The Pacifist Who Could End the World (RWBY X Male Reader)

Chapter 27 - The Show Must Go On

"Let the fight begin!"

I plopped down exhausted, resting my arms behind my chair, grumbling. "What an absolute joke this has been, I'll tell ya."

"Oh, hey, Y/N." Jaune nodded. I glanced behind, seeing his team sitting above. I held my hand up as a friendly gesture. "I haven't seen you around in a while... How have you been?"

"Busy. Far too busy." I croak, turning my attention back to Weiss. "We must have missed something; we checked every machine, right?"

"Winter double-checked; they were all clean. No sign of tampering or hacking of any kind. Are you sure this is the way Depression is controlling the robots?"

Slouched over, I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know anymore; I feel like I'm missing something big here."

"Depression has nothing to do with Atlas; maybe that display was a decoy to lure us in the wrong direction."

"I can't completely out rule that option... But no, that still isn't something I believe to be true. I sensed a stage when Atlas first arrived; it's with them."

Jaune climbed over the seats sitting next to me. "What are you two talking about?"

"None of your business Jaune." I sigh, tapping my foot. "Something I missed? What could I have missed?"

"Umm, Y/N, can I ask when we are getting our scrolls back? I trust you didn't forget, right?"

"I destroyed them, Jaune; I couldn't take the risk."

"O-oh..."

"Your sister wouldn't know of any secret projects Atlas is working on. Anything that hasn't been revealed to the public?"

Weiss was dazed, trying to find the words. "I, I can't say; I'm sorry if my sister did know something like that, she wouldn't ever tell me."

"I see... I might have to recheck Atlas' ships on my own terms. I'll sneak in tonight and scout every robot they have."

"Why are you so adamant that Atlas is behind this?"

"I haven't trusted Ironwood the moment I met him," I admit curling my hands together. "Something about him is off... I wouldn't put it beside him to find out he's Gretel's master."

"You cannot be serious!? You honestly believe Ironwood would have this display ruined, his reputation ruined all on his own orders?"

"It's as you said, Weiss; we cannot rule out anything." I muster, watching the fight. "Otherwise, if it really isn't Atlas, I'm afraid our chances of winning plummet heavily."

"Good afternoon Y/N, Weiss. How goes the search for your friend?" Pyrrha asks, also joining us alongside Nora and Ren.

"On a scale of one to ten, we're hanging around a two." Weiss glanced back to the fight before gritting her teeth. "What's wrong now?"

"I don't like any of this. There's a monster toying with us from the shadows, Atlas is being infiltrated and torn apart from the inside, and we're all here pretending nothing is happening. Why haven't they called off the tournament yet?" 

"When in the face of inevitable danger, you all choose not to prepare, but to carry on like nothing is wrong," I whisper in agreement. "Showing fear shows weakness. That brings on our downfall; it's honestly pathetic; you're all meant to be the next generation of warriors protecting the world. We're all honestly doomed."

"Whoa, where did that come from?" Nora boasted. "Slightly harsh, don't you think?"

"Yeah, stupid me. I'm sure that hammer of yours will solve all our problems." I mock, resting my feet on the chairs below. "Instead of preparing, you have festivals, parties, holidays and just about whatever excuse you need to celebrate nothing. Do you think the enemy is doing the same?"