Opening File: The Flame
The famous Semblance of the Uno family that has been passed down for generations since the father of Benedict Uno Senior the Flame is a powerful Semblance, able to completely cover the body in flames but without actually harming the body. It is said that as the fire spreads a shield made of soot and ashes covers the body, making the skin and hair turn all black and the eyes turn yellow. However given the aggression of some well-known members of the Uno family it is possible the yellow eyes and black silhouette are merely manifestations of the hatred and angry in their hearts. The Flame is created when the Semblance creates heat inside the body that builds up until it creates fire.
This Semblance is powerful and requires powerful emotions and concentration in order to work. Benedict Uno claims that only feelings of powerful anger can bring out the Flame's true potential however there are rumors that another way has been found to harness the power of the Flame without the need for anger and other negative emotions.
Close File
Xxx
"You ever hear of the saying 'You can pick your friends but you can't pick your family'?" TOM asked, closing the file. "Families are always there for each other, most of the time but they can also be the hardest a person can deal with. Just about anything that can go wrong will definitely go wrong and lots of mistakes will be made. On the other hand, family can be just about the only thing you can count on when things get rough. No one knows you better and they'll likely know what's wrong with just a single look."
Sara appeared behind TOM's chair in her holo-form. "And not all families are defined by blood."
"True that. Family is not about blood, it's about bonds. So as you go through life and got a bunch of crazy relatives or too many to count remember that when the chips are down you can count on them to have your back...If you think can handle the craziness that comes with the package."
"TOM!" Sara admonished.
Xxx
The trip through the desert was quiet for the new dimensional arrivals but fortunately Artemis and Superboy had trained for the kinds of situations so they provisions to keep themselves from starving. The problem was between them, Dani and the girl Superboy was carrying they would only last a couple of days. So with that in mind Dani had changed into her ghost from and flew up, trying to see if there were any nearby towns that had food and water.
"Anything?" Artemis called up to Dani who shook her head as she landed back on the ground and shifted back into her human form.
"I couldn't see anything." Dani said, gesturing to the surrounding area with both arms. "I don't think there is a single town out here."
"Yet there is a secret lab in a mountain. They couldn't have set up all the way out here without supplies so it is likely there is a small town out there, kilometers away but still somewhere out there." Superboy said, adjusting Raven in his arms.
He looked around, narrowing his eyes. "Plus, I don't think we are alone."
Xxx
Jujunga narrowed his eyes, watching the group composed of Van Kleiss' dimensional subjects seemed to react warily as the black haired young man glanced in his direction. Jujunga had remained hidden behind a pile of boulders and yet his instincts had warned him that he had been spotted. As skilled a fighter as he was there was no point in directly fighting them since he had been ordered by Sammael to make sure they survived to learn more about them and bring the purple haired girl back to him. He pulled out his didgeridoo and then a Wind Dust crystal that he held for slightly longer, watching as a pink substance seemed to enter it and slipped it into his instrument.
Xxx
"Over there." Superboy pointed at the pile of boulders nearby.
Artemis pulled out her bow and readied an arrow as Dani changed back into her ghost form. "Come out!"
Out from behind the boulders stepped a dark skinned man with tribal tattoos all over his body and white face paint covering most of his face. He pointed what looked to be a wooden flute at them and started playing a tune. From it came a gust of wind that blew across the ground, picking up sand and dirt and creating a small sandstorm that slammed into the group, making it impossible to see.
"Connor!" Artemis called out, covering her eyes.
Dani made herself intangible and flew straight at the man and continued playing his flute. The man narrowed his eyes as he spotted Dani flying at him. She tried to fire a ghost ray at him but he stepped to the right, dodging while continuing to play his flute. Dani then tried to fly at him to punch him but he ducked under the punch, reaching out and touched her arm with one hand before quickly pulling it back.
He then jumped back, placing another two crystals into his flute before playing again. From the end of his flute came a blast of fire. Dani made herself intangible again as the fire blasted through her but realized the others didn't have the same protection. She spun around in time to see Superboy shield Artemis and the girl with his own body and gasped in horror as the flames consumed him.
She flew back towards the group to save them even though it was likely they were already burned to a crisp. If she had known earlier about Superboy's Kryptonian heritage she wouldn't have worried or have been surprised to see Conner standing without so much as a burn on him with Artemis and the girl safe behind him but his shirt had been burned away.
"Wow!" Dani gasped as Superboy stood up.
"You okay?" Superboy asked Dani who nodded and then turned around to check on Artemis and the girl.
"We're fine." Artemis said, having held Raven as Superboy protected them.
Dani turned back around and saw the man was gone. "Where'd he go?"
"He must have taken off when we were distracted." Superboy surmised as Artemis stood up. "I can't pick up his heartbeat or see where he went."
"He must have…" Artemis trailed off as her vision seemed to blur. "Wha-"
"Artemis!" Superboy quickly caught the archer as she fell over. "Artemis?"
"What's wrong?" Dani quickly knelt over.
Superboy glanced down at Artemis. "I don't know…That man must have done something."
"What we do now?"
"We keep moving. I can run faster and with you in ghost form we can cover a lot of distance in a day. We might get lucky." Superboy picked up Artemis and Raven, holding them over his shoulders. "Let's go."
Dani nodded and with that they took off. Superboy was able to run faster than a normal human and Dani was able to keep up in her ghost form.
Xxx
Jujunga emerged from the portal behind him and watched as it vanished, leaving a black crystal behind that he picked up.
"Jujunga."
The aboriginal hunter turned around, facing Sammael who remained relaxed on his throne. "I have news on the dimensional subjects. I used a Wind Dust crystal that I altered with my Semblance to render them unconscious and yet the white haired young girl and the boy were immune to it. I even attempted to use my Semblance on the girl but I have yet to see any effect. The boy had unnaturally enhanced senses, perhaps even greater than any Faunus or Mobians that alerted him to my presence and forced me to quickly withdraw." Jujunga bowed his head. "I apologize for the failure to retrieve the girl but now that I know more about their abilities I will be better prepared if given another chance."
Sammael brought a hand to his chin. "Your Semblance allows you to inject any form of poison you wish into anyone or anything with a mere touch and yet it didn't work on two of them?"
"The archer lost consciousness as expected. I cannot explain why it didn't work on the other two." Jujanga bowed his head. "I again apologize."
"It is of no consequence." Sammael smirked slightly. "You did as I asked in learning more about our new arrivals. Given the lack of information on their capabilities, despite the fact I had faced them myself, it is understandable that this mission would be more difficult than expected. The portal crystal I gave you served you well in tracking and escaping them. You can find them again just as easily."
"You wish me to continue?" Jujunga asked.
"Yes but for now we will wait. Let them try looking for help in the vast emptiness of Nowhere on their own. And when we have a chance we will try again." Sammael instructed.
"As you wish." Jujunga nodded in compliance.
"You have earned a day's rest, Jujunga. I will need you ready again, soon." Sammael dismissed his subordinate who bowed and left the chamber.
Xxx
Nigel and his father sat out in the backyard of the Uno home, their eyes closed as they meditated.
Nigel opened one eye. "Dad?"
"Yes, son." Monty answered without opening his eyes.
"How does this help me master my Semblance?"
"A Semblance is formed by the inner desires of one's soul. There are many ways to master it but it all takes time. A Semblance is like a muscle, the more you practice it the stronger it becomes." Monty explained. "Now then, hold up your hand."
Nigel brought up his right hand.
"Conjure a flame."
Nigel concentrated and a small blue flame appeared in the palm of his hand.
"Good. Now try and hold it for as long as you can." Monty stood up. "I will go for some tea."
"Wait, what?" Nigel asked, allowing himself to be distracted, causing the flame in his hand to explode and cover his face in frost.
"2.3 seconds. Not exactly the record I was hoping for." Monty chuckled. "I did mention that a Semblance needs concentration."
"Well I didn't understand why you are going inside!" Nigel barked.
"Well, just because I asked you to hold a flame for as long as possible didn't I mean I needed to stick around the whole time. I guess you'll have to try again. Practice makes perfect." Monty laughed as he walked into the house. "Remember, keep that flame going for as long as you can and block out all distractions."
Nigel could only sigh and conjure another Frost-Flame in his hand and keep it going for as long as he could.
It turned out keeping the fire going in his hand for as long as possible was harder then he thought. By fifteen minutes he found himself exhausted as the flame went out.
"There's our limit." Monty said, stepping back outside to pick up his tired son. "Now that you've seen your limit you'll know that to improve yourself you'll need to keep on practicing like this. Practice so you can learn to control your flame and become stronger."
Xxx
"May Kanker is knocked out of the ring! Winner: Lee Kanker!" Rothchild announced.
"I am guessing their mother is a piece of work." Marceline commented, frowning as Lee stepped out of the ring.
"Never met the woman and don't plan to." Eddy replied. "Well, now that the seventh round is over she's going to be facing the only one who hasn't fought yet."
"Which is-" Wally started.
"Me." Nigel finished while adjusting his sunglasses.
"Good luck, dude." Eddy said, glad he wasn't Nigel right now.
Lee looked over at Nigel and smirked. "Nice sunglasses. Got an extra pair? Or maybe you wouldn't mind me trying them after our match."
Nigel scowled. "You really are from a family of thieves, aren't you?"
"We prefer the term 'on holiday'. Sun, sweat and souvenirs." Lee said in a tone sugary that everyone couldn't help but flinch. "I see you are friends with the girl who beat my sister. Hope you are as tough as she is. I'm looking for a good fight."
"Prepare to lose hard than! My bro here could beat you any day of the weak!" Wally pointed to Nigel with his thumb. "I almost wish I fought you or the bucktooth girl to beat you down like Abby did your sister."
"Don't compare my sisters to me." Lee chuckled. "I am the best and not just because I am the eldest sister."
"Definitely as cocky." Marceline scowled.
"The Eighth Round will now begin!" Rothchild spoke up.
Round 8
Lee Kanker vs Nigel Uno
"Well, shall we begin?" Lee asked as Nigel stepped into the ring.
Monty watched as his son faced the red haired Kanker. "Nigel will be hard pressed to keep the Flame inside him under control. No matter how different it is from the others in the Uno family the Flame reacts to combat. This will be his final test against the Flame."
"He will pass." Jennifer said with absolute faith. "He's never allowed the same emotions as your father and brother to brother to dictate his actions. Anytime the Flame in him appeared it was in defense of himself and his friends."
Monty smiled and nodded. "Yes. You are right."
"Can he take her?" Eddy asked.
"Without a doubt." Wally answered with a smirk.
"You sound so sure." Marceline noticed.
"That's because he is." Abby said, smiling just as confident as Wally. "And I know that Nigel will pull through this."
Lee grinned as she cracked her knuckles. "Try to last a little longer than my sister did, will ya?"
Nigel said nothing as he readied himself, falling into a ready stance.
Rothchild then started the match. "Let the eighth match begin!"
Lee was the first to attack as she rushed at Nigel who first blocked a punch and then countered with a punch of his own. However Lee instantly vanished, leaving his fist to hit nothing but air.
"Looking for someone?" A familiar voice asked behind him.
Nigel turned around, seeing Lee standing behind him. He raised his arms in defense but Lee grabbed them and pulled him forward, head-butting him and then pushing him down. Nigel grunted as his sunglasses fell off his face and landed in front of Lee's feet.
The red haired Kanker smirked as she picked them up and slid them over her eyes. "Thanks for the souvenir."
Nigel stood up, narrowing his blue eyes at the Kanker. "I'll be taking those back."
Lee tapped the sunglasses. "Come here and take them. If you think I'm actually standing in front of you."
Nigel took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
"Hm?"
He took a deep breath as he placed his hands together.
"Hello? What are you doing?" Lee stomped towards Nigel. "Ain't ya going to fight?"
Her third eye gave her a psychic Semblance that allowed her to torment the mind of any sucker she chose so she wasn't worried. However it only worked when it made eye contact with her target and this kid was starting to annoy her.
"What's he waiting for?" Eddy asked.
"The right moment." Abby answered.
Lee scoffed as she held up a fist. "Fine. If that's the way you want it."
She punched him right in the face, watching as he staggered back with a smirk. "Come on! Afraid to look at a pretty face?"
"Having hair cover half your face doesn't exactly prove your face is pretty. Who knows just what you're hiding under all that hair?" Nigel remarked, earning a growl from Lee as she approached him again. "I mean what could be so bad that you have to cover up? A big zit? An ugly scar? A third eye-"
POW!
Nigel staggered back again from another of Lee's punches. Fortunately his Aura protected him from the worst of Lee's attacks.
"I could do this all day." Lee flexed her neck.
"So you don't have a boyfriend waiting to kiss that hairy face of yours?" Nigel asked, keeping his eyes closed and bracing himself.
Lee growled as she uppercut Nigel and then elbowed him in the chest.
"What's he doing? He's letting that girl wail on him." Marceline said, feeling a little worried now. "He's not even trying to defend himself."
"He's still waiting." Abby said simply as Lee threw Nigel over her shoulder and onto the ground.
Lee grunted as she placed a foot on Nigel's chest, glancing down at the boy who kept his eyes closed the entire time.
"Now what?" Lee asked, taunting the brunette haired boy.
Nigel opened his eyes. "Now."
He grabbed her foot with both hands and Lee looked on in surprised as blue flames emerged from his hands. But instead of burning her she only felt cold and gasped in shock and horror as snow and ice traveled up her body very fast. In a state of panic Lee removed her foot from Nigel's chest but fell over onto the ground, Nigel's sunglasses falling off her face.
"What's happening?" Eddy asked.
"That is Nigel's Semblance at work. It's called Frost Fire." Abby answered as Nigel stood up. "It can manifest flames that instead of burning everything they touch they convert heat into cold and freeze what they touch instead."
"Really? Wow. Double D would be blown out of his mind if he saw this…that or he'd go on about how that makes no sense at all." Eddy commented.
Lee grunted, her teeth chattering as she glared up at Nigel and tried to focus her Semblance on him. Only the intense cold she was now feeling made it impossible for her to concentrate, let alone move. It felt like her entire body had been frozen from the inside because she couldn't move her legs.
"Wh-Why can't I…" Lee stuttered, the cold making it hard to even speak.
"It's hard to focus, isn't it?" Nigel asked as he picked up his sunglasses and slid them over his eyes, right where they belonged. "Right now your body is too cold to move, let alone let you focus on using your Semblance on me. We're warm blooded creatures so we naturally don't like the cold because of what it can do. My Frost Fire converted most of the heat in your body into cold to the point you can barely move, let alone fight."
"Interesting…" Rolf was rubbing his jaw with one hand. "Sunglass wearing Nigel uses his Semblance, yet Rolf thinks he is careful not to show off everything about it. Most wise, many a Huntsman makes the foolhardy mistake of revealing their limits in such open events."
"Why's that a mistake?" Wally asked. "Everybody else has been using their Semblance here."
"And soon enough, many people will know." Rolf nodded. "You forget, knuckle head Wallace, there is far more than just Grimm to fight."
"What did you call me? It's Wallabee! Not Wallace!" Wally growled before Abby swatted him on the back of his head. "Oi!"
"Try not to fight outside the ring." She chastised him before looking at Rolf. "You make it sound like we'll be fighting other Huntsmen…to the death."
The smile on Rolf's face sent a chill down her spine. "Oh, but hat wearing Abigail…" Rolf tugged up the hem of his shirt just enough to see evidence of the many scars on his torso. "In all likelihood…you will be fighting them to the death one day. Some of them choose a life of violence and self-gratification over obligation, and when that happens…who do you think is sent to deal with such rogue huntsmen?"
Everyone stared at the scars as Rothchild ended the match. "Lee Kanker is unable to continue. Winner: Nigel Uno!"
Monty smiled as his son exited the ring while the paramedics lifted the freezing Lee onto a stretcher. "He's done it. The Flame is his to command, not to consume."
"I am so proud of him and Abby as well." Jennifer said as Nigel approached his friends.
Rolf had lowered his shirt by the time Nigel had returned and exchanged a high-five with Abby and Wally.
"You guys okay?" Nigel asked, noticing something off about his two best friends.
Abby quickly shook her head, making a quick smile to help Nigel with his concern. "It's nothing. Forget about it. Good job taking that freak down a peg."
"I did it…" Nigel took a deep breath before smiling. "I didn't feel anything wrong…It didn't react even as she was pummeling me."
"So…It works?" Abby asked quietly.
Nigel nodded. "I think it does."
Nazz grinned as she watched the paramedics take Lee away. "And that's the last of those Kanker freaks. Good riddance."
"Amen, sister." Johnny agreed with a smile.
Marie scoffed as Lee was taken away. "And she gave me a hard time for losing my match."
"At least she didn't lose her first match." May pointed out which earned her punch in the right eye by Marie.
"Shut up!" Marie barked, angered at the reminder of her loss. "Now come on! Let's grab Lee and get out of here!"
May followed after the stomping Marie, leaving the stadium to find their sister and drag her back home. Both sisters knew their mother would not be pleased when she heard of their performance in this tournament, no matter how minor.
Xxx
It had been a full day since Vlad Plasmius had followed the monster into the ocean and he seemed to have lost it.
Still he counted himself lucky that he wasn't dealing with Ghost Hunters or Danny Phantom coming after him. He supposed since no one expected him to return to Earth that they wouldn't bother be on the lookout for him which he could use to his advantage. The way Vlad saw it he could either flee the planet, head back into space and embrace an eternity of loneliness in the dark void of space or he learn more about the mysterious creatures from that ship that resembled woman of varying colors with strange powers, including the apparent ability to fuse together and form giant monsters. He might be able to use them as a way to protect him from Ghost Hunters and Phantom if and when they came after him again.
"Now where did that creature go?" Vlad mused out loud, his ghost form allowing him to survive at the bottom of the ocean. "Those water chains couldn't have dragged it too far."
As Vlad moved through a dark terrain, the glow of his ghost form providing the only source of light he never noticed a pair of red eyes watching him from a cave that he had passed by.
"I know it's here somewhere. How hard is it-"
Xxx
"-to find a giant four armed woman like beast?"
Sammael grinned as he heard the words of the specter like being that had been one of the subjects Van Kleiss had captured. "The power that this being and the young girl show is quite unnatural, even by my standards. The ability to shift between a living being and a disembodied spirit…Perhaps the girl with the dark powers isn't the only one worthy of my interest. And let's check on the other one."
Xxx
"Hmm…" Skulker mused as he watched the giant bird-like creature settle in its nest the rest on top of a large mountain through his scope. "It is no ghost but perhaps it could satisfy my boredom by acting as a warm-up prey."
The bird monster suddenly let out screech and shot up into the air, turning in Skulker's direction and flew straight at him.
"Hm?!" Skulker activated his mini-missiles launchers on his wrist and fired them.
The missiles slammed into the massive avian creature but to Skulker's surprise it shrugged off his missiles as it shot at him like a massive rocket. Skulker turned intangible and the creature shot right through him. He became solid and spun around, watching as the monster made a turn to come at him again.
"Impressive." Skulker grinned. "This might be more entertaining than I originally though."
The avian like monster screeched as it flew at him again, readying its talons to tear him apart. Skulker activated his shoulder rocket launchers and fired. The creature screeched again as the rockets slammed into its body but like before it seemed to shrug off Skulker's projectiles a second later. The creature then spread its wings out and to Skulker's surprised seemed to fire its feathers from its wings like arrows.
"Wha?!" Skulker was too slow to use his intangibility this time and the feathers slammed into his robotic body, cutting through the metal like butter. "GAH?!"
Skulker ran a quick diagnostic and saw that his body had suffered heavy damage. "This is no ordinary bird!"
He had come prepared for situations like this after numerous encounters with Phantom and made sure his body was durable enough to move even when he was heavily damaged. He spotted the avian beast flying at him again and turned invisible. The monster stopped, flapping its wings and looked around to find its prey.
"It cannot see me while I am invisible. Perfect." Skulker grinned, realizing he had found an advantage against this beast.
He flew straight at the beast's neck, unsheathing his wrist blade and made himself visible right in front of it as he swung his blade. The creature screeched as he slashed its neck, causing damage but the creature was fast and just as Skulker slashed its neck it slammed its beak into him, sending him flying into the ground. Skulker grunted from the impact, instantly knowing that his body had suffered extensive damage no matter how durable he had made it. He looked up and saw the avian monster was still alive despite the neck wound.
"Impossible! My blade could slay even the strongest monster ghost!" Skulker grunted as he struggled to stand up.
The avian monster screeched as it flew down, aiming to finish Skulker off but he turned intangible and phased into the ground. The monster slammed into the ground, kicking up dust and causing an earth shattering quake that shook for miles. The creature groaned as it sat up, slightly dazed from slamming into the ground and looked around, seeing its prey had vanished again. Skulker phased out of the and plunged his blade straight into the creature's belly, earning a screech in pain.
"I see someone has a soft underbelly." Skulker grinned as he pushed the blade deeper into the creature. "Now I have you. Take comfort in the fact that Skulker, the greatest hunter in the Ghost Zone will hang your pelt on his wall!"
The monster screeched again as it flew up, lashing out with its talons but this time Skulker dodged, jumping away and landing on the ground.
"It just refuses to die. This prey is more durable than any ghost I have ever hunted." Skulker grunted, annoyed by the stubbornness of this creature. "Why won't it just die?"
He couldn't keep this fight up for much longer.
His jet pack had been damaged so he couldn't fly unless he used his real form and the rest of his body couldn't hold out much longer. Most of his weapons had been damaged or destroyed, what remaining weapons he had would not likely work on this best.
Perhaps it was best to retreat and plan to fight another day.
Just as the monster flew down towards him again he turned intangible and phased back into ground just as the Nevermore slammed into the ground again, creating another earthquake and giant crater in the middle of Nowhere.
The first encounter between the Hunter of the Ghost Zone and one of the strongest types of Grimm had ended.
But it would only be the first of many.
Xxx
Sammael had watched the entire fight through the eyes of the Nevermore and had been impressed. Even though the specter like entity had not won the battle he had fought well and managed to survive. That could not be said for many others, even veteran Huntsmen who had faced a Nevermore in open combat.
"Van Kleiss had chosen some interesting subjects. If not for his treacherous nature I would have allowed him to search out more. Perhaps if he learns his lesson I might give him a chance." Sammael mused to himself.
It was certainly interesting to see what else he might find out there in the multi-verse.
