anyone more competent with Wattpad wants to put this story on there be my guest, as long as I'm credited.
Anyway I've actually decided to give some explanations for the multiverse counterparts!
Joker/Ren/Akira - Blake: I know some people prefer other characters to fill Joker's role like Jaune but in my opinion Blake just fits the role best. There's the whole theme of rebellion which can definitely tie into Blake and the White Fang, especially the whole thing regarding Shido and a lot of people seeing Joker as a criminal. And of all the RWBY characters, I definitely see Blake as the one doing all of Joker's insane tricks and movement.
Skull/Ryuji - Yang: This was a toss-up between Yang and Sun but ultimately I just think Yang fits Ryuji better. I'd say Yang is closer to Ryuji in personality and it just makes sense that the first friend Blake meets in this story happens to be her partner. You could make similar arguments for Sun and it does suck that Yang wouldn't be a romance option… but then I'd have nowhere else to really put her. So yeah, Yang is Ryuji.
Mona/Morgana - Unchanged: Ultimately I just couldn't see anyone being Morgana. He's a very unique case and I think it makes way more sense for him to be himself than be played by another person.
Panther/Ann - Coco: Here's one y'all probably didn't see coming! I mostly see Blake cast in this role and I get why, but I just think Coco makes more sense. Coco doesn't exactly share Ann's personality but you can easily compare Ann being a model to Coco being a fashionista. Plus with the stuff I plan involving Kamoshida and a certain someone that will replace Shiho, it just makes more sense for Coco to take Ann's role.
Fox/Inari/Yusuke - Ren: Funnily enough despite sharing a name I actually think Ren fits Yusuke a lot better. They're both orphans and Yusuke and Ren both have a similar vibe to them. It's hard to exactly put it but it just makes sense.
Queen/Makoto - Weiss: Wow, who could've seen this coming. But yeah Weiss just makes too much sense for Makoto. The familial bond with their older sister, the sense of justice they have and trying to use their higher positions to satisfy that justice, I could go on but if you're reading this you probably already know why the two are similar.
Oracle/Futaba - Ruby: This is another one that just makes a lot of sense to me. Socially awkward, complicated history with their deceased mothers, Futaba even has a lot of "little sister energy" if that makes any sense.
Noir/Haru - Nora: There really isn't a lot of reason for Nora as Haru. Large weapon and grenade launcher, just kind of a similar vibe.
Crow/Akechi - Mercury: I haven't seen a lot of people have Goro casted as someone but I think Mercury works pretty well. Someone who pretends to be buddies with the cast but is actually working with one of the main villains and has an extremely troubled past regarding their fathers. Definitely interested to write the reactions regarding him.
Violet/Kasumi - Pyrrha: Red head, extremely nice, similar vibe about them. I won't say it's a perfect match and I have no idea what I'm going to do regarding… the big thing with Kasumi, but I do think this is the right choice.
Stay safe everyone, see you guys next chapter!