These are two of my ideas that I came up with when thinking about Shenmue III. The first one is part altered (from what actually happened) and part original, whereas the second one is completely original. Although I enjoyed Shenmue III as a whole, I also enjoyed these ideas enough to put them into text/writing. I hope you enjoy this.
Re-writing the events that follow the bell tower discovery
So, this is after Ryo and Shenhua interrogate Yanlang and the subsequent bell tower tokens and then discovery part. Ryo and Shenhua are heading to Elder Yeh's house to inform her of the discoveries they made. Chai is already in Elder Yeh's house, feeling that she has the information that he seeks. Instead of a peaceful visit to Yeh's house, things take an unexpected turn...
Elder Yeh stands firm against Chai and his interrogations, refusing to be intimidated by him, even calling him a ''wretched creature''. This angers Chai, who loses his temper due to thoughts of not feeling as intimidating as he would like to be. He ends up wrapping his hands around Yeh's throat and starts strangling her. As Ryo and Shenhua close in on Yeh's house, Shenhua tells Ryo that she suspects something is terribly wrong and the two then pick up the pace. After hearing a struggle, Ryo bursts into Elder Yeh's house in the nick of time, followed by Shenhua who cries in horror at what she is witnessing. Ryo wastes no time in attacking Chai and throws him to the outside of the house. The fight scene is set on the night time and it is pouring with rain.
Chai gathers himself to his feet and remarks that he has looked forward to battling Ryo again, ever since their fight on the way to Hong Kong. This time Ryo isn't going to be so lucky, according to Chai. Ryo defeats Chai and then conducts an interrogation of his own, in the way he actually did in the game. Chai says that Yuan and Xu were taken to Niaowu. Chai then escapes due to Ryo slightly loosening his grip because of the new information that has come to light. (Note: the Chai boss fight is played using the fighting system, rather than the QTE that we got in the game).
Ryo makes his way back into Elder Yeh's house where he finds Shenhua attending to Yeh. Unfortunately, Yeh is struggling to breathe as a result of Chai strangling her. Despite this, she manages to successfully interpret the scroll, especially when Ryo places the Phoenix Mirror in her hands. In her dying moments, Yeh tells Ryo that she trusts him and his intentions to look after Shenhua. She then dies due to the strangulation and shock. Shenhua immediately begins to cry. Yeh has been in her life for as long as she can remember and she has grown attached to the lady, as well as admire her. Ryo shows some rare affection by putting a comforting arm around Shenhua as she continues to sob, and she responds by hugging him tightly. As Shenhua is hugging him, Ryo looks down on the corpse of Yeh with anger. Eventually, Ryo and Shenhua gently rest Yeh's body on her bed.
As the two journey back to Shenhua's house on this miserable night, Ryo informs Shenhua of the Niaowu information that he obtained from Chai. Both of them then truly realise that Niaowu is the destination that they must get to if they want to find Yuan and Xu. He says he is sorry to mention it at such a bad time, but they really need to find her father as soon as possible. Shenhua says she understands and agrees, but first of all, tomorrow morning she needs to inform the fellow villagers that Yeh has passed away, before her and Ryo do anything else. Ryo responds by saying he understands that too but they really need to start making tracks, otherwise it might be too late. Shenhua is still upset and doesn't really acknowledge what Ryo has just said and instead walks on with a sad demeanour.
The next morning, Shenhua informs the villagers about the passing of Yeh and a lot of them, while shocked and upset, blame Ryo for it. Many of them feel aggrieved by the recent happenings in what is normally a quiet and peaceful village. Shenhua defends Ryo, and tells them that it was really Chai that caused her death. She is not alone in defending Ryo. Characters that have experienced positive and/or meaningful interactions with him such as Sun, Feng, Mr. Ke and Zhen Wei and a few others all defend him and maintain that he is most likely innocent in this heart breaking ordeal. Later on, Shenhua tells Ryo that she will go to Niaowu with him, but only after she attends the funeral of Yeh. Ryo insists that they go immediately, but Shenhua says she has principles, just like Ryo does. She says anybody else would think that Ryo is a mad man for pursuing somebody as powerful as Lan Di, but he murdered his father, and it's Ryo's own principle to avenge his father's death. So, she asks him to understand her point of view too. She also doesn't want to leave immediately without having the time to say goodbye to her friends, and she also wants time to process what is a big move for her, in departing Bailu Village for a much bigger place. Ryo says he understands.
Ryo is not present at Elder Yeh's funeral. Instead, he stays at Shenhua's home due to the potential backlash from sections of the village had he attended it. Shenhua arrives back at her house where Ryo is sat alone at the kitchen dining table. She is still rather upset from occasion of the funeral, but has the courage to tell Ryo something. She says that she now knows the pain of losing somebody in her life at the hands of the Chi You Men. Ryo responds by telling Shenhua that he won't let anything bad happen to her father. The two then depart for Niaowu with the ''He shall appear from a far eastern land across the sea'' dialogue complimenting the night time visuals of Bailu Village, like what we got in the actual game.
Original hotel room scene between Ryo and Shenhua
This is based around the time that Ryo starts to discover the Red Snakes gang...
After a couple of days of failing to find many clues as to the whereabouts of Yuan and Xu, Ryo heads back to his hotel room for another night of sleep. At approximately 10:30 PM, he receives a knock on his room door. He answers and Shenhua is standing there. She asks if she can come in, to which Ryo answers with ''sure'’ and then asks her what’s wrong. She tells Ryo that she is worried sick about her father, and that the four walls inside her hotel room are doing her no favours whatsoever. She is getting very lonely in what is a strange place to her. Shenhua asks if she can sleep in Ryo’s bed with him for just one night while she continues to settle into what is like a new life for her. It might help her feel more at ease. Ryo agrees to the proposal. Shenhua thanks him and then departs for her room momentarily, to collect the book that she reads on the night.
Both characters are at opposite sides of the bed. Ryo is laid on his side with his back to Shenhua, clearly in deep thought. Meanwhile, Shenhua is sat up and is occupying her mind by reading the book. Around 45 minutes or more pass, and then Shenhua puts her book down and prepares to sleep. She then asks Ryo if he is still awake, and despite a delayed response Ryo says that he is. She asks Ryo about his bedroom in Yokosuka, and how it compares to this hotel room. Ryo turns over and answers her question and then remarks that the Niaowu hotel is like paradise in comparison to the Come Over Guest House that he stayed at while he was in Hong Kong. Shenhua giggles when he recalls the tacky walls inside the guest house. She then says that this time reminds her of her father Yuan. When she was just a child, he used to comfort her by telling her stories before she slept. Shenhua then gently kisses Ryo on his cheek and thanks him not just for tonight, but everything that he has done for her ever since they met. She now feels a lot better than before. Ryo says it is no problem and that they will find her father. The two then fall asleep, still being on opposite sides of the bed to one another.
During the night, Ryo starts dreaming. They are mixed between the moments where Nozomi told him that she was going to Canada, gave him the amulet, and when she tells him that she wishes they had more time. Meeting Joy for the first time, the moments where she shows her frustration with him when he doesn’t reciprocate her feelings, and lastly saving her at the Yellow Head Building. Then, the moments where he saves Shenhua, their journey through Guillin and her most recent grief and moment together at the dining table in her house after Elder Yeh's funeral. Ryo then wakes up in a sweat and quickly finds out that it is morning, the next day. He then looks across the bed... Shenhua is gone. He hurries out of his hotel room, worried that she has gone missing. Ryo rushes down the hotel stairs, only to find that Shenhua is sat in her usual place on the lobby sofa.
Re-writing the events that follow the bell tower discovery
So, this is after Ryo and Shenhua interrogate Yanlang and the subsequent bell tower tokens and then discovery part. Ryo and Shenhua are heading to Elder Yeh's house to inform her of the discoveries they made. Chai is already in Elder Yeh's house, feeling that she has the information that he seeks. Instead of a peaceful visit to Yeh's house, things take an unexpected turn...
Elder Yeh stands firm against Chai and his interrogations, refusing to be intimidated by him, even calling him a ''wretched creature''. This angers Chai, who loses his temper due to thoughts of not feeling as intimidating as he would like to be. He ends up wrapping his hands around Yeh's throat and starts strangling her. As Ryo and Shenhua close in on Yeh's house, Shenhua tells Ryo that she suspects something is terribly wrong and the two then pick up the pace. After hearing a struggle, Ryo bursts into Elder Yeh's house in the nick of time, followed by Shenhua who cries in horror at what she is witnessing. Ryo wastes no time in attacking Chai and throws him to the outside of the house. The fight scene is set on the night time and it is pouring with rain.
Chai gathers himself to his feet and remarks that he has looked forward to battling Ryo again, ever since their fight on the way to Hong Kong. This time Ryo isn't going to be so lucky, according to Chai. Ryo defeats Chai and then conducts an interrogation of his own, in the way he actually did in the game. Chai says that Yuan and Xu were taken to Niaowu. Chai then escapes due to Ryo slightly loosening his grip because of the new information that has come to light. (Note: the Chai boss fight is played using the fighting system, rather than the QTE that we got in the game).
Ryo makes his way back into Elder Yeh's house where he finds Shenhua attending to Yeh. Unfortunately, Yeh is struggling to breathe as a result of Chai strangling her. Despite this, she manages to successfully interpret the scroll, especially when Ryo places the Phoenix Mirror in her hands. In her dying moments, Yeh tells Ryo that she trusts him and his intentions to look after Shenhua. She then dies due to the strangulation and shock. Shenhua immediately begins to cry. Yeh has been in her life for as long as she can remember and she has grown attached to the lady, as well as admire her. Ryo shows some rare affection by putting a comforting arm around Shenhua as she continues to sob, and she responds by hugging him tightly. As Shenhua is hugging him, Ryo looks down on the corpse of Yeh with anger. Eventually, Ryo and Shenhua gently rest Yeh's body on her bed.
As the two journey back to Shenhua's house on this miserable night, Ryo informs Shenhua of the Niaowu information that he obtained from Chai. Both of them then truly realise that Niaowu is the destination that they must get to if they want to find Yuan and Xu. He says he is sorry to mention it at such a bad time, but they really need to find her father as soon as possible. Shenhua says she understands and agrees, but first of all, tomorrow morning she needs to inform the fellow villagers that Yeh has passed away, before her and Ryo do anything else. Ryo responds by saying he understands that too but they really need to start making tracks, otherwise it might be too late. Shenhua is still upset and doesn't really acknowledge what Ryo has just said and instead walks on with a sad demeanour.
The next morning, Shenhua informs the villagers about the passing of Yeh and a lot of them, while shocked and upset, blame Ryo for it. Many of them feel aggrieved by the recent happenings in what is normally a quiet and peaceful village. Shenhua defends Ryo, and tells them that it was really Chai that caused her death. She is not alone in defending Ryo. Characters that have experienced positive and/or meaningful interactions with him such as Sun, Feng, Mr. Ke and Zhen Wei and a few others all defend him and maintain that he is most likely innocent in this heart breaking ordeal. Later on, Shenhua tells Ryo that she will go to Niaowu with him, but only after she attends the funeral of Yeh. Ryo insists that they go immediately, but Shenhua says she has principles, just like Ryo does. She says anybody else would think that Ryo is a mad man for pursuing somebody as powerful as Lan Di, but he murdered his father, and it's Ryo's own principle to avenge his father's death. So, she asks him to understand her point of view too. She also doesn't want to leave immediately without having the time to say goodbye to her friends, and she also wants time to process what is a big move for her, in departing Bailu Village for a much bigger place. Ryo says he understands.
- The player now has 3 days to make as much money as they can, practise on Kung Fu and endurance, collect herbs and other items in preparation for the Niawou section. After the third day, the cutscene in the next paragraph takes place and then the player enters the Niawou part of the game.
- During this 3 day period, some of the villagers are cold towards Ryo and ask him to stay away. Work is still available, although there's dialogue instances such as Guanzhong Tao of the Tao-Get Store telling Ryo that he doesn't know if he played a part in Yeh's death or not, but he's a good worker, so he'll trust him enough to let him continue chopping the wood. The characters that defended Ryo all react positively and encourage him whenever he interacts with them during this time. Feng in particular says that Shenhua really appreciates Ryo's company and friendship, and that he should never give up on her under any circumstances.
Ryo is not present at Elder Yeh's funeral. Instead, he stays at Shenhua's home due to the potential backlash from sections of the village had he attended it. Shenhua arrives back at her house where Ryo is sat alone at the kitchen dining table. She is still rather upset from occasion of the funeral, but has the courage to tell Ryo something. She says that she now knows the pain of losing somebody in her life at the hands of the Chi You Men. Ryo responds by telling Shenhua that he won't let anything bad happen to her father. The two then depart for Niaowu with the ''He shall appear from a far eastern land across the sea'' dialogue complimenting the night time visuals of Bailu Village, like what we got in the actual game.
Original hotel room scene between Ryo and Shenhua
This is based around the time that Ryo starts to discover the Red Snakes gang...
After a couple of days of failing to find many clues as to the whereabouts of Yuan and Xu, Ryo heads back to his hotel room for another night of sleep. At approximately 10:30 PM, he receives a knock on his room door. He answers and Shenhua is standing there. She asks if she can come in, to which Ryo answers with ''sure'’ and then asks her what’s wrong. She tells Ryo that she is worried sick about her father, and that the four walls inside her hotel room are doing her no favours whatsoever. She is getting very lonely in what is a strange place to her. Shenhua asks if she can sleep in Ryo’s bed with him for just one night while she continues to settle into what is like a new life for her. It might help her feel more at ease. Ryo agrees to the proposal. Shenhua thanks him and then departs for her room momentarily, to collect the book that she reads on the night.
Both characters are at opposite sides of the bed. Ryo is laid on his side with his back to Shenhua, clearly in deep thought. Meanwhile, Shenhua is sat up and is occupying her mind by reading the book. Around 45 minutes or more pass, and then Shenhua puts her book down and prepares to sleep. She then asks Ryo if he is still awake, and despite a delayed response Ryo says that he is. She asks Ryo about his bedroom in Yokosuka, and how it compares to this hotel room. Ryo turns over and answers her question and then remarks that the Niaowu hotel is like paradise in comparison to the Come Over Guest House that he stayed at while he was in Hong Kong. Shenhua giggles when he recalls the tacky walls inside the guest house. She then says that this time reminds her of her father Yuan. When she was just a child, he used to comfort her by telling her stories before she slept. Shenhua then gently kisses Ryo on his cheek and thanks him not just for tonight, but everything that he has done for her ever since they met. She now feels a lot better than before. Ryo says it is no problem and that they will find her father. The two then fall asleep, still being on opposite sides of the bed to one another.
During the night, Ryo starts dreaming. They are mixed between the moments where Nozomi told him that she was going to Canada, gave him the amulet, and when she tells him that she wishes they had more time. Meeting Joy for the first time, the moments where she shows her frustration with him when he doesn’t reciprocate her feelings, and lastly saving her at the Yellow Head Building. Then, the moments where he saves Shenhua, their journey through Guillin and her most recent grief and moment together at the dining table in her house after Elder Yeh's funeral. Ryo then wakes up in a sweat and quickly finds out that it is morning, the next day. He then looks across the bed... Shenhua is gone. He hurries out of his hotel room, worried that she has gone missing. Ryo rushes down the hotel stairs, only to find that Shenhua is sat in her usual place on the lobby sofa.
- The player can then immediately interact with Shenhua, although he doesn't ask her about the previous night, but rather how she slept over night. Shenhua asks him why he is so intense and sweaty, and he responds by saying he was exercising and practicing moves on the hotel balcony prior to coming down to the lobby. In his notebook, Ryo notes down ''Did last night with Shenhua actually happen, or was I dreaming or just imagining it?''
- Days on from this incident, Jincheng and Shuihua Sheng (the couple that are staying at the hotel) will start to refer to Shenhua as Ryo's girlfriend, which slightly irritates him. With quite a few people at the resort already referring to Shenhua as his girlfriend, he only disputes it after they mention it a second time. They respond by saying that they saw her leave his hotel room one morning...
