There's a view of the golden sun in an orange sky over the tall grass and autumn trees. In front of Summer's Gravestone is a young girl with a cloak billowing petals in the breeze. Hands clasped and hood up, Ruby Rose stands over the white stone memorial.
Ruby is lowering her hood, smiling sadly downward, "Hey, mom."
"It's okay, Ruby." Jared said, walking towards Ruby, as he looked down at the inscription that reads:Summer Rose-Thus Kindly I Scatter. "Let it all out."
"Sorry I haven't come by in a while. Things have been...well, things have been, pretty busy. Oh, Dad's here, too! He's, uh, you know...Dad." Ruby said, shrugging her shoulders. "He's still teaching at Signal. But he told me that he's going to be on some mission soon. I think he misses adventuring with you." She looks forlornly. "I miss you too."
"You not remembering your mother that well, reminds me so much of my aunt. Who I miss dearly. Talk about our times at Beacon, Little Red."
"Oh yeah." Ruby said, pausing a moment to think. "Haven't gotten kicked out of Beacon yet! So that's cool. I think being on a team with Yang helps. Keep her in line...that was a joke. She's actually a really great fighter! You can tell she's learned a lot from Dad! Oh, so are Weiss and Blake. Oh! They're my teammates! Together, we form Team RWBY! And yes, before you ask, that does cause a lot of confusion. Anyways, I made a bunch of new friends, and then I met some...let's just say, uh, odd teachers."
"Odd as in Port and Oobleck." Jared said, laughing a lot. "I'm one of Ruby's new friends by the way, I'm Jared."
"Oh! We've also stopped some bad guys, too! I guess it's like they say...like mother, like daughter! I still wonder why Ozpin let me into the school early. But uh, I guess he'll tell me one day. You know how he is. It's funny, the more I get to know him, the more he's starting to sound like Uncle Qrow." Ruby said, as a bark alerts her to the ever-adorable Zwei and the sight of her father, Taiyang Xiao Long, in the trees behind her. "Oh! Looks like Dad's back! I gotta go! He's dropping me and Jared off at Beacon for the tournament match before he goes on his next mission. Wish me luck!"
"You're gonna be great out there." Jared said, as Ruby puts the hood back on and starts to walk away. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm not gonna lose you, or Weiss, or Blake, or Yang. Or Team JNPR. I won't ever leave any of you. Because I don't want to see you guys upset. And it would break my heart."
"I know." Ruby said, turning to deliver one final message to her mother. "It was good to talk."
With that said, Ruby jogs back to her family and Jared as a group of crows fly into the sun to make a very familiar sight.
Kirito and Asuna's house…
"Guys, it's starting." Asuna said, loading up the holographic TV inside her house. "Who's up first for the day?"
"My girls." Jared said, sitting on the couch. "That's who."
"Team RWBY, huh." Sayaka said, sitting on the couch. "You wanted to watch the match here, despite being where the match is."
"Yup."
Beacon Academy...
A falling petal shifts the view of the camera away from the sky and over the grassy mountains, where a stadium of epic proportions is seen. Crowds are cheering in the stands, visitors from all over the world. In the field of volcanic earth and icy glaciers below, Ruby fires and swings her Crescent Rose at an off-screen target as Blake Belladonna exchanges blows with Reese Chloris, the blades of her Gambol Shroud colliding with the hoverboard of her opponent until she flips away, readies herself, and charges in again. Behind her, Weiss Schnee waves her Myrtenaster as the sound of her mystical power is heard, and finally Yang Xiao Long dodges the explosive force of Arslan Altan's fist before returning fire with her own Ember Celica.
High above the action, two familiar teachers are sitting at a sportscaster's desk, with a microphone between them and the holographic image of the four kingdoms' symbols united as one.
"Hello! It seems that we have another astonishing bout ahead of us! Wouldn't you agree, Professor?" Port asked.
"Doctor." Oobleck said, annoyed, before brightening up excitedly again. "And yes Peter, I think it's safe to say this match may be the closest we've seen of the four-on-four round of the tournament!"
"For those of you just now joining us, welcome to the Vytal Festival Tournament, broadcast live from the Amity Colosseum!" Port said, waving his arm to gesture at the entire event from his place on the gigantic screen over the crowds.
The Coliseum is shown in its full glory, as shuttle craft transport people to and from the various floors while the entire structure hovers around the airspace of Beacon Academy. Explosions are seen throughout the battlefield, but the view shifts back to the announcers as they begin speaking again.
"If this is your first time watching, allow us to break down the rules." Port said.
Oobleck holds up the appropriate number of fingers for each of his explanations as a hologram to his side illustrates the rules, "The tournament is divided into three distinctive rounds; teams, doubles, and singles. Age and school year are irrelevant! In this tournament, your only attribute being tested...is skill."
"Correct!" Port said, nodding his head as another hologram pops up to do the same thing. "The winners of this battle will elect two of their members to represent them in the doubles round, followed by the winners of that round choosing one member to advance once again. The remaining combatants will then fight their way through the final bracket in the hope of achieving victory for their kingdom!"
The hologram disappears with the image of a victorious figure, sword raised and wearing a crown.
"And yes, Peter, these certainly are some spectacular spectacles on which to spectate on!" Oobleck said, pushing up his own spectacles as he says this. "I don't think anyone tuning in around the world is going to disagree with me on that!"
Kirito and Asuna's house…
"Team RWBY is gonna win this." Jared said, sitting on the sofa.
"How do you know who's in this match?" Kirito asked.
"Because he always does." Kyoko said, a Pocky in her mouth. "This is a tournament after all."
"A tournament that has some amazing teams." Asuna said, smiling. "You didn't want to miss this."
"Nope." Jared said, happily.
"Because it has Ruby Rose in it." Homura said. "The girl you admire."
"Maybe."
"So, we're gonna watch this thing the whole way through?" Madoka asked.
"Yup."
Beacon Academy…
"Ahh, and why would they? Now, let's get back to the match between Team RWBY of Beacon, and Team ABRN, of Haven." Port said.
The announcements cut back to the action, as Reese steers her board through the ice. She twirls herself until the board gets launched at Blake, but she's able to knock it away, only for Reese to direct it back at her opponent. Blake blocks it again, but the board rotates back to its wielder just in time to defend Reese as Blake delivers several slashes and kicks. Reese deflects each attack and spins her weapon around until she can flip away and ride it again, rushing towards a smirking Blake. She collides with the frozen shadow clone, and Blake uses his opportunity to slice the board in two, only for the halves to become dual katars that in turn fold up into bayonet-bladed revolvers. Reese manages to fire off a few green rounds before her tailbone collides painfully on the cold ground. Blake winces with sympathy.
Meanwhile, Yang lands mere feet away from Arslan, who backs away before being pounded by a flurry of punches and kicks until she delivers her own hits, ending with the two smashing fists and creating a shockwave of force from the impact. Yang and Arslan are both thrown back, but Yang reaches her and tries delivering more blows before Arslan uses her rope dart to tangle up her blonde adversary and land a kick of her own to send Yang skidding on the ground. While Yang tries to get her balance back on the slippery surface, Arslan rushes forward and knocks her back even further.
Nearby, Nadir Shiko tries aiming with his assault rifle at Yang before a sudden burst of frosty blue explodes behind him and leaves the whimpering gunner in a block of ice up to his thighs.
"Got your back!" Ruby said, looking up from her sniper scope.
"But who's got yours?" Bolin asked.
Ruby looks up behind her as Bolin twirls his staff, right when a black snowflake glyph appears to his left and Weiss kicks him through it into a rock, "My BFF!"
"No." Weiss said, deadpanning before running off.
"Yes." Ruby said, pumping her first, while whispering to herself.
Bolin crouches with his weapon as he sees a white glyph appear in front of him. A second later, Weiss dashes by and slashes at him, then leaps up and attempts an aerial attack, which he's able to block. She readies her sword while preparing a glyph behind her, and Ruby uses it to launch herself straight up and come down spinning on Bolin, who manages to block the curved blade. Ruby grimaces and blasts herself away to Weiss' side, and Bolin rushes at them, rolling away from the shards of ice that rain on him and jumping over Ruby's swing as he continues running.
"Whaaat!?" Ruby exclaimed.
Bolin manages to reach an orange crystal deposit and slice off a shard, which he throws to Reese over in the icy half of the stadium. With Dust in hand, Reese fuses it with her board, turning the aqua lights to a crimson shade. She winks at Blake, then uses the board's heat to free Nadir from his icy snare.
She comes back to Blake and slams her board into her enemy's blade, but propels herself backwards and knocks Blake through a frozen pillar. Reese attempts to use her board to slam her foe into the ground, but when she dodges that, she spins around in a flaming arc that Blake narrowly misses thanks to her shadows. Changing tactics, Blake launches the pistol part of Gambol Shroud at a nearby glacier and launches herself behind it, as Reese follows her and sees Blake with her back turned to her under an arch. Reese grins before riding in to deliver a flaming spiral at the shadow clone, only to see the ribbon Blake is launching to trap her opponent a moment too late. She pulls tightly and causes Reese to slam body-first into the string, only to use a final kick to knock her out of the stage. Reese crashes into the wall of the stands before landing on the ground, defeated.
"Ooh, a double whammy!" Port said, as Reese's Aura level drops in the team display until her image is crossed out and she angrily slams her fist on the ground. "Reese Chloris is eliminated by ringout and Aura level!"
"Oh, she really should've worn a helmet!" Oobleck said.
Back in the fight, Arslan uses her rope to swing around and avoid Yang right behind her, using shotgun blasts to propel herself forward. Nadir comes into the picture, aiming his rifle at Weiss as she summons another glyph and launches Bolin at him. The two teammates are helpless as Weiss creates a whirlwind from underneath them and slamming the two together until she forms a giant ice fist straight up from the ground to trap the two. It reforms itself into a ball that rolls around the field, and when Arslan sees her team in this state, she rolls her eyes, annoyed, before changing direction and sliding into the path of the ball. She readies her stance and drives her hand into the sphere, which cracks under her power and frees her allies.
"Yang!" Weiss said, and Yang turns to look just as she creates a large frozen slide-like shape. "NOW!"
Knowing what to do, Yang blasts herself forward and skims over the wall of ice, catching Blake's pistol as her teammate uses Ruby as a launch pad to jump off of towards the remaining members of ABRN. The three only have a second to look horrified as Blake whips a screaming Yang around to land a devastating punch that sends the trio flying into their elimination.
Kirito and Asuna's house…
"That was a good match." Kirito said.
"A close one too." Mami said.
"So, what will you do now?" Silica asked, looking at Jared.
"After watching a match like that, I'm starving." Jared said, proceeding to log out. "I'll see you guys later."
Beacon Academy...
"YAAAAAY!" Ruby said, excitedly.
"Yes!" Yang said, while the buzzer sounds.
"Now that's what I call a match!" Jared said, in the stands to see Ruby there.
"And that's the match! Team RWBY is victorious!" Port said.
"We...did it?" Weiss asked, looking around and sounding surprised.
"WE DID IIIIII…" Ruby said, looking at her sister for confirmation, she smiles and leaps in the air to scream, before she is suddenly hunched over. "...is anyone else starving?"
"I may have worked up an appetite." Blake said, looking cool as ever, with her arms behind her head.
"Me too." Jared said, running into the concession stands and around the arena to make it down to the battlefield. "I'm a bit hungry after watch that fight of yours. I knew you guys would win."
"You know you could have watched us in person." Ruby said, as the the growling of an angry beast from Blake's stomach proves her statement, much to its owner embarrassment.
"Gee, if only there was somewhere on campus to get food around here." Weiss said, sarcastically shrugging her arms as the five exit the arena.
Fairgrounds...
"Now this is why I saved up on my appetite ahead of time." Jared said, looking at the myriad of tents and small shops wreathed in colorful flags in a large forest clearing as people mill about to experience it all. "So I can eat like crazy."
"Oh, wait."
"It's okay, Weiss, we forget about the fairgrounds, too." Ruby said, as she and Jared took Weiss' shoulders.
"I was being facetious?" Weiss asked, as she knocked Ruby's and Jared's arms away.
"Gah! Well if you were hungry, why didn't you say so!?" Ruby exclaimed, freaking out.
"I'm always hungry, Little Red." Jared said, his stomach growing like crazy. "When it comes to food, it's a can't stop, won't stop game."
"Come on! I know just the place." Yang said, happily.
Team RWBY and Jared starts to follow Yang, but Weiss suddenly stops as she hears a ringtone on her Scroll. Pulling it out, she sees the caller ID labeled "FATHER", and glares at the device, putting it back from where she got it, unanswered.
"Hey! Might be hard to eat without this." Emerald said, holding a red wallet filled with Lien.
"No, no, no, no!" Ruby said, frantically patting around her outfit, panicking.
"Good to see you, Ruby." Emerald said, laughing.
"Oh!" Ruby said, talking the wallet back from Emerald before putting it away. "Thanks, Emerald! Oh. Guess I dropped it." She slouches as she says this. "Girl pockets are the worst!"
"That's why you need bigger on the inside pockets." Jared said, holding Ruby's hand. "Those are a thing, you know."
"But that'll make me lose stuff along the way. When I'm in combat!"
"What's up, Em?" Yang asked.
"Just left the stadium after your amazing fight! You guys were awesome!" Emerald said, excitedly.
Ruby is blushing and mumbling, "Oh, shut your stupid little face…"
"I heard your team progressed to the next round too." Blake said, over Ruby's incoherent gushing.
"You know, I feel that we haven't seen your other teammates." Weiss said.
"How'd they do in the fight?" Yang asked.
Emerald tilts her head up in thought, remembering how she blasted opponents with her revolvers, then slashed behind her as Mercury Black kicks out a shotgun blast with his boots. Cinder Fall did the same with her own target, landing the poor soul at the feet of their teammate, a mysterious black-haired girl who leans over and stares down as the camera focuses on how her green eyes blink into a pair of pink and brown irises as she smirks while delivering a stomp on her victim's face into darkness.
"Really well." Emerald said, nodding her head after coming back to reality.
"That's great. Uh. Why don't we all go and get a victory food together?" Ruby asked.
"Oh, gosh, that's so nice of you, but my teammates are all kind of…" Emerald said, looking back at Mercury as he sniffs the inside of a boot, looking perplexed after he does so. "...introverted. Really socially awkward."
"Ooh, yeah, I could see that." Yang said, nodding her head.
"Oh yeah, looks like Merc and I are going to move on to the doubles round. What about you guys?"
"Well, as the leader of this team, I thought long and hard about this decision." Ruby said, looking pretty proud of herself.
"You didn't make any decision as to who made it to the doubles round." Jared said, walking towards Ruby.
"Jared's right, you didn't." Weiss said, popping in to remind Ruby, straight-faced. "We put it to a vote."
"Yes, so, but I decided that we should put it to a vote." Ruby said, nervously trying to backtrack.
"We voted for Weiss and Yang." Blake said.
"I will happily represent Team RWBY." Weiss said, curtsying.
"Yeah, we're going to kick some butt!" Yang said, pounding her fists together.
"Sayaka and Kyoko…" Jared said, spacing out for a moment. "I mean, Yang and Weiss…"
"What's wrong?" Ruby asked, walking towards Jarsd.
"Nothing. Nothing at all, Ma…" Jared said, letting out some tears. "Ruby!"
"You're getting delirious." Weiss said, placing her hand on Jared's forehead. "And hot."
"Well, if Mercury and I see you down the line, don't think we'll go easy on ya." Emerald said, laughing a little.
"Wouldn't have it any other way." Yang said, as she and Weiss returns Emerald's confident smirk with their own.
"Alright, well we're going to catch some more fights." Emerald said, as she turns and walks away from them as they do the same.
"Have fun!" Ruby said, waving her arm.
"See you later!" Emerald said, cheerfully giving her own wave, and she immediately drops the act as she walks with Mercury and looks disgusted.
"So, how are the new friends?" Mercury asked.
"I hate them." Emerald said, scowling.
"Orders are orders." Mercury said, shrugging his shoulders.
"I just…" Emerald said, mashing her fingers together angrily. "...how can they be so happy all the time!?"
"Did you at least get what we want?"
"It's the heiress and the bimbo." Emerald said, waving his question away.
"Hmm, alright. At least we know who we're working with."
At one of the unassuming huts set up in the fairgrounds stringed with paper lanterns with a sign overhead saying A Simple Wok, Team RWBY and Jared sits at the stools outside, ready to order.
"Madoka…" Jared said, as Ruby placed a towel on his his head.
"He's really not looking so good." Weiss said, sadly. "I don't know why he worse black on a day like today."
"I'll have a bowl of the regular, please." Yang said, as a large bowl of noodles slides in front of her.
"Oohhh...I'll take the same." Ruby said, staring at Yang's meal.
"Ma…" Jared said, when a large bowl of noodles slides in front of Ruby, as she clasps her hands in excitement.
"Oh, and give him the same too. And he needs a large drink of Piña Colada. Virgin!"
A large bowl of noodles slides in front of Jared as well as a large drink of Piña Colada too.
"Thank you, Little Red!" Jared said, looking up at Ruby, as he is getting a bit hungry too. "I love you…"
"Do you have anything with a low-salt…" Weiss said, looking concerned. "...?" A large bowl of regular noodles instantly slides in front of her instead. "Um…okay…"
Instead of saying anything, Blake merely gives a nod and smile to the Shopkeep, who returns the gesture as he rushes through one door of his shop and comes out the other to leave a large bowl of noodles topped with fish in front of her. Blake's eyes light up as she drools over her order. While Weiss looks strangely at her teammate, she gladly offers her Schnee Dust Company credit card to the Shopkeep.
"Aw, Weiss! What's the occasion!?" Yang exclaimed, looking at Weiss.
"Consider it thanks for sending me to the doubles round." Weiss said, looking at the rest of Team RWBY and Jared. "And as thanks for Jared showing me across all of time and space."
"You're welcome, ice queen. I thought I was gonna die there for a moment. But nothing makes me feel better than a cup full of ramen." Jared said, happily. "Now let's eat."
Weiss' joy is ruined when the card is flung back at her, and the annoyed Shopkeep points to his register as it beeps 'DECLINED', "What?! How can my card be declined? I was barely into my monthly allowance!"
Blake is looking around panicked, she attempts to slowly slide her bowl closer to herself before the Shopkeep disappears with her food, causing the poor girl to slump over in defeat.
"Nooo!!" Blake said, terrified.
"Maybe I could help?" Pyrrha asked, while the girls of RWBY and Jared look up to see Team JNPR.
"Arkos and Flower Power!" Jared said, looking at Team JNPR approaching the stand. "My two favorite couples!"
"Pyrrha!" Ruby said, flinging her arms wide in delight.
"Aw, you don't have to…" Yang said, happily.
"But she could!!!" Blake said, thinking about her fish soup.
"Well, I think you all earned it after that battle. And Jared, you could need it after losing Rose Tyler." Pyrrha said, looking at Team RWBY, then at Jared.
"Mind if we join you?" Jaune asked.
"So, what's next for our time traveling, huntsman, helper of magical girls who also takes down bosses?" Pyrrha asked.
"I'm going to the moon!" Jared said, running around the stall. "Moon ride! Moon ride!"
"Who's coming with you?" Weiss asked.
"I don't know. I was thinking Kirito and Asuna. But after…"
"After you took them to the Runaway Bride…" Jaune said. "You're not so sure."
"Yeah…"
Later on, the bowls are empty, and each student is either content with their meal or holding their stomachs sickly.
"Are you sure it's wise to have eaten before a fight?" Ren asked, looking at Pyrrha.
"Of course! It will give us energy!" Pyrrha said, as the Shopkeeper quickly gathers the bowls before vanishing.
Nora simply gives a hearty belch.
Jaune is splaying himself over the counter, sickly saying, "If I barf, I'm blaming you."
"Ooh!" Nora said, grinning evilly. "Aim at the enemy!"
"Nora, that's disgusting. But if you feel the urge…" Ren said.
"Got it." Jaune said, giving a weak thumbs up.
"Well, we should be off." Pyrrha said, standing up from her stool.
"So, you think you guys are ready?" Ruby asked.
"Of course!" Nora said, gesturing to each of her teammates. "We've got a world-renowned fighter on our team, one's basically ninja, I can bench five of me, Jaune, we trained all year, our weapons are awesome, Glynda barely yells at us anymore, and uh...Jaune!"
"Are you gonna take that?" Ren asked, looking over at Jaune.
"She's not wrong." Jaune said.
"I'm kidding, he knows I'm kidding." Nora said, and she began talking quickly, the color slowly draining away as she gets more worried. "Don't be so nervous! The worst that can happen is we lose, that is just a few more years of walking around school with everyone knowing we're failures, our friends will slowly abandon us to preserve their social status, we won't be able to show our faces in class, no one will sit with us in the cafeteria, Ren and I have no parents, we have no home left to go to, we'll be officially renamed Team Lose-iper!"
"She's more worried than me, about what will happen." Jared said, as Nora's mad laughter turns into sobs as she slams her head on the counter. "In the near future. Rose's goodbye was just so…"
"So, yeah, we're feeling pretty good." Ren said, unperturbed.
"Don't fret. If anything, we should be looking forward to a fight with actual guidelines, and not, well,...murderers." Pyrrha said.
"Yeah, don't sweat it, we've all faced way worse before." Yang said, happily.
"Let's see. Grimm invasions, violent extremists, a destructive sociopath…" Blake said, counting off the threats on her fingers.
"Daleks, Cybermen, Slitheen..." Jared said, also counting the threats on his fingers. "A giant spider."
"And that's all while were still in training! Oh, imagine what it would be like to graduate!" Ruby said, smiling.
"Maybe then I'll be able to pay for a meal." Weiss said, sarcastically mumbling to herself.
"Would Team JNPR please report to the battlegrounds immediately!" Port said, crackling in over the intercom system.
"Yes! Like they were scheduled to, several minutes ago!" Oobleck said, adding in to Port's order.
"Well, it looks like this is it." Pyrrha said.
Ruby is looking at Team JNPR as they walk away, Nora still depressed and Jaune looking queasy, "Go get 'em!"
Coliseum...
Team RWBY and Jared enter the Coliseum through one of its tunnels and head to their seats as Emerald and Mercury are seen walking behind them to do the same. Down in the field below, the scorched ground and cold plains are no more, and only a layer of white mechanics is left, with a central stage on which the two teams gather.
"I wonder who's gonna win." Mercury said, having found his seat with Emerald and munching on a large tub of popcorn.
"Tch. As if we didn't already know." Emerald said.
Cinder is walking up behind them, showing off her new outfit of jeans, an orange jacket, and sarashi bandages over her chest as she takes an unpopped kernel from Mercury's bucket.
"Oh, come now. Even if you know how the story ends, that doesn't make it any less fun to watch." Cinder said, as her eyes glow with her fingertips and the kernel finally pops, which she enjoys while sitting down as Mercury and Emerald share a devious smirk.
"Team JNPR of Beacon versus Team BRNZ of Shade!" Port said, announcing over the cheering crowds.
As each team readies their poses, a circle of holographic roulettes start spinning frantically through various symbols and colors before finally landing on a green pine tree and gray thunderstruck mountain. With these random selections, half of the field opens to reveal a tree-filled forest, while the other raises a small rocky outcropping to fill in the circle. Jaune narrows his eyes in concentration.
"Go get 'em, Arkos and Flower Power!" Jared said, loudly from his seat.
"WHO-HOOOO!" Ruby said, loudly from her seat.
"Three, two, one, begin!" Port said.
As the start of the match, each team leaps forward at the other, ready to begin fighting.