Chapter 9
"Everything is coming along nicely. The entirety of England is already mine, and it's all thanks to the power of the Mask and JoJo's disappearance." Dio Brando monologued to himself as he sat in the darkness of his castle. His white teeth shone through the dark when he smirked.
"After I, Dio, turn all the humans on this wretched island into zombies, then the rest of Europe is next." Dio stood and walked to the balcony where Jonathan was last seen.
"I know not where you went, Jonathan, but wherever you are, I hope you know your comrades never stood a chance after you disappeared."
"Besides that one with the tall hat and blonde hair. How he managed to get escape here still eludes me." Dio thought to himself.
The vampire rested his hand on the balcony, "No matter, my zombies will find wherever he's hiding."
"This is shaping up to be a fantastic match! Team RWBY is proving to be too much to handle for their opponents." Professor Port laughed into the microphone in front of him.
"Indeed! Their teamwork is extraordinarily spectacular!" Doctor Oobleck agreed from his place besides Port.
The two professors had been appointed as the announcers for the Vytal Festival tournament, and they were currently spectating the battle between team RWBY and team ABRN of Haven Academy. The fight had been neck-and-neck for nearly ten minutes, but everyone watching could tell that team RWBY had slowly been pulling ahead.
Each member of the teams was having their own one-on-one fights around the map. Ruby and Weiss were fighting Nadir and Bolin while Blake dueled Reese and Yang brawled with Arslan. Yang and Arslan went head-to-head, comparing raw strength with both of their hand-to-hand fighting styles. They each grinned as they traded blows, shaking the ground around them with each powerful impact.
"Yeah, Yang! Punch her HARDER!" Nora cheered from the stadium. She and the rest of team JNPR sat with Jonathan in the stands to cheer their friends on.
"Fight valiantly!" Ren called.
"Ruby, tighten your stance! You're too wide open!" Pyrrha shouted.
"You're doing excellent, you four!" Jonathan grinned at the fight.
"It's been a few months since Torchwick and the White Fang put Grimm in the city, and they've been training hard to be prepared for whatever comes next. That training is paying off in this fight." JoJo thought to himself.
Ever since the fight began, Nora had been letting loose with shouting out profanities and insults that made Jonathan's lip curl. While he adored the hammer-wielder, he didn't approve of her methods for cheering on her friends.
Back on the fighting stage, Ruby and Weiss were fighting a single opponent. Ruby had tried to attack Bolin, but her scythe was blocked by his staff. Ruby grit her teeth and pulled the trigger of her weapon. The recoil blasted her back and allowed her and Weiss to get some breathing room. The girls and Bolin glared at each other from across the arena, then the Haven student charged them. Weiss tried to hit him with ice spikes, but he effortlessly dodged it and continued to run for Ruby. Ruby went into a defensive stance and prepared for the oncoming attack, but the dark-haired boy completely avoided her!
Bolin hit some red crystals protruding from the ground and smirked as he caught the crystal. He tossed it to his teammate, Reese, who then winked at Blake and slammed the Dust into her hover-skate board. Reese rode over to her incapacitated teammate who had his feet frozen to the ground, courtesy of Weiss, then hovered over his legs with her board, melting the ice.
"Come on, guys! You gotta try harder than that!" Nora cupped her hands around her mouth, yelling in the direction of team RWBY.
"They're doing their best, Nora." Jaune chuckled.
"That's no excuse!" the orange-haired girl turned to him.
Suddenly, a buzzer went off and Professor Port's voice boomed over the loud speaker.
"Oh! A clever ploy by Miss Belladonna! I wouldn't want to get on her bad side." the mustachioed professor laughed.
Then, a large ball of ice formed on the field and began to roll around at a high speed.
"Are there... Are there people frozen in there?" Jonathan asked. Sure enough, both of the male members of team ABRN were partly inside of the ball of ice, their bodies frozen from the waist down and their torsos sticking out.
The sight of the frozen students brought back several memories that Jonathan still had nightmares about. His gaze cast down at the memory of Dire's body shattering at the hands of Dio.
Jaune noticed the Joestar's sudden change in attitude and raised an eyebrow.
"Hey man, you okay?" Jaune asked.
"Hm? Oh yes, I'm fine. Just... Remembering a deceased ally." Jonathan shook himself out of his memories.
Jaune nodded and put a hand on the Englishman's large shoulder, "We're here if you wanna talk." Jaune gave a comforting smile.
"Thank you, Jaune. But for now, let's just enjoy the fight." JoJo pointed at the large screens that gave a better view of the battle.
The only remaining girl on team ARBN, Arlsan, got into an Asian-style fighting pose as the large ball of ice containing her teammates rolled towards her.
"Is she going to...?" JoJo's eyes widened.
Arslan slammed her palm into the ice ball, instantly shattering it and saving her teammates.
"Yang!" Weiss called out. The heiress formed a giant wall of ice that stretched from one end of the arena to the other. "Now!"
Yang ran towards the ice and began using her gauntlets' recoil to slide across it.
"What are they planning...?" Pyrrha murmured.
Blake threw Gambol Shroud to Yang, who caught it and used her teammate's momentum to gain speed.
The Faunus then leapt off of Ruby's shoulders and jumped towards their opponents. Blake swung Yang past her, and the blonde had a broad grin on her face as she reared back to punch.
"No way." Nora's eyes widened.
"ORA!" Yang shouted as she punched all three opponents at once. The Haven students' bodies collided as Yang slammed into them, sending them all flying off of the stage at Mach-speed.
The entire stadium erupted in cheer as soon as the students' bodies collided with the energy shield that protected the spectators.
"That's the way!" Jonathan shouted and pumped a fist.
"I knew you could do it, you guys!" Nora cheered.
"Nicely done!" Pyrrha smiled.
"Truly impressive!" Ren clapped.
"Oh Dust we're up next." Jaune realized.
Jonathan clapped a hand on the knight's shoulder, nearly knocking him over.
"Don't worry, you'll do fine!" JoJo smiled.
Jaune wheezed and clutched his chest from the blow.
"Why don't we meet up with Ruby and the others and get some food?" Nora offered.
"That's actually a good idea. What do you guys think?" Pyrrha asked.
"That's a wonderful idea, perhaps it'll help shake Jaune's nervousness." JoJo smirked.
"What about you, Ren?" Nora asked.
A deep rumbling came from the ninja's stomach and his eyes widened. It could be heard even over the sounds the crowd.
The rest of team JNPR and JoJo laughed at Ren, who let out a chuckle and regained his composure.
. . .
After the stadium cleared out, Jonathan and team JNPR took an airship down to where all the festival activities were taking place. They walked past dozens of tents selling food, clothes, and various goods. Nora swooned at all the attachments she could add onto her hammer, but Ren grabbed her by the back of the shirt and pulled her along before she could get too crazy.
JoJo considered buying something for himself, but nothing quite caught his attention.
"Ugh, where are they?" Nora groaned.
"I'm sure we'll find them soo-" Pyrrha chuckled.
"There they are!" Nora pointed ahead.
A few dozen feet in front of them, the four girls were sitting at a noodle shop with a large bowl of noodles in front of each of them, except for Blake, who had a bowl of fish. Or she would have, but the shop keeper pulled the bowls away after suddenly throwing Weiss' card back and lodging it in the table.
"What?" Weiss asked in shock. "But I've barely gone into my monthly allowance..."
All the while, Blake was slowly pulling her bowl back towards her with an odd smile on her face. The old shop keep took it from the Faunus, and she slumped over the table with a look of pure defeat on her face.
"No..." Blake whined.
"Maybe I can help?" Pyrrha smiled as she, JoJo, and the rest of JNPR approached them.
"Pyrrha!" Ruby cheered and threw her arms in the air.
"Aw, you don't have to." Yang replied. Pyrrha smirked and handed the old man her Lien credit card.
"After a show like that, you four deserve a good meal." The bright red head smiled kindly. As soon as she finished her comment, a bowl was slid in front of each member of team JNPR and JoJo, each filled with noodles.
. . .
The nine students groaned and sat back in their chairs, their bowls of ramen now completely empty. However, instead of just having one empty bowl, Blake and Nora had several. Jonathan sighed contently and looked to his friends. Most of them looked all right, but Jaune had his head down on the table and was groaning as if he were sick.
"You guys excited for the- Jaune, you don't look so good." Ruby said.
"Urgh…" he groaned.
"So! Uh…how do you think you'll do in your fight?" Yang asked the other members of team JNPR.
"Well we've got a hammer-wielding psychopath, a famous chick who's won several world fighting competitions, a guy who's basically a ninja, and… Jaune! Each of us are in top condition and experts with our carefully designed and maintained weapons, and Jaune!" Nora rattled off, counting on her fingers.
Ren looked over to his out of commission friend, "Are you gonna take that?"
Jaune only shook his head where it lay on the table, "She's not wrong…"
"Teams JNPR and BRNZ, please report to the stadium to begin your match!" Professor Port's voice boomed out of the loud speaker.
"Yes, on the double!" Doctor Oobleck's voice added.
"Well, we'd better get going before we're disqualified." Pyrrha grinned and stood.
Jaune's eyes widened and he put his head into the trashcan beside him, the noodles making their way back up his esophagus.
Teams RWBY, JNPR, and Jonathan stared at him with wide eyes and hung-open mouth at the very sick Jaune.
"Gurk!" He made a sickening sound as the threw up into the can.
"Uh…" Weiss said awkwardly.
"I think I ate too much…" Jaune groaned once he was finished.
"You don't say…" Yang replied. Jaune quickly covered his mouth, then returned his head to the trashcan.
"Well! Jaune's unable to compete." Nora stated.
Everyone's eyes widened in response to her claim. "Wait, then how are we going to be in the tournament?" Pyrrha asked.
"Well… I have an idea." Jonathan rubbed the back of his neck.
"It could work." Blake shrugged. "He's technically on your team, too."
Jaune momentarily returned his head to face JoJo. "You'd step in for me?"
Jonathan nodded gravely and pat the blond knight on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Jaune, I've got your team."
Jaune nodded in response, his face a sickly shade of green. "Good, cause I dunno what we'd do if you didn't." He burped and covered his mouth.
Jonathan stood and put one hand on his hip and the other on his opposite shoulder, crossing his legs as he stood in a pose. "Together, we can surely defeat any opposition!" JoJo announced proudly. Ruby began to look excited at the Joestar's words.
"All right, then! JoJo will fight in Jaune's place. If the fight against Torchwick was any indication, he can handle himself in dire situations-!" Ruby grinned and stood beside Jonathan, mimicking his pose, but the loud whine of the loudspeaker interrupted her. "TEAM JNPR, PLEASE REPORT TO THE COMBAT STADIUM IMMEDIATELY OR YOU WILL BE DISQUALIFIED!" Professor Oobleck's voice boomed.
"Oh no!" Pyrrha exclaimed and began to run towards the airships with Nora and Ren.
"Er, see you later!" Jonathan waved and ran after the three.
"Come on, we gotta get up there too!" Ruby shrieked and grabbed Jaune, running towards the airships with her team.
. . .
After Jonathan changed into a new outfit he'd gotten from a particularly interesting store in the shopping district of Vale and grabbed his new sword, he hurried to the center of the arena with his team to begin their battle.
"Um, what's he wearing?" Weiss asked as Jonathan stepped into the large stadium, the cameras zooming in on the young Joestar and displaying his image on the enormous screens for the audience to see. Jonathan Joestar smirked and adjusted the gold bracelets on his wrist. The Hamon user was currently outfitted in a black shirt with its sleeves rolled up to his shoulders and dark brown pants. A lighter brown-colored piece of clothing covered his legs but were cut out on the inside, appearing similar to chaps. They had a large pouch for pockets on each side where JoJo's upper thighs. Around his waist were two belts, a brown one that was worn normally and a blue one that was worn loosely around his hips. Along with this, he also wore a pair of brown leather riding boots that he wore outside his pants and went up to his knees, a pair of fingerless gloves that reached his elbows, and his usual small leather backpack which contained various items he could use in battle. On the front of his shirt was the flag of England. The flag was also on his boots and gloves, reaching from his wrist to his elbows and vertically on a small space from his knees to just six inches down his legs. The Joestar's knuckles had round pieces of gold placed individually, which could conduct Hamon and made his punches harder, and his right wrist was decorated with four oversized gold bracelets. (1.)
Jonathan was rather pleased with his appearance, and was hoping others would be too.
Pyrrha's mouth hung open at the sight of the Joestar's…interesting taste in fashion. Up until now, JoJo's friends had only seen him dressed in his Beacon uniform or his usual blue tank top and simple brown pants. But now, he was dressed as if he wanted to make a flashy first impression on his spectators.
"Oho! It seems that young Jaune Arc has been replaced by Jonathan Joestar, team JNPR's temporary fifth team member! How will he fare in the leader's place?" Professor Port mused.
"Apologies for being late! I hope no one's too angry for my tardiness." Jonathan smiled as he reached teams JNPR and BRNZ facing off.
"Who's this weird guy?" a boy on BRNZ with black hair swept to one side laughed at Jonathan's appearance. The boy's hair faded to white the further down it went, colored completely white where it ended at his chin.
"Jonathan Joestar. Pleased to make your acquaintance. Now, can we get this battle started, or do you wish to chuckle at my new clothes again?" He asked, a smirk on his lips.
A loud dinging resounded through the stadium, and everyone's heads turned to look at the source. The two squares that determined the fight's surroundings were spinning.
"The battleground is being decided! What shall it be, I wonder?" Port said over the loudspeaker.
The first square stopped spinning abruptly, revealing a green tree behind a greener background.
"Forest!" Port announced.
Jonathan smirked. "Lot's of life in those trees and plant life." He mused as he remembered his battle against Tyrian, the scorpion Faunus. The second square stopped spinning, revealing the brown outline of a rock with a brown background.
"Mountain! The battleground is set, now prepare to battle!" Port said loudly. In response, teams JNPR and BRNZ readied their weapons and glared at each other. Jonathan unsheathed his sword from its spot on his back and held it with both hands. The opponent in front of him, a dark-skinned boy with brown hair held back in a ponytail, regarded the large Englishman coldly with a smirk on his face.
A large screen counted down from three as the eight students prepared to fight.
"Three…Two…ONE! Begin!" Professor Port announced.
"Come on, guys!" Nora said with a grin on her face. As soon as the fight began, the girl on the enemy team bolted for the tree line with her scoped rifle in her hands. May quickly jumped into the nearest tree and scoped in on her opponents.
The two teams sprinted at each other with determined looks on their faces. Pyrrha and Brawnz immediately began facing off, the red-haired warrior blocking the attacks from his bladed gauntlets. Ren and Nora cornered lighter-skinned opponent immediately went on the offensive, attacking him before he could retreat and regroup.
Jonathan was about to attack the one who he'd been facing off with, but suddenly the ground next to him exploded. Or so he thought when he heard something strike the concrete. He evaded to the side, catching a glimpse of the sun reflecting against something in the trees.
"It must be that girl on their team!" He thought to himself, remembering the short, beanie wearing girl who'd ran for the forest.
May continued to fire round after round at team JNPR, distracting them long enough for her team to get the upper hand. Jonathan quickly glanced between his team, the mountain behind him, and the forest. He knew he couldn't neutralize the female opponent from where he was at, and his team was in trouble the longer they were in the open. JoJo looked back again and saw a long, large rock that he and his allies could easily hide behind.
"Retreat to the mountain!" Jonathan shouted and pointed to the rock he'd spotted. Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren quickly ran for where JoJo pointed, Pyrrha covering their backsides with her shield. Jonathan deflected an incoming Dust round with his sword, then ran after his team.
Once all four of them were safe behind the rocks, Pyrrha peeked over from where she hid and looked at the three enemies running towards them.
"What do we do?" She asked her team. She'd usually depend on Jaune for orders, but with him out of commission, the four of them were leaderless.
Jonathan looked over the rocks as well, searching for the scope glare he'd spotted before. Once he found it, he turned back to his three allies with a determined glint in his blue eyes. "Spread out and keep their focus on you, no matter what you have to do. There's a sniper located in those trees, and if we don't take her out, there's no way we can safely fight out in the open."
"What if we didn't fight in the open?" Nora asked.
"Nora, this isn't the time for joking." Ren sighed, lowering his pistols momentarily.
"Jonathan, you think you could take her out?" Pyrrha asked.
"Maybe, but we shouldn't spread out that far. Once these three get within range, we should attack. But don't forget there's someone shooting from a distance! We can't afford to lose anyone when they have this much of an advantage." JoJo advised.
"But guys!" Nora said.
"What is it, Nora?" Jonathan asked.
"What if we didn't fight out in the open?" she told him. After a moment of brief confusion, Jonathan's eyes widened in realization.
"You want to take the fight to the forest?" JoJo asked.
"Exactly!" Nora responded. Jonathan put his hand to his chin in thought. "It's not a bad idea, but it would be difficult to get from here to there without casualties. For now, let's fight here. Then, we'll see about getting to the forest." The Joestar said to the hammer wielder. Nora grinned in response and crossed her arms, "Not so ridiculous now, eh Ren?"
In that moment, the tan-skinned leader of the team, Brawnz, leapt over the boulder that they hid behind and kicked Pyrrha in the side. Pyrrha dodged backwards and raised her shield to defend herself. Without hesitation, Jonathan grabbed the opponent by the leg and swung him face-first into the boulder. He groaned at the pain and quickly regained his footing, going back on the offensive against the bulky Englishman.
Nora and Ren jumped over the boulder and began to attack the other two opponents. After the two orphans split up and faced down the two on the enemy team, the one facing Ren looked over his shoulder and nodded. Ren's eyes widened, then a Dust round immediately shot towards him. The pink-eyed boy dodged quickly and faced and raised his pistols, but the previously forgotten enemy hit Ren in the chest with his baton, then a blue electricity emitted from the weapon and into Ren.
The ninja's eyes widened and his hair stood on end as the electricity coursed through him, then he promptly fell onto his back from the pain, smoke coming off of him.
"Ren!" Nora exclaimed and hit aside her current opponent, then charged the boy that shocked Ren. She swung at him with her large hammer, but he dodged the blows or blocked them with his relatively small baton. Then, Nora leapt towards him in an overhead swing, bringing her hammer down as hard as she could. But Nolan dodged it! He then brought up his shock baton and pressed the tip against Nora's stomach.
Jonathan glanced at the unfolding scene. Once he saw the shock baton pressed against Nora and the electricity going into her, his eyes widened in, ahem, shock. He knew full well what happened when electricity came into contact with electricity.
Nora looked up at her opponent with a malicious smile on her face.
"OHO! It looks like one of my favorite students, Nora Valkyrie, is charging up her semblance!" Professor Port's voice boomed, a live recording of him and Oobleck displayed on a large screen.
"Wait, what?" Nolan's eyes widened.
"Yes! Miss Valkyrie's semblance allows her to produce, as well as channel, electrical currents throughout her body! It leads straight to her muscles, which allows her to jump explosively into the air and wield her mighty hammer! Or in this case, absorb Nolan's attack and send the young man flying!" Doctor Oobleck explained.
"WHAT?!" Nolan exclaimed. The poor boy tried to raise his hands in surrender as pink lightning enveloped Nora's arms and legs. She immediately charged forward and hit Nolan in the chest with her hammer, sending the boy rocketing out of the arena and face-first into the forcefield that protected the audience, then promptly slid down it and into the "out" zone. As soon as she did this, dark clouds formed above the mountain that jutted into the sky, and Jonathan got an idea.
"Nora! Get to the top of that mountain!" He pointed at the mountain with his gloved hand. Once she saw the reason why he made such an order, Nora grinned and gave the Joestar a two-fingered salute before dashing off. JoJo then turned to Pyrrha, who was fighting the remaining two boys by herself, and was about to run to her aid, but a Dust round hit the ground in front of him, preventing him from doing so. The gentleman of the Joestar family gritted his teeth. He wouldn't be allowed to help his team.
He turned and found Ren, who was hiding behind a large boulder.
"Ren! Do you think you could distract that sniper? I have to help Pyrrha!" He shouted at him.
"Sure. Why not?" Ren said to himself sarcastically, then dashed towards the trees, firing his pistols in the direction of May.
Jonathan took his chance and ran towards the spartan girl with his fists clenched tightly.
Pyrrha deflected one of Roy's bizarre weapons that he'd thrown at her. The boy used a pair of bronze sawblades as his primary weapons, a fact that the celebrity of team JNPR found odd. Once she blocked the projectile, Pyrrha used her sword to knock aside his second sawblade, then slice at him has quickly as she could. While she was preoccupied, Brawnz snuck around behind her with his fists raised, then jumped at her, poised to attack. Or he would have, if Jonathan hadn't grabbed him by the back of the shirt just as his feet left the ground.
"Wha-?!" Brawnz exclaimed as he was pulled back to face the six-foot-five Englishman.
"Hello there! You might remember me; my name is Jonathan." JoJo smiled kindly and put rested his muscled arm on Brawnz's shoulder.
"Uh…" the black-haired boy responded nervously.
"Now, I don't know if you know this, but it's very un-gentlemanly to fight two-on-one, especially when your opponent is a lady. And it was also rude to laugh at my new clothes! I paid a good a lot of poun- er, Lien to buy this, and I think it suits me, to be frank! I can forgive you for that, but what I'm not going to forgive you for is double-teaming on my friend over there, no matter how outclassed you two are." Jonathan said politely, and Brawnz glanced over to see his teammate, Roy, having a much more difficult time now that he wasn't fighting.
Jonathan patted Brawnz on the shoulder after he removed his arm. "So! Now, I think I'll hit you with a healthy dose of Hamon and get you out of the way."
Brawnz gritted his teeth at the Joestar's words and threw his fist at him angrily. Jonathan smirked and caught it easily, then uppercut the boy with his fist sparking with Hamon. Brawnz's eyes widened as he was sent into the air, his feet two feet off the ground. Seeing that his opponent was in the perfect punching position, JoJo grinned and got into a boxing stance instantly.
"Kooooooh! Scarlet Overdrive!" JoJo shouted, his fists radiating with red Hamon that looked like flames. Before gravity could take effect on Brawnz, Jonathan delivered a barrage of punches to the boy's torso, keeping him in midair. Brawnz's aura failed and flickered out within seconds. Noticing this, JoJo delivered one final blow to the opponent, filling his body with burning Hamon as he was sent into the air before falling onto the ground.
"Oh! And team BRNZ's team leader is out! That only leaves May and Roy to try and take the win!" Professor Port announced. By that time, Ren had already reached the tree that May stood in. The ninja ran up the tree and prepared for hand-to-hand combat. May, seeing Ren approaching her, leapt to the next tree and aimed her rifle at the green-clad boy. Ren landed on the branch and turned to find the enemy's sniper rifle pointed at his chest. May smirked and quickly bolted her rifle, "See ya." Then she fired.
Ren took the round directly into the chest, then fell out of the tree. As soon as his back collided with the ground, his pink aura failed.
"And Ren from team JNPR is out! That sniper rifle proved to be more than enough for the boy's aura at close range." Doctor Oobleck commented. Ren groaned angrily and slammed his fist into the dirt.
May smirked, then scoped back in on the battle. Roy was proving to be a challenge for the battle-exhausted Pyrrha and Jonathan was running towards the two's battle. After letting another high-velocity round from her trusty sniper rifle, Pyrrha stumbled and Roy got the opportunity he needed. While the spartan's aura absorbed the damage, it still brought her on-screen aura level dangerously low.
Seeing what the sniper's bullet had caused, Jonathan turned his head to the forest, then his other teammate. Nora Valkyrie had just reached the top of the mountain, raising her massive hammer with one hand and allowing a bolt of lightning to strike it and course into her. Nora grinned wildly and spun her hammer, transforming it into its grenade launcher form. The Valkyrie then closed one eye and aimed her weapon at the tree line, raising it up slightly to accommodate for the bullet drop, or in this case, grenade drop.
She opened her closed eye and grinned as she squeezed the trigger. The grenade launcher sent a dozen grenades screaming towards May, the explosives flying in a way that created a giant heart formation.
At the mere sight of the grenades, May's jaw dropped and her weapon fell from her hands, then the grenades hit her.
The forest exploded, splintering trees and sending broken branches flying. May had just barely avoided the initial explosion, and JoJo saw her land on a lower branch.
Roy turned around to find Nora Valkyrie flying towards him, her hammer raised to attack. The boy dodged backwards and gritted his teeth. Once he raised his weapon to defend himself against the three remaining members of team JNPR, his ally May appeared beside him.
In the stands, Jaune stood and cupped his hands around his mouth from beside team RWBY. "Use the team attacks!" He shouted at his team, gaining some questioning glances from RWBY and other spectators around him.
"What?" Pyrrha called back.
Jaune sighed, "The team attacks! Y'know, we practiced them! Like Flower Power!"
"What's a 'flower power'?" Jonathan asked, looking at Nora, who shrugged in response.
"What?" Pyrrha called again.
"THE TEAM ATTACK NAMES WE PRACTICED! FLOWER POWER IS REN AND NORA!" Jaune yelled, growing impatient.
"Uh, Ren got knocked out." Ruby whispered to her sister.
"I don't think he cares right this second, Rubes." Yang replied.
"What?" Jonathan called back, cupping his hands like Jaune did.
Jaune only sighed and returned to his seat. He'd begun to feel better halfway through the match, but it was already far past the time to step in and take his original place.
"Hey!" Roy interjected.
"What is it?" JoJo turned to him.
"We're in the middle of a fight!" He responded.
"And we are desperately trying to communicate with our friend, thank you very much." Jonathan replied.
"Uh, JoJo, I think he means we're all in the middle of a fight." Pyrrha gestured to the audience.
Jonathan looked to Pyrrha, but the girl only shrugged in response. JoJo sighed and looked back at Nora. "Just finish this up, Nora."
Nora grinned evilly. "Got it."
Roy's and May's eyes went wide. They'd seen what happened to Nolan.
"Wait, wha-?" Was all May could utter before Nora slammed her hammer into both of them, sending them flying much like she did to their teammate.
"And with that, it appears team JNPR wins by knockout. Literally." Professor Port announced. "Can someone go make sure they're okay?"
. . .
In a distant bar in the middle of Vale, Qrow sat with a short glass of brown liquor in his hand as he watched the fight come to a close. He smirked at the footage of Jonathan laughing and patting a very tired-looking Ren on the back, smacking the poor ninja to the ground. A look of alarm spread on the Englishman's face and he went to help Ren to his feet.
"Huh. Those kids weren't half bad." The bartender commented as she wiped a glass with a rag.
"Meh, they're alright. It's good to see the kid competing." Qrow shrugged and took a sip from his glass.
"Who, the tall one with the blue hair?" The bartender asked.
"That's the one. That kid packs a punch, lemme tell ya. It'd be no easy feat to take him down in one of these fights." Qrow replied, then finished his drink and slid it to the bartender.
"We'll see, eh?" The man said as he refilled the whiskey glass.
. . .
"It looks like Sun and his team are next!" Jonathan smiled as he sat next to Yang and watched the four members of team SSSN walk out onto the battleground.
"Yep! Can't wait to see how they handle these four." Yang replied, looking over at the muscled Joestar. "Good job on your fight by the way. And uh, if you don't mind me asking, where'd you get that outfit?"
JoJo looked at her warily. "Why? Would you like to laugh at it as well?" he asked, remembering Brawnz.
"Jonathan, if you were literally anyone else, I'd be on the floor laughing because no one, and I mean no one, wears clothes like that anymore." Yang said.
Jonathan raised an eyebrow at her words. "But?"
"But, given your rather flamboyant personality and fighting style, those clothes suit you just fine." Yang smiled, lifting JoJo's spirit and bringing a small smile to his face.
"Besides," Yang added. "I think you look rather dashing wearing that." She smiled and placed a hand on the English flag on his arm.
"Good luck, Neptune!" Weiss called to her crush. Neptune waved back, then turned to his team's opponents. "Ladies." He winked at them.
"Uh oh." Blake commented. Weiss balled her fists and gritted her teeth, then pointed at the blue-haired trident wielder. "Break his stupid face, NDGO!"
"Well that was unexpected." Jonathan commented.
"Eh whatever, let's just watch the fight!" Yang grinned.
. . .
After one SSSN vs NDGO later…
"And with that, team SSSN moves on to the doubles round? You know what I call that victory?" Professor Port asked.
"Shocking?" Oobleck responded.
"No. Well earned. What you said is dumb." Port replied.
Meanwhile, team RWBY, JNPR, and JoJo were laughing at the comical fight they had just witnessed.
"That was great!" Ruby laughed, and a thought came to her head. "Y'know Jaune, judging by just how well JoJo did in your absence, he could replace you full time in JNPR and the name would stay the same. No one would even know!"
"Just what are you sayin' Ruby?" Jaune's eyes narrowed.
"Your names both start with J! He could be your replacement." Ruby continued, and the blond knight crossed his arms. Pyrrha smiled at the younger girl's joke and decided to get in on it.
"He did lead us quite well in your absence. JoJo even took up the role as leader to make up for it! And he was quite good at it, too. Besides, what sort of leader doesn't make sure his team knows the names of their attacks?" the red head smirked.
"WE DID PRACTICE THE TEAM ATTACKS!" Jaune said, exasperated.
"Yeah, but they have dumb names." Nora interjected.
"NORA!" Jaune turned to her.
The nine of them, excluding Jaune, laughed at the knight's predicament heartily.
. . .
"Now that was a match!" the bartender whistled and turned to Qrow.
"That was a mess." Qrow replied.
"Come on, man! You didn't like that fight or any of the others before that. What fight are you here for, anyway?"
A fancy white airship flew by after the bartender asked that, then Qrow downed his glass and tossed a few Lien cards onto the table as he got up. "That one." He said, then turned to exit the bar. "Happy Vytal Festival." Qrow stumbled out of the 'Crow Bar' and walked down the sidewalk towards Beacon.
. . .
"So whaddya say? Ya wanna fight the doubles round with Pyrrha?" Nora asked Jonathan excitedly as they and the rest of JNPR walked through the main courtyard of Beacon.
JoJo laughed and rubbed the back of his neck, "I'm not sure, to be honest. The first round was a lot of fun, but I don't know how I'd fare against the more skilled teams."
"Whaddya mean? You'd do fantastic!" Nora raised her arms to emphasize her point.
"I agree, honestly. You and I made quite the team in that fight, Jonathan." Pyrrha said kindly. Jaune was walking with his arms crossed and looking down dejectedly.
"You may be right, Miss Nikos, but I already feel bad enough about replacing Jaune." JoJo responded, putting a hand on the knight's shoulder. Jaune's expression softened and he uncrossed his arms.
"No, no. It's all right, Jonathan. You can fight the doubles round if you want." Jaune told the tall Englishman. JoJo raised an eyebrow in response to Jaune's reply. "Besides, if you didn't fight with Pyrrha, Nora would." Jaune said.
"He's not wrong." Ren said.
Jonathan smirked and put his arm around Jaune's shoulders, "Well then! You've got yourself a deal, Jauney. You can count on me to be victorious for your team."
"Right." Jaune smiled awkwardly at the Englishman. Pyrrha covered her mouth and chuckled at the sight.
"I wonder who the fight will be against." Nora thought aloud and held her chin with her right hand.
"There's no telling, but I'm sure it'll be an interesting one." Pyrrha responded.
Unbeknownst to the five students, a certain alcoholic with styled hair and a voice similar to that of Edward Elric (although no one knew who that was) was squaring off against Weiss's older sister, Winter Schnee.
"So what do we do now? I mean, we have a whole rest of the day before the next battles tomorrow." Jaune asked. Nora shrugged and continued to walk childishly, swinging her arms in tandem with the steps she takes.
The sudden sounds of weapons clashing caused the five to turn their heads behind them, watching as other students ran to form a large circle around the source of the noise.
"What is that?" Ren asked.
"I dunno. Let's find out!" Nora replied, then dashed towards the still-forming circle. Jaune and Jonathan shrugged, then ran after the energetic hammer wielder, with Ren and Pyrrha following behind them.
. . .
"What is that?" Ruby asked as she appeared beside Weiss.
"Some crazy guy is attacking my sister!" The heiress responded.
"Oh, no! Who would do such a thi- THAT IS MY UNCLE!" Ruby exclaimed with an exceptionally excited look on her face.
"What?" Jonathan asked as he pushed through the crowd to stand beside Ruby and Weiss.
"KICK HER BUTT, UNCLE QROW!" Ruby cheered loudly, raising her clenched fist in front of her.
"Uh- teach him respect, Winter!" Weiss said to her sister.
Jonathan grinned at the sight of the man who saved him in the forest of Patch, fighting some woman who looked like Weiss.
The hunter and huntress attacked each other ferociously, blocking and parrying the other's blows expertly. They moved so fast that JoJo had trouble keeping up with the two. One second, they were on one side of the square, then the next they were several dozen feet away. Qrow's massive sword repeatedly collided with Winter's smaller one, but Winter more than made up for it with speed that rivalled Qrow's.
"They're so fast…!" Jonathan said with wide eyes as Winter summoned a large, white glyph, using it to launch herself into the air just as Qrow slammed the concrete at her feet, creating a large crater in the ground. Then, the fight continued as it normally would, with Qrow and Winter firing shots at each other and destroying school property to attack one another. But what no one noticed was a very alarmed looking Mercury Black running away from the fight to report the occurrence to his superior. (2)
"Schnee!" a voice shouted just as Winter was in the middle of a particularly powerful attack. Winter's eyes widened and immediately halted, mere feet away from Qrow. The older sister of the Schnee family scowled and looked behind her to find General Ironwood glaring at her with his hands rested behind his back.
"General Ironwood, sir!" Winter turned and stood at attention. Behind the general, a short girl with orange hair and green eyes stood with a curious expression on her face.
Jonathan's eyes widened slightly as he recognized her. "That girl…" He thought aloud.
"You mean Penny?" Ruby asked, glancing at the Joestar.
"That's her name? I saw her at the dance months ago, but I don't know her." JoJo explained.
"Heh, yeah. She's a…special case." Ruby said as she rubbed the back of her neck. Jonathan raised an eyebrow at the short girl's implication, but she quickly realized what she said and waved her hands in front of her.
"No, no I didn't mean anything bad! Just…I'll have to explain later." Ruby said, remembering in the back of her mind that Penny had made her promise to not tell anyone. But telling one eensie-weensie person wouldn't hurt, right?
"Whatever you say, miss Rose." JoJo shrugged and returned his attention to the unfolding scene before them.
"And you." Ironwood glared at Qrow, who widened his eyes and pointed to his own chest as if he were asking, "Who, me?"
"What are you doing here?" James asked.
"I could be asking you the same thing." Qrow replied.
"I-" Ironwood began.
"Now, now everyone. There is a sanctioned fight happening just around the corner at the colosseum that I can assure has better seats. And popcorn." Professor Ozpin said out of nowhere.
"Break it up, everyone! We will take care of this mess." Professor Goodwitch stepped forward, waving her riding crop. James Ironwood adjusted his tie and glanced at Winter. "Let's go." He said, then he and Winter Schnee walked to join the professor.
Ruby, Weiss, and Jonathan rushed forward once the Atlesian general, special forces officer, and androids walked in the opposite direction. The girl that JoJo now knew as Penny turned to wave at the three, though it was obvious that her focus was on Ruby. Ruby immediately waved back, then jumped onto Qrow's arm and squealed, "Uncle Qroooooow! Hi. Oh, it's so good to see you! Did you miss me? DID YA MISS ME?!"
Qrow regarded the girl with a frown, then smirked and ruffled her hair. "Nope."
"Long time, no see, Qrow!" Jonathan smiled kindly and clapped the slender man on the back, nearly knocking him over.
"Oof! Jeez kid, I see you haven't lost any of that strength." He joked.
"Qrow!" Professor Ozpin called. "A word, if you wouldn't mind."
Qrow leaned closer to his niece and spoke in a hushed tone, "I think I'm in trouble."
"You did kinda tear up our courtyard." Ruby shrugged.
"Yeah, I did. Catch you on the flipside, Ace." The hunter gave Ruby a fist bump and walked towards Ozpin.
"Mister Joestar, would you please come as well? This involves your 'situation'." Ozpin said calmly to JoJo. Jonathan only nodded in response and waved to Ruby and Weiss as he jogged to catch up with Qrow.
"What is all this about?" Jonathan asked his friend.
"No idea kid, but it's better if we go along with it, eh?" Qrow replied. With a slight nod, JoJo continued to follow Qrow and Ozpin towards Beacon Tower.
"Um, by the way kid, what's with the get up?" Qrow asked Jonathan with a raised eyebrow.
Jonathan gave a small smile in response and put his hand in front of his face in one of his signature poses. "It's just an outfit I picked up from Vale. Dashing, eh?"
Qrow's eyes widened, then he chuckled at the Joestar. "That's one way to describe it."
. . .
The elevator doors to Professor Ozpin's office slid open to reveal General Ironwood and Winter Schnee, the latter pacing in front of Ozpin's desk as if she were agitated. Qrow gave a sly smirk at the sight of Winter, and her scowl immediately deepened. "What were you thinking?" She demanded angrily. General Ironwood stepped forward and raised his hand, clenching his fist. "If you were one of my men, I'd have you shot!"
Qrow stepped out of the elevator and pulled a silver flask out of his back pocket. "If I was one of your men, I'd shoot myself." Jonathan blinked as he, Ozpin, and Professor Goodwitch stepped out of the elevator behind Qrow.
"His actions may not have been the wisest decision, but it most definitely didn't help that Miss Schnee here attacked him like that." Jonathan narrowed his eyes.
Ironwood and Winter turned to look at the Joestar quizzically, puzzled expressions on their faces. "Ozpin…Is this the 'special' student you told me of?" Ironwood asked, looking up slightly to meet Jonathan's eyes.
"Indeed. James, this is Jonathan Joestar. And he has a little problem." Ozpin replied. "I remember, Oz. So, Mr. Joestar. I'm told you've been brought from another world." Ironwood said, relaxing his posture slightly. JoJo's eyes widened and the Englishman turned to look at the headmaster questioningly.
'If he's told these two of my 'situation', who else has he told?' Jonathan wondered.
"Fret not, Jonathan. General Ironwood is one of my most trusted allies. You can trust him as well." Ozpin said, as if reading Jonathan's mind.
'Yeah, but what about the other one?'
The five of them turned to look at Qrow when they heard the sound of audible glugging of alcohol. Qrow's eyes widened and he slowly stashed the flask into his back pocket. Professor Ozpin sighed as he sat at his desk. "What are you even doing here, Qrow?"
"You've been out of contact for weeks! You can't just go dark like that in the field then show up out of nowhere." Ironwood added.
"I'm not one of your special operatives, Jimmy. You sent me to get intel on our enemies, and I'm telling you the enemy is here." Qrow retorted, causing JoJo's eyes to widen slightly in response.
"Wait, enemies? Isn't Remnant in a time of peace?" Jonathan asked. Ignoring the Joestar's question, James leaned onto Ozpin's desk and crossed his arms. "We know."
"Oh, you know? Well excuse me for putting my life on the line to keep you all informed!" Qrow said angrily.
"Qrow!" Ironwood sighed. Jonathan could only watch the altercation happen with wide eyes. He didn't understand what was supposedly happening, but if they ignored one of his questions, they'd surely ignore another.
"Communication's a two-way street, pal. You see this? That's the 'send' button!" Qrow said as he held up his scroll to emphasize his point.
"They had reason to assume you'd been compromised." Winter stepped in.
"And I have reason to assume you don't need to be here." Qrow replied without hesitation.
"All right, that's enough! I demand to know what's going on here. If the citizens are in some sort of danger, they deserve to know about it! Or we could get to stopping whatever enemies are supposedly here instead of standing around bickering!" Jonathan stepped in, waving his arm to accentuate his point.
Ironwood sighed and closed his eyes momentarily. "Miss Schnee, we'll discuss this back on my ship." Winter's eyes widened and her posture became rigid, "But sir…!"
"Winter, leave." James said bluntly, and a scowl appeared on the Schnee's face. She walked towards the elevator, glaring at Qrow as she passed him. Qrow, being Qrow, winked Winter with a smirk on his lips.
"Jonathan, understand that this is a dire situation we are discussing here. We'll do our best to inform you of it once Qrow is finished. There's a reason I've asked to be here with us." Ozpin explained calmly. Jonathan straightened his posture and nodded to the headmaster. With a quick look to Qrow, the drunkard continued.
"Your infiltrator isn't just another pawn. They're the one responsible for Autumn's condition." Qrow explained.
"What?!" Glynda's eyes widened.
After another swig from his flask, Qrow turned to the silver-haired headmaster. "Despite what the world thinks, we're not just teachers or generals or headmasters. The people in this room, the leaders of the two academies, we're the ones who keep the world safe from the evils no one even knows about. It's why we meet behind closed doors, why we work in the shadows. So you tell me James, when you brought your army to Vale, did you think you were being discreet or did you just not give a damn?" Qrow asked, staring Ironwood in the eyes at his last sentence.
James sighed and placed his scroll on Ozpin's desk. "Discreet wasn't working. I'm here because this is what was necessary." He said, several blue holograms appearing directly behind Jonathan.
"You're here because Oz wanted you here!" Qrow rebutted.
Jonathan quickly turned around, his eyes scanning over the hologram of Vale and the large airships flying above it.
"He made you a part of this inner circle and opened your eyes to the real fight that's right in front of us." Qrow continued.
"And I am grateful." Ironwood said.
"Oh well, you've got a real funny way of showing it." Qrow responded.
"The people of Vale needed someone to protect them, someone who would act." James pressed on.
"JoJo, to answer your earlier question about telling the people about the possibility of them being in danger? This is why." Qrow gestured to the military airships out of the large window. "You know what Grimm are drawn to, correct?"
JoJo nodded earnestly, "Negative emotions, such as depression, anguish, and general fear."
"Correct. When the population sees a ton of Atlas airships in the sky, they get nervous. They get nervous because when they see such a large military force, they're smart enough to realize that there's a reason it's there." Qrow replied.
Jonathan nodded and crossed his arms, his back arched and making him appear as if he were posing. "I understand. With such a large amount of people getting antsy, more and more Grimm get drawn in."
"Exactly, kid. That's why it's a bad idea for Jimmy here to bring his entire fleet with him." Qrow said.
James scoffed, saying under his breath, " 'Entire' military force, my ass."
"The more fear, the more Grimm. A guardian is a symbol of comfort, but an army is a symbol of conflict. There' an energy in the air now, a question in the back of everyone's minds: if this is the size of our defenses, what is it we're expecting to fight?" Ozpin said as he stood.
After three solid heartbeats, General Ironwood sighed and removed his scroll from the desk. "So then, what do you suggest we do?"
"I suggest we find our guardian." Ozpin replied, glancing at Jonathan. "Mr. Joestar, I'm terribly sorry. I'm sure you're full of questions. I think it's time we explained the situation to him, seeing as he's in this 'circle' now too."
Jonathan's eyes widened slightly, then he nodded.
. . .
By the end of their explanation regarding Salem and her forces, Jonathan Joestar was holding the sides of his face with an alarmed expression, his eyes staring at the floor.
"…You okay kid?" Qrow asked.
"I've heard the story of the four maidens from Ruby and the others, but to think that such a tale would be real… Along with this Salem woman? It's…almost too much to take in." Jonathan responded, then another question entered his mind. The Joestar looked up to meet Professor Ozpin's aged eyes. "Why are you telling me this? If this 'secret circle' is so important and, well, secret, why let me, an outsider, in on it?"
"Simple, Mr. Joestar. She brought you here. I don't know why or how, but there's a reason you're with us on Remnant. For all we know, you could be a ploy used against us along with this so-called infiltrator in the school." Ozpin replied, then Qrow stepped forward, prepared to defend Jonathan as an ally. "But. Qrow has assured me long ago that you can be trusted, so I'm inclined to believe him."
Qrow exhaled and looked to Jonathan, who's eyes were wide as he absorbed the information that the headmaster was giving him.
"And don't think we've forgotten about trying to get you home. I apologize that you've had to wait so long, but I, in all my knowledge of Remnant and its legends, have no idea how Salem was able to reach into another world and bring you here." Ozpin said solemnly.
JoJo looked down in response to the headmaster's words. He may not have talked about it with anyone, especially since not even his closest friends knew of his origins, but the Joestar severely missed his allies back home. Especially his deceased father, Robert Speedwagon, Zeppeli, and…Erina. He had no idea how the battle against Dio went without him, and he had been beginning to fear that he'd never find out.
'Maybe I won't get the chance to see any of them at all…' JoJo thought to himself. Without him realizing it, a single tear had formed in the Englishman's eye and trailed down his cheek.
"Don't worry, kid. We'll find you a way home. I promise it." Qrow said reassuringly and placed a hand on Jonathan's shoulder. JoJo wiped the tear away and looked up at the shorter man with a grateful smile on his face. "Thanks, Qrow."
Ozpin's expression softened, and even Glynda and Ironwood felt sympathetic towards the young Joestar. To be taken from your world and thrown into a completely foreign one with no promise of a way home to your friends and family… That was a truly terrifying thought indeed.
"We're trying our best, Jonathan. Meanwhile, focus on what you have here. You've made good friends with the students in Beacon, continue your studies with them until I can guarantee you a way back to… What was your planet's name again?" Ozpin said.
Jonathan blinked and stood straighter, "Earth. Its name is Earth."
"Right. Well, you are free to leave whenever you like. I'm sure we've given you plenty to think on." Ozpin told him.
Jonathan nodded and turned to walk towards the elevator, but not before giving Qrow a meaningful glance and putting his hand on his friend's shoulder as he passed him. "By the way, thank you for the gift, Qrow. It's come in handy lately.
"Don't mention it. Just put it to good use, eh?" Qrow smirked and nudged Jonathan with his elbow.
Jonathan gave a small smile and nodded.
See ya around, kid." Qrow said as he watched him enter the elevator.
"Goodbye, Jonathan. And happy Vytal Festival." General Ironwood told the tall Englishman. JoJo nodded at the general just as the doors slid closed, and with that, Jonathan Joestar made his leave.
"Are you sure that was the wisest decision, telling him about her?" Glynda asked.
"He already knew of her existence since his first day here. The boy's already waited months to know more, Glynda. This was a good move, trust me." Ozpin replied.
"He's a good kid, Oz." Qrow said with crossed arms, leaning against the nearest wall.
"I know, Qrow. I can tell just by being in the same room as him. This young man has a very promising future here, if he is around long enough when we take the fight to her." Ozpin replied.
"You still think he's our ace in the hole against them?" Ironwood asked.
"Maybe. He still needs more training, and perhaps if he awakened his true abilities…" Ozpin said, lacing his fingers together and resting his elbows on his desk. General Ironwood's eyes widened slightly in response, "You mean he's been fighting here without an aura? I saw his fight in the tournament today. If he could excel against trained students and leave unscathed…there's no telling what could happen with his aura."
"If he can attain an aura." Glynda put in.
"What do you mean?" Qrow asked the blonde professor.
"Jonathan isn't from our world. There's no telling if he can use his aura and semblance, much less unlock them. It's slim that he physically has the ability to have an aura." Glynda told him.
"An aura and semblance are attained with one's soul. With a soul as courageous and pure as that of Jonathan Joestar, it would be surprising if he couldn't unlock his aura." Ozpin added in.
"That's true. What do we do?" Qrow asked.
"We wait. What do you think the purpose of him entering the tournament was? I intended for him to improve his skills against huntsmen and unlock any latent abilities within him." Ozpin explained, and the others nodded in understanding.
"So we wait, and watch." Qrow said, then began to head for the elevator. Top of Form
"Now where are you going?" Glynda asked, crossing her arms.
"Where do ya think? I'm here at Beacon, and haven't seen either of my nieces in ages. I'm going to pay them a visit." Qrow answered as he pressed the 'call' button on the elevator.
. . .
"So everything is going to plan?" Doctor Watts asked from the long table he sat at.
"Indeed. According to Cinder's report, it's just a few days until everything comes to fruition. Although, the fact that she hasn't yet found the outsider from Earth yet infuriates me to no end. That girl has had months to locate and eliminate him, and she hasn't even discovered his name." Salem responded from her dark throne.
"That girl shouldn't have been assigned this, anyway. Mistress, if you would send me-" Watts began.
"NO." Salem's red eyes glowed in the dim, stone room. "You forget your place, Watts. Your place isn't to question my orders; it is to obey them. Cinder was the best person for this assignment, period. While you may have been able to discover the off-worlder's identity, you would have been found out immediately by Ozpin and his underlings."
Watts bit back a curse, then sighed. "Yes, Mistress."
"Besides, the poor fool will most likely lose his life in the upcoming battle." Salem smiled maliciously in the darkness of her castle.
. . .
Robert Speedwagon was running for his life away from a group of thirteen zombies. How he'd survived for so long alone, he had no idea. The battle against Dio months ago was still fresh on the dapper man's mind.
"Zombies, attack!" Dio snapped his fingers after Jonathan disappeared in a flash of purple light. Instantly, the floor filled with blood thirsty zombies, surrounding Speedwagon and the Hamon users. With Dire already defeated, Straits and Tonpetty were the only ones who stood an actual chance against the zombie horde.
"There's too many of them!" Speedwagon shouted as he slammed his sledgehammer into a zombie, bashing its skull in and killing it instantly.
The Hamon users were the biggest threat, so the zombies homed in on them without hesitation, and ignoring Speedwagon.
Speedwagon's eyes widened while Dio laughed maniacally as his zombies surrounded Straits and Tonpetty.
"Just keep fighting! We can do thi- GURGHK!" Straits yelled out in pain as a zombie bit into his throat.
"Straits!" Speedwagon exclaimed, beginning to run to the young man's aid.
"Speedwagon, don't! They're focused on us! There's too many of them like you said, so get out of here! Save yourself, and find a way to get our revenge on this evil being!" Straits choked out.
"He's right! There's no hope for us without JoJo or Dire!" Tonpetty added in after he disintegrated a particularly fat zombie with Hamon.
"But-!" Speedwagon exclaimed.
"Get out of here!" Tonpetty screamed.
"Oh no, you don't!" Dio growled, his eyes turning to slits. Speedwagon's eyes widened, and he made a run for it-straight for the edge of the castle!
Just as he leapt over the railing and into the abyss, Dio's heated eye fluid let loose, narrowly missing Speedwagon's back by mere inches.
"AAAAAGGHHHHHH!" Robert Speedwagon screamed as he fell hundreds of feet down.
'M-my hammer!' the dapper man thought to himself, then with all his might, slammed his sledgehammer into the cliff wall, embedding the weapon in the rock and instantly halting his freefall.
Speedwagon panted heavily as he looked downwards.
'ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!' He mentally screamed, then lowered his foot down, and touched the grassy ground and released his grip on the hammer. He'd stopped himself a mere five feet from the ground! Without hesitation, Robert yanked the hammer free from the cliff wall and sprinted away from the castle, back towards the small town of Wind Knight's Lot.
'I have to get back, have to warn them of the incoming threat!' He'd told himself. Now, months later, Dio's zombies had taken over England and were moving towards Scotland, then, the rest of Europe. How Dio was going to organize his army onto ships to leave the island of England, he had no idea. All he knew was that he had to try and convince others to join him in his battle against the immortal being.
'JoJo, where have you gone?!' Speedwagon asked himself as he hid behind a low wall, his chest heaving.
. . .
Jonathan Joestar was laying on his bed with his arms rested behind his head, trying to discern exactly what Ozpin had told him. 'The queen known as Salem, the four maidens, an infiltrator in the school, and the possibility that I'd never return to Earth… This is way too much information for one day!' He thought to himself, his eyes shut tightly.
The sound of something vibrating shook him from his thoughts, and his eyes shot open to see his scroll buzzing on the desk beside him. JoJo reached over and picked the small object up, his eyes scanning the brightly lit screen. A picture of Sun Wukong's smiling face resided on the scroll, and Jonathan had to make an effort to answer the call. Several months of staying in Beacon, and he could still barely operate the advanced technology.
"Yo, JoJo! You gotta come check this out! Coco and Yatsuhashi are squaring off against these two other students, and it's sick! Get to the colosseum now!" The monkey Faunus said excitedly.
Jonathan raised an eyebrow, but grinned at the blonde's enthusiasm. "I'll be right there, Sun!"
"You might wanna hurry! By the looks of it, it's gonna be a quick fight!" Sun replied.
JoJo immediately got out of bed and sprinted out of his dorm, running towards the airships. "I'm on my way, Sun!"
"Annnd it's over! In mere minutes. Man, Coco and 'Hashi got wiped! You should still come by, though. Scarlet and Sage really wanna meet the guy who stepped in for Jaune!" Sun said, never losing enthusiasm.
Although he was disappointed he missed the fight, JoJo grinned and continued on his way out of the dormitories.
"At the colosseum, or…?" Jonathan asked.
After some brief mumbling from Sun's end, the Joestar got his answer.
"Nah, meet us in Vale! The shopping district. The guys wanna pick up some new clothes to look cool in during our next fight." Sun answered. JoJo grinned at the thought of getting some new clothes of his own. Afterall, he'd be needing more for his wardrobe if he wanted to make a good impression on the crowd!
"Definitely! See you fine fellows there." Jonathan smiled as he hung up.
"…Fine fellows?" Neptune asked after JoJo ended the call.
"Whatever, man. He's foreign, leave em alone." Sun shrugged.
I finally continued writing this, and I'm finally getting around to adding my own flair to the story instead of literally just reiterating the actual story but with Jonathan tagging along. Hopefully you fine people enjoy that more instead of word for word to the actual RWBY. Also, as you can see, I've hinted at Jonathan unlocking his aura, but I have a problem: I can't decide if I want him to have an aura and semblance, a Stand, or just stick with Hamon, cause, well Hamon is badass.
For JoJo's outfit in the tournament battle, I gave him one of his outfits from the chapter art for Part 1. Y'know how Araki draws the protags wearing flashy and flamboyant outfits that he designed himself? Jonathan will wear most of his own cause they're all so badass and cool looking that I won't let this opportunity go to waste. Cool idea?
I'm sure you've also noticed that I've decided to not go into detail on fights that will have the exact same outcome as they would in the show. I'm gonna do that to save myself time if that's cool with everyone, because lemme tell ya, it get's tedious to write out and describe the exact same fight that happens in the show. I began this particular thing while writing the RWBY vs. Torchwick in Atlas prototype fight. If you guys remember, I pretty much skipped from when Torchwick falls off the bridge straight to when Yang destroys the thing. I'm sure many of my readers were disappointed that Jonathan didn't obliterate it himself with a Sunlight Yellow Overdrive or something, but fret not! I'll use my creativity to the best of my ability from here on out!
See you fellas next chapter! Hint: Jonathan and Pyrrha vs. a pair of people that I haven't decided on yet! (Sorry)
(P.S. not sorry)
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