Welcome back ladies, gentlemen, and others! Gotta be honest, I was a bit intimidated to continue this massive journey, but my writing urges have forced me to press on. Let me in on a little secret though. The end goal of this fic is to finish P5R.
Now I know what you're thinking and don't worry I'm definitely not ending the fic after that game's completion. However, I do notice that a lot of reaction fanfics seem to stop early. Unable to get very far and it's even more rare if they finish. I get why but it is still upsetting. While I cannot guarantee anything it is my personal goal of this story to reach the end of P5R, at that point, if my interest in writing this story does decrease, then I'd feel more comfortable putting it aside.
But I'm getting way ahead of myself, this is an experience I want to enjoy, not worry about the future. Let's get into the reviews!
triscythe59: Glad you're looking forward to this! I'm admittedly very much a rookie and it's nice having someone with experience in these sorts of fics giving me support. Also I'll definitely consider some of the games on your list. I have been meaning to get into some of those series like Bayonetta, Xenoblade, the Arkham series, etc.
bjlpcell: Glad you're excited! If/when I get to the Kirby series it'll probably be Superstar Ultra and the main games after, so unfortunately I'm probably not doing Crystal Shards. Though the idea of showing the group 02 sounds really fun.
Guest: If I'm doing a game it's going to be the full experience. Never played Final Fantasy XVI but even if I did do it for this fic it wouldn't just be the bosses.
Himicate: I've looked into the game and while I do think it'd make for a good reaction fic on its own, I'm not sure it'd really fit this one. This is meant to be a more light-hearted fic (although there is definitely going to be some heavy stuff coming, though those are more personal in nature) and I just don't think Spec Ops would fit the tone. Plus I do want part of the fun of this fic being the RWBY characters… actually playing the game, even with bad games that I'll be covering like Mega Man X6 it'll be fun to have the group rip on how bad the game is, this just doesn't sound fun to write. Sorry if this was a bit long and I'm sorry that I won't be covering it.
Handsomistic1: Glad you're enjoying the story. Jaune's role will be revealed soon.
NinjaAssassinM: Glad you're excited! Yeah not all the casting choices are the popular picks but for the most part, the choices are what you'd expect. Also, don't think that just because Marcus is Mercury's father in canon means he'll be Shido. You'll see in this chapter.
As always, I hope everyone enjoys the story and let's get the show on the road!
—
The scene opened in first person. A syringe could be seen on the ground before we see Blake tied to a chair as someone approaches her. We see more shadowy figures beside him.
?
Guess the drug was too strong…
Wake her up.
A bucket of water was splashed onto Blake, who was now unceremoniously awake, showing her bruised and confused face.
"Those bastards!" Yang slammed her fist on the table.
"Hold on Ms. Xiao Long, we don't know what this version of your partner has done." Winter assessed. "Although even for the Atlas Military we'd never use strong drugs like this unless absolutely necessary."
"Not to mention she looks to be more beaten up than when she was cuffed or had her mugshot taken." Tai pointed out. "Maybe she did struggle but to take such extreme action like this…" He trailed off.
"But what if this me is dangerous?! We saw that agent give an order to kill us, what if I- or we are murderers or, maybe even worse in this world?!" Blake practically screamed out.
Suddenly, a hand was put on her shoulder… It was Ruby again.
"Blake…"
"I know Ruby, we barely know anything so far, but we know something, and it's that we're wanted criminals who are on the verge of the death penalty!" Blake lashed out. She didn't mean it to come out so forceful but it's just how it came out.
"I know everything is looking terrible for you right now, but we're following your story for a reason right? You're the protagonist for a reason." Ruby said.
Blake looked down. "Not all protagonists are heroes Ruby, even in fairy tales."
Ruby looked down for a second before looking back at Blake. "I know but… I trust you."
Blake was taken aback for a moment, although the more she thought about it the less surprised she was. Her team had accepted her as being part of the White Fang, it's only natural they'd give her a chance in this world as well. She smiled.
"Thanks Ruby."
"Anytime Blake, now let's get through this."
Blake observed her surroundings, seeing a camera pointed right at her and several agents staring at her.
Agent
No dozing off.
"Well genius, maybe don't give the teenage girl such strong drugs." Qrow said frustrated.
Blake struggled to move as her hands were chained to her chair.
Agent
You still don't get it, do you?
Give it up!
The agent furiously kicked at Blake, knocking her to the floor.
"The hell is your problem?!" Nora screamed.
"That bitch!" Yang yelled, her eyes now completely red at this point.
The agent then put his foot right on Blake's head.
Agent
Come on, cooperate. Or what, you want another shot?
"I was skeptical at first but now this is just disgusting. We don't exactly treat criminals with respect but we don't treat them like this, even murderers." Winter exclaimed.
"…guess good cop decided to check out early…" Jaune muttered under his breath.
"What are they drugging Blake with? If it's already extremely potent I can't imagine it'd be good for her body." Pyrrha said with concern.
The Blake on screen narrowed her eyes on the camera.
Agent
Huh? What about the camera?
Are you thinking it can be used as video evidence?
The agent picked Blake up by the hair.
Suddenly three dialogue options were given.
Blake
1: "Of course not…"
2: "What do you mean..?"
3: "…"
"Oh we get back to pick what Blake says." Ruby said. She handed the controller off to Blake.
"Ruby, what are you…"
"Controlling your actions is one thing but I don't feel comfortable about controlling your words. You should be in control when it comes to those options." Ruby explained.
Blake nodded in understanding as she went over the three options. "Well saying nothing will just make things worse and the top option sounds a bit smug, so let's pick this one."
Blake selected "What do you mean..?"
Agent
You still haven't figured it out?
There are no laws here that will protect criminals like you!
The agent then kicks Blake in the stomach. [1]
"Damn, wasn't expecting the agent to be this brutal." Emerald said, slightly wincing. This wasn't new to someone like Emerald, she saw lots of brutality as a kid, but it was still a little hard to watch, she preferred to get things done and over with.
Odd looked at the guests, ignoring Cinder's group, a lot of them looked concerned and uncomfortable. Most of all being Team RWBY. He decided to step in for a moment.
"Look." He began. "I understand if this is too much for you guys right now. While I will say things will get better if you push through this, I won't object to switching the game or even leaving if you want." Odd finished.
Yang leaned closer to Blake. "Hey Blake, this is all about you y'know, you want to keep going?" She asked with genuine concern.
The rest of Team RWBY and JNPR looked at her and offered their concern. Blake pondered a bit before giving an answer.
"I think we should. We already know so much and yet so little. If we quit now it'll just leave a bad taste in our mouths. I want to know where this ends up going." Blake responded.
"Alright, we'll continue then." Weiss said, looking at Odd.
Blake was still reeling from the kick as the agent walked away looking at a clipboard.
Agent
Obstruction of justice, blackmail, defamation, possession of weapons…
Manslaughter too, yeah? Talk about the works.
"Well… at least you didn't kill anyone intentionally?" Yang said, trying her best to find some levity in the situation.
"Like that's much better." Blake muttered.
Agent
To think all those crimes were led by a punk like this…
"That is a good question actually, Blake is being treated like public enemy number one but she's only a teenager." Ren said.
Others in the group wanted to say something but in their mind it all led back to waiting to see what happened, so they pressed on.
Agent
And you seemed to be enjoying every second of it… Huh?
"Blake"
(I was… enjoying it..?)
(Everything's hazy… I can't remember…)
"Oh great, Blake seems to have amnesia as well." Weiss said with annoyance.
"This isn't going to be an amnesiac story is it?" Blake asked.
"Rest assured, while this version of you does have a somewhat foggy memory, she still remembers a lot, right now she just can't remember much because of the drugs." Odd answered.
At least somewhat satisfied with that answer Blake turned back to the screen.
An option to select difficulty suddenly popped up on screen. The five options being:
Safe
Easy
Normal
Hard
Merciless
"Alright, what should we select for difficulty?" Jaune asked.
"If you select Safe I'll probably fall asleep." Mercury answered honestly. If he was going to be playing video games with these losers, it wasn't going to be on the easiest difficulty.
"How about we just pick Normal? It's the default option for a reason." Ruby suggested as Blake gave her back the controller.
Ruby selected the Normal difficulty option as the cutscene resumed. The agent shook his head.
Agent
…You should know your place.
He motioned to the other guards as they uncuffed Blake, dropping her to the floor. The agent suddenly held a clipboard in front of her.
Agent
Sign here.
It's a confession under your name.
"Doesn't she get a trial at least?!" Velvet exclaimed.
"Maybe this is after that and Blake was found guilty? Don't know if we'll get answers to this specifically but that's my best guess." Qrow said.
Blake:
1: I understand…
2: …
Ruby looked to Blake for an answer. The cat Faunus sighed as she thought about it.
"Well…" Blake pondered. "Things aren't exactly looking great for me, apparently I even killed someone but…"
That same feeling from earlier suddenly made itself apparent to Blake. The one she felt when the nature of the Trickster was mentioned. [2]
"…I want to believe in myself. Something is telling me to rebel against this. Say nothing." Blake finished with a smile.
Ruby picked the "…" option. Blake swatted away the clipboard from her face.
Agent
I see…
The agent suddenly stood up.
Agent
I need your hand to sign this but…
The agent suddenly stomped his foot onto Blake's leg.
Agent
I don't care if you end up losing a leg.
At this point Yang had to be actively held back, it didn't matter if that agent was on a screen, she was going to destroy him.
Cinder meanwhile smirked silently at Blake's pain, she thought long and hard about what she'd do to Team RWBY after things went smoothly. She originally wanted to end them the same way she did to Nikos, poetic fate and all that. But torturing them also sounded fun.
The agent took out the clipboard again as well as a pen. She looked at Blake directly in her eyes.
Agent
Don't expect to walk out of here in one piece.
We're going to make you understand…
One must take full responsibility for their actions…
Blake reluctantly took the pen and clipboard as she went to sign her name, the name selection screen showing up.
"Wait what?" Blake questioned.
"We… get to name Blake?" Yang said in a mix of confusion and intrigue.
"Nobody in this world ever actually referred to Blake by her name." Ren observed.
"So… she can technically be named anything in this world."
"It should be noted that not all aspects of gameplay are accurate to this universe." Odd explained. "An example being Blake's name. Officially in this universe it's Blake Belladonna but by nature of this game she can be whatever you name her." He finished. 'Well Kuro Doku is another, at least in the manga universe, but it's a lot less used.' Odd said in his thoughts. [3]
"Well let's just stick to Blake for simplicity's sake." Ruby said.
Ruby entered the name "Blake Belladonna" as the Blake on screen wrote it down on the clipboard. [4]
The scene suddenly turned black as we cut to Winter Schnee walking towards Blake's room.
"Wow I… genuinely wasn't expecting to see myself here. What role do I serve?" Winter asked Odd.
"You're a public prosecutor in this world, one that happens to be entangled in Blake's case." He explained.
"Prosecutor." Winter pondered. "If I never joined the Atlas Military I think that'd be a fine position to be in. I already know a good amount about Atlas's laws. As for this situation, knowing myself, I probably won't be the most supportive of Ms. Belladonna."
"Hey, you can refer to all of us on a first name basis, we're playing video games, no need to be so formal." Yang suggested.
"…I'll take that into consideration, Ms. Xiao- Yang." Winter quickly corrected herself.
As Winter approached the door the police detective stopped her.
Police Detective
Excuse me, but this area's off-
Businesswoman
I'm Winter Schnee from the Public Prosecutor's office.
Police Detective
The Prosecutor's Office? What business do you have here?
Businesswoman
Just let me through; it's urgent. There's something I need to confirm with the suspect.
Police Detective
Miss Schnee, I believe this case is no longer under your jurisdiction. [5]
Besides-
"Weird. It's like they don't want Winter to know too much." Oscar noted.
'It is rather peculiar.' Ozpin stated in Oscar's mind. 'I can't say anything for the time being but I have my suspicions.'
"As do I." Oscar said accidentally out loud.
Ruby quickly noticed and turned to Oscar. "Oh, are you talking to Ozpin, Oscar?"
"Yeah. We both have our suspicions regarding the agents but we can't say anything for certain." He explained.
Odd however suddenly had an idea. "Oh crap I forgot Ozpin was still in Oscar, hold on a moment this will take a bit."
Energy channeled all throughout Odd's body as some sort of magic circle flickered into existence, it was clearly taking a lot of energy from Odd as grit his teeth, the entire room was shaking. The magic circle finished forming, as a portal opened up from it, from out of the portal came… an exact replica of Ozpin's body.
Oscar suddenly felt strange, or more accurately Ozpin did, as he felt himself leave Oscar as his consciousness was dragged into the body. He opened his eyes, shocked and relieved to see himself in his old body.
"How… did you do this?" He questioned.
Odd was currently on the floor trying to catch his breath after performing such a technique. "It takes… a lot… to create… an entirely… new body. But yeah… reconstructed the body you had before Cinder killed you. Before you ask, I have no idea how this is going to work with your reincarnation. But, enjoy it."
Ozpin moved over to where Qrow and Tai were and stood. With the commotion dying down they turned their attention back to the screen.
Older Detective
Are you Prosecutor Winter Schnee?
I just got off the phone with your director.
Hurry and get it over with. To be frank, you're being an inconvenience.
'Rude.' Winter said to herself.
SIU Director's Voice
*sigh* I thought I ordered you to stand by.
Winter
I'm responsible for this case, yet I'm not even being allowed an interrogation?
"Okay yeah there's definitely something going on behind the scenes, the fuck does she mean they aren't allowing her to interrogate the suspect?!" Qrow pointed out.
"Moreover, I think that was Cordovin my other was talking too." Winter assessed.
"Oh… her…" Jaune said quietly.
"You've met Special Operative Caroline Cordovin?" Winter questioned.
"Uhhhhh… more than just met." Ruby said, rubbing the back of her head awkwardly.
"Winter, it's… really best that we don't talk about this, at least for now." Weiss sighed.
Winter looked at the two teams (minus Pyrrha) and Oscar with a skeptical look in her eyes, when this was over she was going to discuss things with her fellow Special Operative.
SIU Director's Voice
I'm calling because I knew you'd bring it up.
Winter
I will not be convinced unless I confirm it for myself.
This is MY case.
SIU Director's Voice
*sigh* Good luck to you then.
I won't be expecting much though…
"She seems… a lot calmer here." Winter noted.
"From what I've seen of that old lady in your world, saying she's "calmer" here is about as much of an understatement as saying Ruby likes cookies." Odd quipped.
"Hey!" Ruby complained.
"He's not wrong Rubes." Yang told her sister with a smirk.
Ruby just pouted. "Cookies aren't even my favorite food, strawberries are." She said.
This however genuinely shocked Odd.
"Wait, your favorite food is strawberries?" He questioned.
"Um… yeah?" Ruby said with a confused smile.
"Hold on, you're some all powerful and all seeing god and you didn't even know what her favorite food was?" Emerald questioned, taking a drink from some lemon-lime soda.
"Okay, first of all I'm not a god, second of all I don't know literally everything about all of you. I don't even know how old Taiyang is." Odd explained.
"Well hopefully we can keep it that way." Tai said glaring at Odd.
Odd averted his eyes out of fear. He had forgotten the rule that you never assume someone's age, no matter how strong you were.
Winter had put her Scroll in her pocket as she turned towards the older detective.
Older Detective
Ah, Prosecutor. I forgot to mention something important.
Your time will be cut short. We can't permit you to talk with her for long.
"Okay this shit is pissing me off now. We get it, you're a bunch of shady guys who want Winter to be as little involved with this as possible!" Yang blurted out.
Both the Winter on screen and the Winter viewing the game scowled.
Older Detective
It's for your own sake.
Her methods are unknown. After all, we don't even know if it's safe to simply meet and speak with her.
"Oh but it's completely okay to beat her to the ground until she does what you assholes tell her to do?!" Yang once again yelled out.
"Yang…" Weiss said slowly. "I understand that you're mad, we all are. But it's just the beginning, I'm sure we're going to learn a lot more by pressing on." She explained.
Yang said nothing as she took a deep breath as she put her hands up. "Okay, you're right, I've been meaning to stop myself from exploding all the time anyway. I'll calm down."
The group turned their focus back to the screen.
Winter
…I understand.
With those words, Winter walked towards the entrance of where Blake would be questioned. The scene transitioned to Winter and Blake at a desk, the former taking her seat as she crossed her arms.
Winter
…I didn't expect it'd be you.
"Huh, guess we know each other in this universe." Blake pointed out.
"That's rather strange. No offense Blake, I'm sure you're a nice person to be around but given my status as a lawyer here and yours as only a teenager, I assumed we wouldn't have crossed paths." Winter explained.
Odd snickered to himself. They had no idea the kind of people Blake would befriend in this game.
Winter
You'll be answering my questions this time.
Winter looked down and noticed the syringe on the ground.
Winter
Those bastards…
"At least you seem different from those bad guys Winter." Ruby told her.
"Yeah… I at least try to disassociate myself with the rather extreme methods." Winter looked down. "I hate to say it but if there's anything I'll criticize General Ironwood over, it's that he has a tendency to go off the deep end when it comes to taking matters into his own hands."
"Tell me about it. Ol' Slippin' Jimmy has a real problem keeping hold of his Semblance."
As Winter glared at Qrow and the two had a background argument, Odd took a step back at what Qrow said.
'D-did he just make a fucking Better Call Saul reference?' Odd thought. 'I'll have to find some way of getting that out of him, if I asked directly and it turned out to be wrong then I'd feel awkward and embarrassed.' [6]
Winter
Can you hear me? It seems you've been through a lot.
Almost anything can happen here… and I can't stop them.
That's why I need you to answer honestly. I don't have much time either.
Winter
What was your objective?
Why did you cause such a major incident?
I didn't think it was a prank from the get-go, but I couldn't assemble a case for prosecution.
It's because I couldn't figure out the method behind it.
Blake
1: Of course you couldn't…
2: Why do you want to know?
"You look… horrible." Pyrrha said softly.
"I've… been through worse." Blake said slowly. "As for the dialogue options…" She trailed off.
"Blake?"
"Oh, sorry Ruby. I'm just not really too keen on either. I guess the second one feels less like I'm mocking Winter so we'll go with that." Blake suggested.
Ruby picked "Why do you want to know?" as Winter explained.
Winter
This isn't an issue of whether or not it can be used in court.
I need to know. This is my case, after all.
Winter
It seems you're coherent.
When and where did you find out about that world?
"Wait wha-"
Winter
How is it even possible to steal another's heart?
"I'm sorry, steal someone's heart?"
Winter
Now, tell me your account of everything.
…Start from the very beginning.
"Okay pause." Ruby suddenly said. "What in the world was Winter talking about?!"
"Well that's… kinda why we're starting from the beginning." Odd answered.
"Yeah but… another world? Stealing hearts? Like physical hearts? Because if that's the case-"
"Ruby, I appreciate your level of questioning, but I promise everything will be explained." Draken also answered.
Ruby wanted to say more but the words just wouldn't leave her mouth. Others had similar questions but it was likely they were just going to get similar answers.
The Blake on screen put her hand on her head as she began to reminisce. Things suddenly became much darker as a blue butterfly appeared before her. Blake looked up to it as the strange insect flew by.
Mysterious Voice
…You are held captive.
A prisoner of fate to a future that has been sealed in advance.
"Anyone recognize the voice?" Mercury asked.
No one could give an answer. It was a voice unknown to all in the room. Except Odd and Draken of course.
Mysterious Voice
This is truly an unjust game… Your chances of winning are almost none.
"Thank you mysterious voice, your words have truly been inspirational for me after getting my ass kicked and having apparently killed someone." Blake said sarcastically.
"That was snappier than usual for you." Jaune noticed.
"Well if she's not going to help, the least she can do is not point out something immediately obvious."
Mysterious Voice
But if my voice is reaching you, there may yet be a possibility open to you…
"And that is?"
Mysterious Voice
I beg you. Please overcome this game… and save the world…
The key to victory lies within the memories of your bonds-the truth that you and your friends grasped.
"Oh just, the power of friendship, alright." Nora said satisfied.
"Oh it's gonna be one of those games isn't it. Lame." Mercury rolled his eyes. Cinder however glared at her associate.
"Mercury, quiet down! As unlikely as it may be, there is a possibility we learn something from this. I do recall you being one of Belladonna's friends here."
Mercury said nothing as he looked back at the screen. He didn't want to be reminded that he was working with those idiots.
Mysterious Voice
It all began that day… when the game first started half a year ago…
For the sake of your world's future… as well as your own… you must remember…
The butterfly flew by once again as the screen turned white. When the screen came too, we suddenly saw Blake again, now sporting glasses, as she woke up in a subway.
Blake laughed a little. "Now I definitely know this is an alternate universe. I'm wearing glasses."
"What's so weird about you wearing glasses?" Weiss asked.
Blake was about to answer but suddenly Pyrrha shot up. "I can answer that, Faunus are naturally gifted in senses, they can even see in the dark after all. As such they typically are not ever visually impaired naturally, even when they hit an extremely old age." The Invincible Girl answered.
"Thanks for explaining that Pyrrha." RWBY's resident ninja told her friend with a smile.
The bright lights flashed onto Blake as one of the drivers spoke on the overhead receiver.
Subway Driver
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for riding with us today. We will be arriving in Shibuya shortly. This is the last stop for this line. Please transfer here for all subway lines. The doors to your left will open.
Blake looked up at a Japanese sign as she began to reminisce.
In the flashback, a woman was seen getting grabbed by a tall man, no one in the audience could make him out… yet.
Woman
Please! Help!
Someone, presumably Blake, clenched her fist as she went to step in, grabbing the man's shoulder. In his drunkenness, he fell straight to the ground. Both the woman and Blake had a surprised look on their faces. Blake looked down at her hands as the man suddenly got up, part of his face now visible, bloodied.
?
Damn brat… I'll sue!
"Hold on, father?!" Weiss exclaimed. She wasn't sure at first but the voice confirmed it for her.
"Oh yeah that totally is your scumbag of a dad." Yang noticed.
"Y'know, back when I was younger, I'd probably say something to argue against that but… yeah, he's just scum. Seems here he isn't much different, harassing women." Weiss agreed.
Qrow looked down. "Shit like this is why I stopped drinking."
"Are you kidding? I just saw you take a drink when that Persona showed up!" Winter argued.
Instead of the usual bickering Qrow had done with her, Qrow just kept looking down. "Yeah that was… pure impulse. I've been doing good so far but sometimes shit like that just happens. I shouldn't have taken that shot."
Winter looked at Qrow in almost bewilderment. She rarely saw him like this. And she could tell he was being genuine here.
"Hey," Winter had put her hand on Qrow's shoulder. "At least you're trying. I've… seen what alcohol can do to a person. And it's not like I care about you or anything but, I'm glad you're making progress."
Tai also looked over at Qrow. "Yeah man, any progress is good progress, you're doing alright."
Qrow took a sigh before having a small smile on his face. "Thanks. It… it honestly means a lot hearing that from you two."
"Don't mention it." Winter responded. "Getting back to the screen, knowing father's threats…"
The scene suddenly shifted to the police apprehending Blake.
"…yeah I was afraid this would happen." Winter said with a soured look.
"But, Blake didn't even do anything! Weiss' dad fell on his own!" Ruby argued.
"Oh you poor innocent creature. The rightful truth doesn't matter, those in power will eat the weak up, because that's all that matters in this miserable world." Cinder told.
"Okay, we got it. The world is a cruel mistress that favors the strong or whatever. I- we've heard that crap before." Yang shot back.
Qrow noticed a slight hesitation in her voice, seeing Yang's subtle change of words. She almost responded like she was talking to Raven. Qrow sighed, not really knowing what to say to his niece.
Getting back to the subject at hand, Nora asked a question. "Hey, how come that woman didn't say anything? That asshole was harassing her after all!"
Weiss gave her answer with a sigh. "Unfortunately, it's likely she works under Jacques. If she didn't cooperate with him, then she'd probably be terminated from her job, or even worse." In some ways what Cinder was true, those in power will eat the weak.
"That absolute piece of shit!" Yang yelled.
Throughout it all Blake had said nothing. I mean, what do you even say in this situation? She was unfairly being taken by the police due to some rich asshole. The story of most convicted Faunus.
But she hoped things would get better. Maybe Ruby's blind optimism was rubbing off on her but perhaps not everything was as bleak as it seemed.
Blake kept staring off into space as two girls were having a conversation.
Girl
What? Are you for real? A mental shutdown?
Other Girl
It's the truth!
Girl
To a person though? That's gotta be a joke.
You really love all that occult stuff, don't you?
"Mental shutdown?" Ruby questioned.
"An entire person's psyche just collapsing… sounds pretty dark." Tai admitted.
"It's probably just a rumor or story, the girl is apparently into the occult." Pyrrha gestured.
Those who were more analytical didn't just brush that off though. They wear hearing this for a reason.
The subway eventually came to a stop as Blake got off it. Currently her attention was fixated on her Scroll. She looked up from it and gazed upon all the people walking around Shibuya.
"Woah… this place is massive!" Weiss exclaimed.
"Welcome to Shibuya. From my understanding it's one of the busiest places in Japan."
"You say busy but… this is bigger than any city we have in Remnant." Pyrrha noted.
"Y'know for how small the people on it are, I tend to forget just how big Earth is."
"Earth?"
"Oh right! My home planet, the one we're currently on, it's called Earth." Odd explained.
"You… named your planet after dirt?" Yang questioned.
"Okay to be fair, I doubt the people who named our planet were exactly going for coolness, more so for logistics." He replied.
"I like it. Having an entire planet named after a whole element is pretty cool." Ruby said.
Odd was going to interject about how technically elements were different from what Ruby thought they were but he decided to let it go.
As Blake looked at the hoard of people walking about, she heard a noise from a Scroll as a strange app suddenly appeared on it, with it then increasing in size.
Blake continued to tap on the app, when all of a sudden everything else seemed to just… freeze. People heading somewhere or in mid conversation just… stopped, much to Blake's confusion.
Everyone in the room looked with confusion, not really knowing what was going on.
From the midst of all the frozen people, Blake noticed a blue energy amongst the crowd. It suddenly formed into something humanoid, its appearance being similar to the Persona from earlier.
Blake just stared at it when the creature suddenly gained a fiery face, as it soon became a reflection of Blake herself, now with a crazed smile and her eyes now a different shade of yellow.
Blake seemed to snap back to reality as everything was now normal again.
To say everyone was speechless would be an understatement. People were wide-eyed, confused and quite frankly concerned. Mercury was the one who finally broke the silence.
"…The fuck just happened?"
Everyone turned to Odd for an answer but all he did was shrug.
"I mean… it'll probably make more sense as you go along but in truth I can't give a definitive answer." He explained.
Blake looked around in confusion before returning her attention back to the app, in which she was now able to delete it.
4/9 Saturday (Afternoon)
The game returned to standard gameplay as Blake was seen getting off the subway.
Woman on Speaker
Yongen-Jaya! This is Yongen-Jaya!
A tutorial for hints showed up as Ruby quickly read through it and proceeded.
"Okay so… where am I going?" Ruby asked.
"Well it says you're trying to exit the subway station, maybe just look around and see if you find your way out?" Jaune suggested.
Ruby decided to go towards the escalators first, heading to the Backstreets which was luckily where she was supposed to go.
Blake made her way down the backstreets as she passed by a strange woman with bluish hair.
"Anyone know her?" Ruby asked. Unfortunately, no one seemed to have an answer, they'll just have to hopefully encounter her later.
Blake came to a stop as more people passed by her.
Blake
(Starting today, Qrow Branwen will be taking care of me.)
"Wait, Uncle Qrow?!" Yang exclaimed.
"Your uncle is taking care of me?" Blake said in surprise.
"Yeah, I definitely wouldn't think of myself as a caregiver." Qrow replied. "Given Blake's criminal record I doubt I'll be too nice to her either, even though she's innocent."
Blake
(His house should be in the backstreets of this residential area)
A tutorial on how to rotate the camera popped up, "okay game I know how to rotate a camera I've played video games before…", and a tutorial on how to talk to people "…and by extension RPGs", as Ruby was given control of Blake again.
"Okay, 'go to Qrow Branwen's residence'." Ruby read the on screen objective out loud. "Guess I'll talk to this guy and see if he knows where Qrow is."
Unfriendly Officer
What was that?
"Oh great, he's unfriendly." Blake pointed out.
"As opposed to the friendly officer." Yang joked.
"Nah, that's his brother." Nora responded. A lot of people started snickering.
"Wait… " Pyrrha said in between laughs. "Are you saying 'Unfriendly Officer' is his actual name?"
"Imagine your parents naming you 'Unfriendly', like they're just setting you up to be a fucking asshole." Jaune said.
More people got in on the laugh, even Ruby. She may not like swearing but she wasn't above crude humor. [7]
Blake
1: I want to ask for directions
2: Sorry, never mind.
Ruby selected the first option.
Unfriendly Officer
Hm? You want to get to the residence of that address…?
It's in an alley a bit further back. Take a right after that apartment with the stairs.
"Y'know for an 'unfriendly officer' he was pretty helpful."
Ruby guided Blake using the officers directions, she considered exploring a bit, but there'd be time for that later, for now she just wanted to move the plot along.
However she stopped briefly to listen to a girl's conversation.
Dog-Loving Girl
Was there another, um, a-ack-si-dent? I see a policeman over there.
Gentle-Looking Mother
Oh, he's just watching to make sure everyone's safe.
It'd be scary if something like that happened again, though. Let's hurry home.
"Again?" Ren questioned.
"That doesn't exactly bode well." Coco said.
Ruby hurried her way to the house with a moving truck next to it.
Blake
(The nameplate here says "Branwen." It looks like this might be Qrow Branwen's house…)
Blake rang the doorbell but no one came.
Blake
(…Even after ringing the doorbell, it doesn't look like anyone will answer the door.)
"What a surprise, you're not even there when she arrived." Winter bickered.
"I'm sure I'm doing something at the moment. Besides, no offense Blake but I wouldn't exactly be thrilled about taking care of a criminal." Qrow argued.
"No offense taken, I get it."
Blake
(Maybe he's gone out…)
Parcel Deliveryman
Looks like no one's home…
The screen transitioned to Blake looking at the deliveryman.
Parcel Deliveryman
Oh, yeah… Qrow's usually at his café around this time.
"…Fuck, running a café actually sounds pretty nice." Qrow considered.
Winter would've normally said something along the lines of it being more likely that Qrow ran a bar but after learning about him trying to quit she eased up.
"Although I don't exactly know how to brew coffee."
Ozpin smiled. "I don't mind sharing a few secrets about my brews, I've already told Oscar a fair bit after all."
Everyone turned to Oscar for confirmation. "He is… surprisingly passionate about coffee." [8]
Parcel Deliveryman
Well, Leblanc's in the back alley, so I should make my other deliveries first…
Mmm, next I need to take this package to…
The man was now focused on himself as Ruby took back control. Ruby expanded her map using one of the shoulder buttons and found the café symbol, as she headed straight over there.
Ruby reached Leblanc, the building advertising "coffee & curry".
A couple people in the audience actually got hungry for some curry as they poofed it in with the transmigration Odd gifted them.
Blake
(It looks like this place is Leblanc…)
1: (I'll go inside)
2: (I'll stay out here)
Ruby picked the top option as Blake went into Leblanc. Inside, Qrow was filling out a piece of paper (probably a crossword puzzle), as an old couple watched the news.
Tabloid Show Host
A public transit bus was driven down an opposing lane with its customers still in it!
The citizens can't live in peace if this keeps up.
"Jeez, mental shutdowns, rampaging buses, things are just going to shit lately." Yang noticed.
Elderly Male Customer
How frightening.
Elderly Female Customer
What could be going on? Didn't something similar happen just the other day?
"And it seems this has been going on for a bit." Weiss noted.
Manager
And down is… the name of a shellfish used in pearl farming…
"Aw come on! Crossword puzzles?! What, do I go to nightly bingo as well? I'm not that old!" Qrow complained.
"Ignoring your… age. You don't seem too bothered by the news." Weiss noticed.
"Considering this has been going on for some time I doubt it's anything my other hasn't heard. Hell, aside from doing crossword puzzles I'd probably have a similar reaction."
Qrow suddenly took notice of Blake's presence as an exclamation mark appeared above his head.
Manager
…Oh, right.
They did say that was today.
"Like I said, I'm probably not going to be too nice." Qrow told Blake.
"I understand. If anything I'd be surprised if you weren't at least a little dismissive of me." Blake admitted.
Elderly Male Customer
We'll be going now. The payment's on the table.
Manager
Thanks for coming.
Elderly Male Customer
This place is in the back alley, so there's no worries of a car crashing in here.
Manager
A what now?
Elderly Male Customer
There's been a string of those rampage accidents, you know. I just hope that none happen around here.
Manager
It's none of my concern.
Elderly Male Customer
Haha, we'll see you next time.
The elderly couple went out the door and Qrow rubbed the back of his head.
Manager
…Four hours for just a single cup of joe.
"Four hours? Fuck, that sounds like hell." Mercury said.
"Y'know I didn't think of that but yeah, having to constantly engage in conversation with randos is kind of a turn off. I mean you'll get the occasional quiet person but you'll also occasionally get the person who'll talk your ear off." Qrow said.
"But they looked like nice people, what's wrong with talking to them?" Ruby questioned.
"And this is coming from Ms. 'I don't need friends, weapons are better.'" Qrow replied with snark.
"Hey I haven't been like that since two years ago! I've been… doing a lot better." She responded.
Yang and Tai looked at Ruby. They… never actually took Ruby in for a diagnosis if she was on the spectrum or not. Not like it mattered, she was still highly capable, but it was something they would consider doing after this was over. [9]
Manager
So, you're Blake?
Blake
1: Please take care of me.
2: Is Branwen here?
A few of the audience members chuckled at the bluntness of "please take care of me". Ruby handed Blake the controller to pick an option. She decided on the second.
Manager
…Yeah.
Blake went to give the controller back to Ruby but she insisted that Blake keep it for now. It was walking and going through dialogue for now and it'd be better than constantly switching back and forth.
Manager
I'm Qrow Branwen. You'll be in my custody over the next year.
Qrow took a second to think about that word: custody. He didn't exactly dream of being a father and he couldn't even visit his nieces very often due to his Semblance. Sure this situation was different but still, looking after a kid in this manner felt weird.
Manager
I was wondering what kind of unruly kid would show up, but you're the one, huh?
Qrow
Have you been told? A customer of mine and your parents know each other and-
This time it was Blake's turn to think about what was just said. She hadn't thought about what her parents might think about her being arrested. Would they be disappointed in her? Would they still love her? The questions piled up in her mind.
Qrow
Well, not that that matters… Follow me.
Qrow led Blake upstairs to her room. It was… cluttered to say the least.
Qrow
This is your room.
"Well… having your room be above a café is kinda cool." Yang said, trying to give a positive to her partner's new room.
"Maybe… if it didn't look like it wasn't touched in a thousand years." Blake deadpanned.
"If you cleaned it up I'm sure it'd look a lot better." Ren suggested.
Qrow
I'll at least give you sheets for your bed.
You look like you wanna say something.
Blake
1: It's big.
2: It's cluttered.
"I mean both are true… but yeah it's really cluttered." Blake mumbled.
Blake selected the bottom option for herself.
Qrow
It's on you to clean up the rest.
I'll be leaving after I lock up each day.
You'll be alone at night, but don't do anything stupid. I'll throw you out if you cause any trouble.
Blake flinched at his words. They were harsh but she shouldn't be surprised.
Qrow
Now then…
I got the gist of your situation.
You protected some woman from a man forcing himself on her, he got injured, then sued you. Right?
That's what you get for sticking your nose in a matter between two adults. You did injure him, yeah?
"But that's unfair, she was trying to save her!" Yang yelled out.
"I don't necessarily agree with myself, but I get where he's coming from. Recklessly interfering with a matter between adults when you're only a kid." Qrow told her niece.
"She still shouldn't have been punished like this." Yang said in a lower voice, Qrow nodding in agreement.
Qrow
…And now that you've got a criminal record, you were expelled from your high school.
The courts ordered you to transfer and move out here, which your parents approved.
In other words they got rid of you for being a pain in the ass.
Blake looked down. Her suspicions seemed to be correct in this world. Her parents hated her. She looked up to see a hand on her shoulder: Yang's.
"Hey don't let it get to you, these aren't your parents. Besides, all we know is that they approved of the court order, we don't know how they actually felt about it." Yang said with a smile.
Blake felt a little better after that, though she still had her doubts.
Odd wanted to say something but in truth, Blake's parents in this universe were pretty much an enigma. He didn't know how they felt about Blake and so he had nothing to say to her.
Qrow
It's best you not talk about anything unnecessary. I am in the restaurant business, you know.
Behave yourself for the year. If nothing happens, your probation will be lifted.
Blake
1: Probation?
2: A whole year…
"A whole year…" Blake repeated out loud one of the options, processing it. She picked the bottom option.
Qrow
Cause any problems, and you'll be sent straight to juvie.
We'll be going straight to Shujin tomorrow.
Blake
1: Shujin?
2: Going where?
"Shujin?" Weiss questioned.
Blake selected the top option, also confused.
Qrow
Shujin Academy-the school you'll be attending.
"Ah that makes sense."
"Shujin is Japanese for 'master' by the way." Odd piped in.
"I thought that was a Mistralian word?" Jaune questioned.
"It seems Mistral and Japan are a bit similar." Ren assumed.
Qrow
We'll introduce ourselves properly to the staff there.
There's rarely a place that'll accept someone like you, you know.
Jaune looked off to the side, remembering all the way back when he forged his transcripts into Beacon. He didn't feel like he belonged but Pyrrha helped. And now she was here again.
He felt a bit of sympathy for this Blake, having trouble getting into a good academy, even if admittedly it was for very different reasons.
Qrow
What a waste of my Sunday…
"Lighten up Uncle Qrow…" Yang said.
"Trust me kiddo, If I could tell my other self too I would." Qrow said.
Qrow
Your "luggage" arrived a little while ago. I brought it up here for you.
Qrow finished up as he took his leave from Blake's room, as the screen transitioned back to gameplay.
Blake
(I'll be living here starting today…)
(I should check out what's in here…)
Blake was given control as she was free to explore her new room. The first thing she did was check the cardboard box in the middle of the room.
Blake
(It's the cardboard box sent from back home…)
(It's full of clothes and daily necessities. I'll change into more comfortable clothes for now.)
The Blake on screen changed outfits, a similar outfit but she now had a white undershirt under her black dress shirt, jeans, and brown boots.
"Hmm. Not really sure if the jeans or boots suit you. Definitely prefer the original outfit but then again you are just trying to put on something casual." Coco gave her opinion
Blake went around the rest of the room, looking at just how dusty and dirty her new room actually was. When the prompt of whether she wanted to clean up, she instantly hit "start cleaning".
The in game Blake went around the room cleaning various parts of it, dusting, mopping, moving stuff around.
The in-game day counter transitioned all the way to evening. Blake's room now looked much better, still not very spacious despite its size but now it actually looked nice.
"Now that's something not too bad." Jaune said.
"Still must be dusty as hell up there even after you dusted the room off but yeah it actually looks half decent. Good job, Blakey!" Yang said with a smile.
"That was my in-game self but… yeah I could see myself living in a room like this." Blake admitted.
Blake
(It's late… It seems like I've been cleaning for a while.)
Qrow suddenly came into the room, a bit surprised by its new neatness.
Qrow
What the heck? I heard you making all sorts of noise up here but I didn't think you were cleaning.
Qrow took a moment to admire the now clean room.
Qrow
Actually, the place doesn't look too bad.
Though it's only natural you'd want to keep your room tidy.
Why don't you go to bed tonight? You don't have anything better to be doing, right?
I'm going to close up shop and get out of here myself.
I won't be the one looking after you if you get sick from staying up too late, you got that?
"Is that… a thing? Getting sick from staying up too late?" Nora questioned.
"You don't exactly get sick but… it really doesn't feel good." Blake said awkwardly.
The rest of the team winced, knowing full well what Blake did to herself regarding the White Fang working with Roman Torchwick.
At that point Qrow left the room as another tutorial popped up, but this one Blake and the others took the time to read since it wasn't just basic.
Tutorial: How to Advance Time
Going to bed is a special action that will advance time.
Time is limited. Think carefully about your schedule before you act.
"Oh yeah, that'd explain the date on the top right. That's a pretty cool mechanic." Yang mused.
CAFE LEBLANC ATTIC
Blake was now tasked with simply going to sleep, so she simply went to her bed.
Blake
(Starting today, this is my room.)
1: (Change and go to sleep)
2: (Don't sleep yet)
Blake hit the top option as her in-game self layed on top of her bed.
Blake
(Arrest… Trial…)
(Criminal record…)
She flashed back to that moment, when Jacques told her he'd sue, and she was arrested.
Weiss felt really guilty and so did Winter. Sure they were far from being the horrible monster their father was, but he was still their father, and in Weiss' case it especially hurt knowing he caused her teammate such trouble.
Blake
(Still, I couldn't just let that go…)
"There's the Blake we know, unsatisfied until what's wrong is right!" Ruby cheered enthusiastically.
Blake in return, smiled at her teammate.
—
…So this was originally supposed to come out before Thanksgiving… a while before Thanksgiving.
Despite having an entire week of no school, procrastination hit like a brick. But thankfully I was able to get this chapter out. I originally wanted this chapter to end once we first entered Kamoshida's Palace… how naive of me. I figured this was a much better place to stop, similar length of last chapter y'know.
Speaking of that, would y'all want longer chapters? They'll most likely come out later but given how big P5R is, maybe that's for the best.
Anyway, moving onto casting changes…
Sae Niijima - Winter: If any of you didn't call this you're lying. But yeah Winter is a perfect fit for Sae, they even share a voice actress.
SIU Director- Cordovin: I was originally going to leave the SIU Director as is but he shows up enough to where I think someone could fill his role and if I'm going to have an antagonistic person from Atlas as Shido, it made sense to have an antagonistic person from Atlas as the SIU Director.
Shido - Jacques: A fair reminder that people in one universe who aren't related, can be related in another. For the record, while characters being related is a factor, if I find a better spot for that character, I'll put them there. And yeah Jacques sure as hell fits Shido. Also if the main twist involving Akechi/Mercury is a bit too obvious now, I might as well make other parts of him less obvious.
Takemi - Unchanged: This is just a case of Remnant not having a suitable replacement for her. I guess you could argue Glynda but there's a character I think she fits much better.
Sojiro - Qrow: Again this is a rather obvious one. Similar vibes y'know. I considered Tai but I feel Qrow better fit the story Sojiro plays with Futaba/Ruby better.
As for the index…
[1: Gotta be honest, I really forgot how brutal that scene of Joker with the agents was. It wasn't like, Terrifier levels of brutal, god no, but I felt it when that agent stomped on Joker's leg.
[2: I've been alluding to this whole thing about Blake feeling something regarding the role of the trickster. Don't worry, it won't take very many chapters to have it be explained… and I'm honestly not sure if people will like what I have planned.
[3: Just a joke on how Joker technically has two official names thanks to the anime and manga. Also if you're wondering, (at least according to Google Translate), "Kuro" is Japanese for "Black" and "Doku" is Japanese for "Poison". Thought that'd be funny given the namesake of Blake's full name.
[4: Technically P5R's character limit means this wouldn't be a valid name to put in but it'd also be weird if they couldn't enter Blake's own name for herself. Although having an accurate character limit and seeing Ruby try and work around it does sound funny.
[5: You may have noticed it last chapter but I'm not using Japanese honorifics. This is mainly because I just find it really weird to write the RWBY characters using them, I'm sure it's a lot more natural to Japanese RWBY fans and I do intend to keep most of the Japanese culture that's in P5R, but I just can't commit to the honorifics.
[6: So question, would you guys want me to include non-video game series as being part of Remnant? I left the Better Call Saul thing up to interpretation but if you want I'll have the cast make references to other media outside of video games. It won't be like, every single line obviously, just "oh here's a joke about how Personas and Stands are similar".
[7: Hot take, I guess? I honestly really don't like the whole "swear jar" thing people do with Ruby. Like, maybe if it's a one off gag with Beacon-era Ruby it's fine, but sometimes it's used to a pretty annoying degree. Granted it's not the worst flanderization of Ruby (*cough* *cough* Ruby not knowing what sex is *cough* *cough*), but it's something I didn't want to do here.
[8: I know technically Ozpin drinks Hot Chocolate (I don't know where that was said but I know it was said somewhere), but come on, I had to play into the "Ozpin is obsessed with coffee" joke.
[9: So originally I was going to write that Ruby in this story had Autism. However, I don't feel knowledgeable enough in that subject to say if she actually is on the spectrum or not. Hell I don't even know if I'm on the spectrum or not. So I decided to leave it up to interpretation.
Stay safe everyone, see you guys next chapter!