Cordovin came up with an excuse to let our heroes through without getting herself in trouble for disobeying orders, but the people of Atlas will only see Atlesian military property in the hands of people who can only be thieves.

Qrow might be able to solve this problem if he can speed-dial Ironwood and get him to authorize a landing somewhere discreet, so that Ironwood can welcome the arrival of his conspiratorial allies while keeping their thievery and Weiss Schnee’s return a secret.

Otherwise, our heroes can’t land in Atlas City without getting arrested, and Ironwood has no choice but to punish them to maintain appearances and protect the rule of law. But there are still ways he can lighten the punishment and turn it to his advantage.

As the adult nominally in charge, most of the blame falls on Qrow, whom Ironwood consigns to the drunk tank and mandates some time with an alcoholism therapist. If Qrow, on the heels of his Volume 6 experiences, agrees that that’s fair and he’s got a problem he needs help with, Ironwood whips out his scroll in a panic, demanding the therapist appear immediately. Qrow would be cooling his heels a lot this Volume, because detoxing from alcohol is not only terrible for the patient, they also stink to high heavens such that no one wants to be around them.

Maria, as a little old blind lady and a virtual stranger to the group, is not held very accountable for their actions, especially if her identity as the Grimm Reaper (and the pilot of the stolen plane) can be kept secret. Oscar, who can be passed off as Maria’s grandson if necessary for any reason, could get off entirely as a minor.

Teams RWBY and JN_R would be labeled “troubled youths with promising talents, in need of guidance”, and involuntarily enrolled in Atlas Academy as part of a juvenile delinquent rehabilitation program. This includes Weiss Schnee; since stealing Atlesian property effectively makes her a criminal against the state, Ironwood’s authority over her life finally eclipses that of her parents, so that Jacques cannot simply take her away from Atlas Academy. This might be the straw that finally breaks the back of the two mens’ friendship, but it keeps Weiss safe.

Ironwood can convince our teenaged heroes that enrolling in Atlas Academy has other benefits. Now that they’ve secured the Lamp of Knowledge, where else would they go? They don’t know how to take the fight to Salem, so they’re stuck playing defensively like always. None of them are licensed hunters, so they won’t be allowed to help take Beacon back from the Grimm, so why not do what Team CFVY did and try to finish their formal education? Licenses aside, their skills still need improvement before they can take on the likes of Hazel or Tyrian, and Atlas is now one of the only two hunting academies still operating.

It might be a prison (or a prison away from prison, in the case of Weiss and her family’s estate), but at least it’s one that is dedicated to making them stronger warriors, and there are worse places to stay while they try to figure out what to do next. Winter might transfer into the faculty to spend time with Weiss and help her refine her skills offscreen.

Oscar especially needs more training, and being forced to enroll at Atlas Academy with an academy’s team-building rules would be the perfect impetuous for him to become the new P of Team JNPR. He’d be joining Atlas younger than Ruby joined Beacon, but Ozpin’s muscle memories and his own field experience should help him qualify, especially with Ironwood’s approval.

Ironwood has particular reasons to keep Oscar close and under house-arrest. First of all, because he wants to keep Ozpin close. Second of all, because he would like for Ozpin’s successor to sympathize more with how Atlas and Ironwood operates, and Atlas Academy is the perfect place to impress upon the boy the superiority of Atlas’ methods.

Prediction for Volume 7:

The White Fang is an international organization. At least under Sienna Khan’s reign, it was not based in Menagerie, but Anima, with branches in the Kingdom of Vale and the Kingdom of Atlas, and a cell in Kuo Kuana.

Adam made a mess of the Vale, Mistral, and Kuo Kuana branches of the organization. He was the leader of the Vale branch, and left them at their most vulnerable and disorganized. He killed and replaced the leader of the central Mistral branch, and then lost their respect and killed a number of them personally. The entire Menagerie cell was arrested. Now the Belladonnas are stepping back in to take over the remains and build a new brotherhood.

But the Atlas branch? Given how slowly information travels now, they might only be learning that Sienna Khan is dead, let alone who claimed to take her throne. Probably, they’ve just been going about their normal business while also dealing with Ironwood’s lockdown.

So odds are, they barely care about Adam’s brief reign other than to mourn Sienna Khan’s death and curse his name, but I doubt they’ve decided to disband.

Further, why would Miles and Kerry discard the White Fang now? Without the White Fang, Salem’s campaign against Vale would never have worked. Salem needed the White Fang to control Kuo Kuana, and to stage another attack against Haven Academy.

I’m pretty sure that Salem is sending Tyrian to be her envoy to the White Fang of Atlas, because the best tool of all for utterly destroying a nation is manipulating people who are already trying to destabilize it.

It’s definitely a plot I’d like to see Blake, Yang, Neon Katt, and Flynt Coal working as a team to counter, while Weiss and Ruby deal with Athur Watts’ attempts to manipulate the rich and people of Atlas.

I don’t think we’ll be done with the White Fang until our heroes leave Atlas for Vacuo, where conflicts are more clearly between classes and cities/tribes than between races.

Penny Polendina defeats The Invincible Girl. Pyrrha Nikos, record-breaking, four-time champion of the Mistral Regional Tournament, is finally defeated, and on the most public stage in the world.

Neither of the duelists consider the facts that both are still alive, there is no one delivering evil speeches, and there are no Grimm. They take these things blissfully for granted.

Penny is all smiles; she never doubted in her victory. Aloud, she congratulates her opponent on the hardest match she’s ever fought. It was so much fun!

Pyrrha still thinks the Four Maidens are a fairy tale. She’s never been under Beacon Tower. She’s never seen Amber.

Laying on the ground, looking up at Penny’s smile, Pyrrha is conflicted by her loss. Specifically, that she could have won. Should have won, except until the very end she refused to use her Polarity Semblance blatantly. Her restraint has finally cost her victory against an opponent whose overwhelming power could not be thwarted by small manipulations.

Pyrrha’s pride is broken, along with her mystique. Her pillar is broken, and she is made mortal.

Yet she asks herself, Is this not better? It’s finally over; I’m free. I’m finally just another student, like my friends. The Invincible Girl is dead; long live Pyrrha Nikos.

So she smiles, and accepts Penny’s hand of friendship, helped back up to her feet by the smaller, stronger girl.

They exchange sentiments of having a rematch in the future, and Pyrrha warns Penny that the next time they fight, she will not face a champion duelist who is holding back, but a student huntress who will finally give her everything she’s got.

Penny thinks that sounds sensational, and goes on to win the Vytal Tournament.

From the platform of her victory, she and General Ironwood reveal Penny’s true nature. James frames her creation and existence as the greatest hope mankind has ever known for finally achieving lasting victory against the Creatures of Grimm. The global audience, high on the enthusiasm of a successful holiday tradition and enamored with their new champion, accept this story with open arms.

Penny seizes upon the opportunity to publicly ask the general for permission to transfer to Beacon as a permanent student. James is caught flat-footed, but Ozpin steps in to run damage-control. He points out to James that allowing Penny to attend a foreign school will help the other kingdoms trust that Atlas never meant to use Penny as a weapon against them. The general begrudgingly comes around to the idea as a way to apologize to Ozpin and his fellow conspirators for not informing them of Penny sooner.

Penny spends the next school year in Vale, with Team RWBY returning to begin their second year of food fights, study sessions, sleep overs, last-minute papers, school dances, and college romances.

Pyrrha and Penny have their rematch, and Pyrrha wins within the first second. Penny never wins another real duel with Pyrrha again, but she doesn’t mind, since Pyrrha isn’t mean about it, and Penny always teases her about their first match.

The next two years, Penny and Team RWBY enter the exchange program to spend a year in Vacuo and Mistral, and then they all graduate into huntresses that go on to make the world a better place for everyone.

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