In the aftermath of their harrowing journey through the Ever After, Team RWBY—Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Xiao Long—had hoped for a hero's welcome back in Remnant. They had faced gods, monsters, and their own inner demons, emerging stronger and more united than ever. But fate, as it often did in their world, had other plans.The fall of Atlas had left deep scars on the kingdoms. Salem's forces were regrouping, and whispers of blame spread like wildfire. Some accused the young huntresses of recklessness, claiming their actions had accelerated the catastrophe. Others, manipulated by shadowy figures loyal to the remnants of the Schnee Dust Company or Ironwood's old regime, painted them as traitors. In a kangaroo court held in Vacuo, where tensions between refugees boiled over, Team RWBY was exiled—banished from Remnant under threat of execution if they returned. "For the greater good," the council had said, their voices heavy with regret but unyielding.

With Jaune Arc and the others vowing to clear their names from afar, the team fled through a makeshift portal, courtesy of a desperate Ambrosius creation before their departure. But the spirit's magic, twisted by the chaos, didn't send them to a safe haven in another kingdom.

Instead, it hurled them across dimensions, spitting them out into a sprawling metropolis of neon lights, roaring engines, and endless opportunity—or danger.Los Angeles. A city where the sun-kissed beaches hid undercurrents of crime, where towering skyscrapers loomed over graffiti-strewn alleys, and where everyone was chasing the American Dream, or at least a quick score. The four girls stumbled out of the portal in a deserted Hollywood alley, disoriented and aura-depleted from the jump.

"What... what is this place?" Ruby gasped, her silver eyes wide as she took in the palm trees swaying against a smoggy sky. A lowrider cruised by, bass thumping from its speakers, and a flock of seagulls scattered overhead. Weiss dusted off her white dress, wrinkling her nose at the faint smell of exhaust and ocean salt. "It looks like a nightmare version of Vale crossed with Atlas's underbelly. No Grimm, at least. But these... vehicles? They're everywhere." Blake, ears twitching under her bow, scanned the shadows. "No Faunus oppression signs yet, but I sense trouble. This city reeks of inequality."

Yang cracked her knuckles, Ember Celica gleaming in the sunlight. "Hey, as long as there's no giant teacup gods trying to rewrite us, I'm good. Let's find some food and figure out how to blend in."