An alarm blared through the Team RWBY room, cutting through the early morning silence. Yang groaned, her robotic hand smacking the clock to silence it. “Why is the alarm set earlier than usual?”

Weiss sat up, rubbing her eyes. “Yes, why indeed? This is earlier than necessary.”

“Simple,” Ace declared, snapping Ruby's fingers with flair. “The Star of the Stars of the Stars starts every day at the earliest hour. Excellence doesn’t wait for beauty sleep.”

Blake rolled her amber eyes, her irritation plain. “Seriously, Ace? Why can’t we have one normal day? Just one?”

Weiss narrowed her icy gaze at Ace, her patience thinning. “Listen, Ace, you keep treating this like it’s your world. It’s not. Remnant is different from Earth, and you need to start respecting that.”

Ace locked eyes with her, his smirk fading into something colder. “Different? Don’t act like you’re so enlightened, Weiss Schnee. We’re more alike than you’d like to admit. Both born into privilege, both expecting the world to hand us everything. But there’s one key difference between us.”

He took a step closer to her, his tone sharp and cutting. “I earned my place. I fought in the Desire Grand Prix. I survived hell, became the star the world couldn’t ignore, and made my dream come true. And what have you done? Oh, that’s right—you ran away from your daddy’s shadow and pretended you’re better than everyone else while riding on the fortune of the Schnee name.”

Weiss stiffened, her face pale. “That’s not—”

Ace cut her off, his voice rising. “Spare me your excuses. You’ve never faced real sacrifice. My own mother is being used by the Desire Royale to fuel the world that’s meant to replace Earth. I’ll never see her again because of what I had to do to survive. But you? You’re just another pampered princess who wants the glory without the work!”

Weiss’s lips trembled, her icy demeanor shattered. “I… I…” Unable to find the words, she turned and bolted from the room, tears streaming down her face.

Yang immediately stood, her eyes blazing red. “That was way too far, Ace!”

Blake rose from her seat, glaring at him with uncharacteristic anger. “Where do you get off saying that to her? You don’t know half of what Weiss has been through!”

Ace crossed his arms, unfazed by their fury. “Maybe not, but I know this: reality doesn’t care about feelings. She needed to hear the truth.”

Yang clenched her fists, flames licking at her knuckles. “You’re lucky this isn’t your body, because if it were, I’d knock your teeth out.”

Blake stepped in front of Yang, her amber eyes locked on Ace. “You might think you’re a big deal in your world, but here? You’re just a bully who doesn’t understand what it means to be a team.”

Ace shrugged, turning his back to them. “Maybe I don’t. But if she can’t handle words, she won’t survive what’s out there. I’m just saving her the disappointment.”

Yang’s fists tightened, but Blake placed a hand on her shoulder, silently urging her to stand down.

“We need to find Weiss,” Blake said, her tone firm but soft. “Before this gets worse.”

Yang gave Ace one last glare before storming out after Weiss, Blake close behind.

Ace stood alone in the room, his smirk fading as he stared at the door. For a brief moment, his confident demeanor wavered. Then he shook his head, muttering to himself. “Weakness doesn’t get you anywhere. She’ll thank me later.”

Corey leaned against the doorframe, rubbing his temple as if to ward off an impending headache. “I swear, it’s way too early for this kind of drama.”

Shadow, arms crossed and leaning next to his brother, nodded in agreement. “Couldn’t agree more. We haven’t even had breakfast yet, and it’s already a soap opera in here.”

Josh strolled into the room, a silk robe draped dramatically over his shoulders. He glanced at the tension-filled air and raised an eyebrow. “Clearly, this group needs caffeine—and a lot of it. Drama without coffee is just uncivilized.”

Autum stood at the doorway, watching the scene unfold with a weary sigh. “How did this even become our normal? Seriously, we’re supposed to be saving the world, not starring in some reality show.”

Corey pushed off the doorframe and walked toward the coffee machine in the corner. “Well, normal went out the window the second he showed up.” He gestured at Ace with a clawed thumb.

Ace, still standing in the center of the room, raised an eyebrow but didn’t respond. He was too busy watching Blake and Yang disappear down the hall in pursuit of Weiss.

Shadow tilted his head. “Should we intervene, or just let them cool off?”

Josh poured himself a cup of coffee and leaned against the counter, taking a dramatic sip before replying. “Oh, let them have their little heart-to-heart. Weiss needs to vent, and Yang and Blake are pretty good at playing emotional support. The real question is—what do we do with him?”

He pointed his coffee cup toward Ace, who finally broke his silence with a scoff. “Don’t worry about me. I’ve faced worse reactions. They’ll get over it.”

Autum crossed her arms, unimpressed. “You might want to consider apologizing. You didn’t just cross the line—you bulldozed it.”

Ace smirked, leaning back against the wall with Ruby’s body’s casual confidence. “Apologizing for telling the truth? That’s not my style.”

Corey slammed his coffee cup down on the counter, causing everyone to flinch. His silver eyes narrowed as he stalked toward Ace. “Listen, ‘Star of the Stars of the Stars,’ you might think you’re untouchable, but you don’t get to walk all over my teammates like that. Weiss isn’t some spoiled brat. She’s worked her ass off to get here, just like the rest of us.”

Ace met Corey’s glare head-on, a spark of defiance in his eyes. “And yet she still folds under pressure. If she can’t handle words, how’s she supposed to handle the real fight out there?”

Shadow stepped between them, placing a hand on Corey’s chest to hold him back. “Enough. This isn’t going anywhere.”

Josh sighed dramatically, setting his cup down. “Can we at least save the macho posturing until after breakfast? Some of us need caffeine to function.”

Autum pinched the bridge of her nose, clearly done with the entire situation. “Fine. Let’s just eat, regroup, and figure out how to stop this from escalating further. We’ve got bigger problems than bruised egos.”

Corey shot Ace one last glare before retreating to the table. “This isn’t over.”

Ace smirked, his confidence unwavering. “It never is.”

As the group settled into an uneasy silence, the tension in the room remained thick, promising more clashes to come.

____________________________________________________________________________

~Earth~
Ruby sat stiffly in Ace's body, still fidgeting with the unfamiliar weight of the Desire Driver around her waist. The room felt oddly sterile compared to the lively chaos she was used to in Remnant. Across from her, Neon reclined casually, her expression unusually reflective for someone so bubbly.

“Well,” Neon said, breaking the silence, “today’s my birthday.”

Ruby perked up slightly, trying to focus on the conversation. “Oh, happy birthday! That’s something to celebrate, right?”

Neon gave a small smile but then added, “Yeah… but it’s also the day I got kidnapped. Or, well, I should say the original daughter of the Kurama Enterprise did.”

Ruby blinked, caught off guard. “Wait, what?”

Keiwa, sitting nearby, laughed lightly to diffuse the tension. “Seriously, Neon, who starts a conversation like that?”

Neon shrugged, her smile returning to its usual brightness. “What? It’s true! Besides, it’s not like I let it ruin my life or anything. I mean, look at me now—famous influencer, Kamen Rider, all-around awesome person!”

Ruby tilted her head, trying to process what Neon had said. “You’re… not the original?”

Neon nodded, her cheerful demeanor not faltering. “That’s right. I’m actually a recreation. My family created me to replace the ‘real’ one after she was taken and died. At first, I thought it was weird, but honestly? I’ve made peace with it. I may not be the original, but I’m still me, you know?”

Ruby tried to imagine how that would feel but quickly gave up. “That’s… a lot. But you seem really strong about it.”

Kewia looked at her. “We all learned that from Berabo revealing it on her birthday last year.”

Ruby looked down. “I see.” Ace's body was adjusting in the chair.

People gathered around Ace's body. “It's the Star of the stars of the stars.”

Ruby couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed as a small crowd of people began to gather around her—or rather, around Ace’s body. Their enthusiasm was palpable, their eyes wide with awe and excitement as they whispered and pointed.

“It’s really him!”
“The Star of the Stars of the Stars! He’s here!”
“Can I get an autograph?”

Ruby tried to shrink back in her seat, feeling the weight of their attention. She wasn’t used to this kind of focus, and Ace’s naturally confident body language seemed to betray her discomfort.

Neon leaned over, whispering conspiratorially, “Yeah, you better get used to that. Ace has fans everywhere. Even when he’s just sitting around, people flock to him like moths to a flame.”

Keiwa crossed his arms, his tone light but teasing. “Don’t forget the poses. You can’t call yourself Ace if you’re not striking at least one dramatic pose every ten minutes.”

Ruby shot him a glare but immediately regretted it when the fans gasped.

“Did you see that? He just gave the signature Ace glare!” one of them whispered, clutching their heart like they’d just been blessed.

Neon chuckled, clearly enjoying Ruby’s predicament. “Go on, give them a little wave. It’ll make their day.”

Ruby sighed, raising Ace’s hand awkwardly to wave. The fans erupted into cheers, snapping photos and shouting praises.

“You’re amazing, Ace!”
“Best birthday ever!”

Ruby muttered under her breath, “I don’t know how he handles this…”

Keiwa smirked. “Oh, he loves it. This is his bread and butter. But hey, look on the bright side—you’re giving his fans a memory they’ll never forget.”

Neon nodded, her grin mischievous. “And you’re doing great, Ruby! Just channel your inner Ace. Confident, cocky, and absolutely untouchable.”

Ruby wasn’t sure she could pull that off, but before she could respond, the crowd began to part as someone else approached. It was a reporter, microphone in hand and camera crew trailing behind.

“Mr. Ukiyo! A moment of your time, please?” the reporter asked eagerly.

Ruby froze, her mind racing. What was she supposed to say? How would Ace handle this?

The reporter continued, undeterred by her silence. “The world is dying to know: what’s your next big move? Will we see you competing again soon, or are you planning to take a step back and focus on something else?”

Ruby swallowed hard, her voice coming out more nervous than she intended. “Uh… well, you know… I always, um, strive to surprise my fans…”

The reporter tilted her head, confused. “Strive? That doesn’t sound like you. You’re always so certain of your plans.”

Ruby winced, realizing her slip-up. She glanced at Neon and Keiwa for help, but they just gave her encouraging nods.

Steeling herself, Ruby straightened up and forced a confident smirk. “What I meant to say is… you’ll just have to wait and see. The Star of the Stars of the Stars doesn’t reveal his secrets so easily.”

The crowd erupted into cheers again, and the reporter beamed. “Ah, classic Ace! Always keeping us on our toes. Thank you for your time!”

As the reporter and fans slowly dispersed, Ruby slumped back into her chair, exhausted.

Neon clapped her on the back. “Not bad! You’re getting the hang of it.”

Keiwa grinned. “Yeah, you’re starting to sound like him. Just work on the swagger a bit more, and you’ll be golden.”

Ruby groaned. “This is going to be a long day…”

Before they could respond, a loud crash sound from outside, followed by screams. Neon immediately sprang to her feet.

“What was that?” she asked, her cheerful demeanor replaced by seriousness.

Keiwa unsheathed his Bujin Sword, his expression grim. “Trouble. Let’s move.”

Ruby followed, her heart pounding as the echoes of chaos drew closer. Whatever was happening, it was a reminder that she couldn’t just pretend to be Ace—she had to step up and act like him, too.

As she and the Riders gathered near the source of the commotion, Tsumuri approached them, her calm and composed demeanor standing in stark contrast to the rising tension. “Good morning, everyone. I have some good news to share.”

Michinaga scoffed, gripping his Zombie Breaker tightly. “The only good news I care about is when I’ve crushed all the Riders and taken down Geats.”

Ruby tilted Ace’s head, staring at him incredulously. “Is that his entire personality? Just ‘crush Geats’ on repeat?”

A young woman with the Lopo ID Core slotted in her Desire Driver stepped forward, her tone neutral. “Michinaga’s best friend died during the Desire Grand Prix. That’s why he’s like this.” She shot Ruby a curious glance. “I thought the great Ace Ukiyo would already know that.”

Ruby’s expression faltered, her confidence wavering under the weight of the response. “I… well…”

Before she could recover, Ziin strode up, his usual enthusiasm radiating from every step. “None of that matters. Ace is the best Rider, and I’ll support him to the very end.” He pointed dramatically at Ruby, his eyes shining with admiration. “No one can compare to the Star of the Stars of the Stars!”

Ruby blinked, overwhelmed by the sheer confidence Ziin seemed to have in her—or rather, in Ace.

As the group began to prepare for the impending threat, Ruby felt an odd sense of clarity. This strange situation, as chaotic as it was, was teaching her something important.

Back in Remnant, Ruby had been struggling with her role as a leader. She constantly doubted herself, second-guessed her decisions, and felt the weight of her team’s trust bearing down on her. But here, in Ace’s world, she was expected to exude confidence, to make quick decisions, and to embrace the spotlight without hesitation.

Maybe this swap isn’t just some random accident, she thought, adjusting the Driver at her waist. Maybe it’s a chance for me to learn how to lead. To be the version of myself my team deserves.

She squared her shoulders, straightened her posture, and gave the group a smirk that felt surprisingly natural. “Alright, if we’re done with the melodrama, let’s focus. Whatever’s out there isn’t going to stop itself.”

Keiwa grinned. “Now that sounds like the Ace we know.”

Michinaga rolled his eyes but didn’t argue. “Fine. Just stay out of my way.”

Tsumuri nodded approvingly. “Now that’s the spirit. Let’s see if you can keep that confidence when the real fight begins.”

As they moved out toward the source of the disturbance, Ruby felt a spark of hope. Maybe I can do this. Maybe I can be more than I thought I could be.