Jaune and Courage the Cowardly Dog
Chap 17: Nowhere T.V.
We were in the living room watching the news. Right now, it was showing the lottery. Muriel was sitting in her chair while Eustace was in his chair holding a lottery ticket. I was sitting in between them with Courage on my lap sleeping. I was going through my scroll and reading any news to keep up to date on what is happening in Vale. But also, to tell Blake that I had not forgotten my promise and that soon I will take her fishing in Nowhere as soon as she gets the chance to come.
'The Nowhere lottery is bigger than ever.' The reporter o the t.v. announced excitedly. 'And we'll find out who wins, tomorrow!'
"Whoo-Hoo! That's going to be me! Me! Me! Me!" Eustace shouted in joy as he looked over his ticket which had the number 1,2,3,4,5.
'Doubt it. Lottery jackpots are rigged one way or another. Still may win, but far less than you expect.' I thought as I put away my scroll.
'What are the chances something may happen to us since the lottery is bigger and about to be announced?' Courage asked waking up.
"I have no idea Courage. Honestly, I just hope it's not too dangerous." I answered.
"That reminds me. Jaune, be a dear and go downtown and pick us up these ingredients. I'm planning on making some chicken dumplings later today." Muriel said handing me a list.
"Okay. Muriel. I'll be back soon. Want to come with me Courage?" I asked him.
'Nah, I'll stick around and sleep some more.' He answered with a yawn before going back to sleep.
"Okay. I'll be back later." I said as made my way over to the door. Eustace merely grunted while Muriel waved goodbye and Courage snored.
Chuckling, I opened the door and exited the house. As I made my way into town, I saw a strange looking red van that had the antennas on top of it and had the words t.v. repair man written on the side. I felt like I should follow the van especially since its heading in the direction of the farm, but ultimately ignored it as I felt I was just being paranoid. A few minutes later, I reached the bus stop that would take me downtown. Getting on, I sat down and the bus drove off into the downtown part of Nowhere. After twenty-five minutes, the bus reached its destination and stopped, allowing me to get off. Once off, I headed down a few blocks to the supermarket. Going inside, I took out the list and read it over.
"Okay, three bottles of vinegar. Gross." I said reading over the list.
I never understood why Muriel and her family put vinegar in everything but on the rare occasion, it did make the food or drinks taste a lot better. But ither way, I put away the list and started going through the store and getting everything that she needed. After about a half hour, I finally finished getting everything and went to the cashier to pay. But as I was getting in and line and started to put the supplies on the belt, someone called out my name.
"Mr. Arc?" The voice asked. Turning around, I was greeted to the surprise of Glynda Goodwitch.
"Ms. Goodwitch?" I asked surprised. I was not at all expecting to see her here in Nowhere. "What are you doing here?"
"I can ask you the same thing." She said with a light glare.
"Picking up some groceries for my family." I answered as I started to pay for them. She seemed genuinely surprised at this for some reason.
"I do hope you don't mind me asking, but is it true that the Arc Family disowned you yet you found another family that took you in without hesitation?" She asked. Normally, I didn't like to bring this up, even with my friends, but Glynda only ever wants what's best for her students so decided to answer.
"Yes, that is true. The Arc Family disowned me. Though it was more Muriel who adopted me as Eustace didn't really care." I corrected.
"Well, I'm happy that you found another family that seems to truly care for you." She said with a small smile.
"Thanks. But I still want to know, why are you doing all the way out here in Nowhere which is pretty far from Vale and even father if we are talking about Beacon." I asked. She closed her eyes at this and released a frustrated sigh while massaging her temples.
"Three reasons. Two of which belong to Ozpin with the third to Ironwoods. Ozpin wanted me to investigate here as he heard there were some strange happenings here. But the real reason he wanted me to come is the second reason and that's to see if here has any new type of coffee he wants to try. As for Ironwoods, he wanted me to check if the findings Penny has when she came here are true that potentially a maiden is here along with other strange thing findings." She answered struggling to keep her anger in check.
"Well, I am honestly sorry that you have to put up with Ozpin. But I can also save you the hassle and tell you that what Penny found is indeed true." I told her.
"You mean, that what she said is true. I'm sorry Mr. Arc but I don't believe you." She said shaking her head.
"First, don't call me Arc as I am no longer am one. Just call me Jaune. And second, I actually have proof of everything. It's back at the farmhouse on the computer." I told her.
"While I am sure you have proof, I am actually on a tight-" She began but stopped when she felt her scroll vibrate. She took it out and read the notification and nearly crushed her scroll to pieces in anger and frustration.
"Are you alright Ms. Goodwitch?" I asked as I started bagging the groceries. She took a few deep breaths before answering.
"I am fine Mr.- I mean Jaune. But right now, there is a mess in Beacon and the airport is shut down for repairs and won't be back up and running until later today." She said as she slowly calmed down.
"Sorry, but that happens quite a bit here. What do you plan to do until it gets fixed?" I asked as I picked up my bags and moved to the side so she could pay for the stuff she got.
"Possibly walk around and find a hotel to stay at and rest." She answered sighing as she finished paying and grabbed her bags.
"Why don't you come back with me to the farmhouse?" I suggested as we left the store.
"While that would be much appreciated, I do not think that the ones who adopted you will be so willing to accept a stranger coming into their house." She said as we made our way to the bus stop.
"Actually, Muriel loves meeting people so it won't be a problem. As for Eustace who is the farmer of the house, he doesn't care who is in the house as long as they don't interrupt his reading of the paper." I explained.
"Still, I'm not too sure-" Glynda began but I cut her off.
"You can finally relax a bit and Muriel does know how to make a delicious cup of tea that can really soothe the nerves and make someone relax." I informed with a smile. This seemed to have been enough to convince her.
"Then I guess I can come over. Not to mention it has been a while since I had a good cup of tea." She said with a rare smile.
We sat down on the bench and waited for the bus to arrive. After a few minutes, it did and we got on and sat down in the seats. A moment later, the bus started moving again to the farmhouse. The trip was mostly silent aside from the occasional question from Glynda on how has my life been while I asked her how life has been at Beacon. And from that conversation, I learned that it has gotten even crazier since I left. And that Ruby is now seeing a therapist for the nightmares she constantly has of a certain violin girl we met in New York. That made me mentally make a reminder to try and help Ruby overcome those nightmares. Soon, the bus stopped signifying that we arrived at the farmhouse.
"This is a cozy home. Though, why is it built in the middle of Nowhere?" Glynda asked as we got off the bus.
"I have no idea Ms. Goodwitch. All I can tell you is that this house has been around for a few centuries. We are just the current owners." I answered.
She nodded in understanding and we started walking towards the house. But as we got nearer, I felt that something was seriously off. There were tire tracks going away from the farm yet Eustace's truck was still here.
"Jaune, do you have a dog?" Glynda asked getting my attention.
"Well, the family dog but yes." I answered.
"Is that him?" She asked pointing to the house. I turned to the house and saw that Courage was walking to the house soaking wet and a large part of the fence in his mouth.
"Oh, no." I said concerned and immediately rushed towards him. I could tell that Glynda was following as well. After a few seconds, we reached the porch and saw Courage was breathing heavily.
"Courage, are you okay?" I asked him. He tried to answer but the fence part in his mouth prevented him from doing so. "Hold on."
'Thanks, Jaune.' He said before turning back around.
"Jaune, what happened?" Glynda asked concerned.
"I'm not sure. But I feel like we will have our answer inside." I answered. At that moment, Courage kicked the door open and we got our answer.
"Must be slick. Must be slippery. Must be smooth." The almost echoey sounding voice of Eustace said.
"Well, howdy owdy odey oh." Muriel said in an almost creepily happy tone.
"Um, what is happening here?" Glynda asked as we entered the living room and saw Eustace was in a weird purple body suit while Muriel had some make up and looking like a clown at a circus. And for some reason, she was juggling bowling pins.
'Le Quack want lottery money. Get lottery money for Le Quack.' The t.v. demanded. Looking over at it, I saw the face of Le Quack there for a moment before it vanished and all that was left was the red spiral.
"They were hypnotized. And Le Quack used the television to do so." I answered as I walked up to them and waved my hand in front of them to try and get a response. But got nothing as they were as still as a statue with and repeated what they said earlier.
"Who is this Le Quack?" Glynda asked as she moved in front of Muriel and Eustace and tried to get their attention but got nothing like me.
"A duck. A duck that can talk, is a criminal and we have dealt with before." I answered.
"A duck? So, a faunus?" She asked confused.
"I cannot say for certain, but I am like 90% certain that he is not a faunus." I answered as I took out my scroll, pulled up an image I found of Le Quack and handed it to her. "This is him."
"That is not funny Jaune." Glynda said with a frown. But that was quickly replaced with surprise when La Quack reappeared on the t.v. and gave the demand again. "I... stand corrected. I take it this is not the first strange encounter you have had."
"Your right in that regard. Me and Courage have had many weird experiences before this. But I will tell you about them later." I told her as me and Courage walked over to the t.v. and tried to turn it off but failed. "Courage, what happened here?"
'A few minutes after you left, Le Quack arrived and 'offered' to fix the television. But Eustace slammed the door on him. After that, Le Quack cut down the antenna. Eustace 'tried' to fix it but only got exploded. He then called Le Quack who came and 'fix' the television. I tried to stop them but they did not listen. And then, Le Quack ordered Eustace to send me flying into the ocean.' He answered.
"I also take it that you are somehow understanding your dog." Glynda asked concerned.
"Yes. I'm not sure how though. Apparently, Velvet, Nora, Blake and Penny can understand him also." I answered before turning back to Courage. "Did he do anything else?"
'Just the television and then left.' He answered.
"What did your dog, um... Courage say?" Glynda asked hesitantly.
"He said that Le Quack came and offered his services to fix the television after he cut down the antenna. And now, he is using the television to hypnotize Muriel and Eustace." I answered.
"Then the first matter of business would be to get rid of this television." Glynda said as she found the remote and tried to turn it off. But it stayed on. "Hmm. Jaune, try unplugging it."
"Right," I said and went around and pulled the plug. Yet the t.v. remained on.
"Hmm. The duck must have hard wired it to stay on somehow." Glynda surmised at seeing the t.v. still on with the red swirls displayed.
'Grrrr.' Courage growled before jumping on the t.v. and started biting it as if that would stop it. Only to painfully learn that it didn't when he stopped and nearly all his teeth fell out. I would have laughed a bit, but the sound of Glynda chuckling lightly caught me off guard. But she quickly recomposed herself before I could say anything.
"I do not believe that would have achieved our goals Courage. Since we cannot turn it off, our next best course of action would be to get rid of it." Glynda said while pulling out her weapon of choice.
The disciplinarian. With a wave of it, the t.v. was suddenly in the air being levitated by her. She then motioned for us to follow. Nodding, we opened the door for her and we all headed out back. She then placed it near the trash. But then got a little confused when Courage went up to it and picked it up and moved forward a bit.
"What is he doing Jaune?" Glynda asked curious.
"Getting rid of the t.v. I suppose but in his own unique way." I answered unsure. But we got our answer a moment later when Courage tossed it up in the air a bit before quickly pulling out a baseball bat and hitting the t.v. with it causing the t.v. to go flying off into the distance.
"Well. That is one way to get rid of a problem. But now let s head back inside and try and free your family." Glynda said turning to me.
"Right." I said agreeing with. I was already trying to figure out a way to break them free from le Quack control.
'AAAHHH!' Courage suddenly screamed. I was about to ask him what's wrong but got my answer when I heard Eustace's truck turn on. I quickly locked over to where it is and saw that Muriel and Eustace were already in it. They were about to drive off, but it stalled as Glynda managed to keep it in place for a moment.
"Quickly." She told us. Nodding, we all quickly raced over to the truck and got into the back of it. Once in, Glynda let go off the truck which caused to jerk forward suddenly for a moment but smooth out as Eustace drove the truck.
"Where are they going?" Glynda asked.
"Presumably to where the lottery money is kept." I answered.
"How should we go about this Jaune? I can stop this car easily but they will still be hypnotized and the 'duck' will still be free." Glynda asked.
"As much I don't want them to do this, but we have to let them steal the money. For once they do, they will most likely drive to where Le Quack currently is." I answered.
"Do you believe that is the best course of action Jaune as we are huntsmen and even though you were expelled, you did swear to uphold the law." Glynda asked before reminding me while also giving me a light glare.
"I know. The thing is, security here in Nowhere is a joke and the guards are almost worthless. But mainly, Nowhere does not really recognize huntsmen as official protectors of humanity. So, we can't really do anything using that as they will just arrest us." I explained.
"Why must there always be a complication?" She asked while rubbing her temples in frustration.
'Shh! We're here.' Courage said getting our attention.
"What did he say?" Glynda asked.
"We're here. Get down." I answered before lowering myself so we would not be seen.
We had arrived at the lottery building. Eustace stopped the truck with him and Muriel getting out. Eustace went to the side of the building and went into the sewer while Muriel went up to the guard and distract him.
'Jaune. Your teacher has telekinesis?' Courage asked getting my attention.
"Yeah." I answered curious as to what he was getting at.
'Could she get me to the top of the building where I can sneak in and hopefully alert someone?' He asked.
"That could work." I told him.
"What could work?" Glynda asked as she was completely surprised at how easily the guard was being distracted by Muriel simply by juggling.
"Courage said that if you could get him to the top of the building, he could enter and try and raise the alarm to alert everyone." I answered.
"And how do you know that he can do that?" She countered. I looked towards Courage and he smiled with his toothy grin which caused me to smile as well.
"Because he is one talented dog." I answered.
Turning back to her, I saw her sigh in irritation before waving her weapon. A purple glow surrounded Courage and was soon sent to the roof top of the building. Unfortunately, the sound of glass shattering greeted our ears which told us that either the roof was glass or he was sent through a glass part. I winced at that but shook it off as I knew Courage was fine as he went through worse before.
"Will he be, okay?" Glynda asked worried when she heard the glass shatter.
"He will as he has gone through much worse." I answered.
She seemed hesitant and confused but nodded. Looking back at the guard, we saw that he was laughing at Muriel who was juggling a motorcycle, a bowling ball and an anchor. We stayed like that for a while longer. With Glynda growing more astounded as the guard occasionally asked question when he thought he heard something come in from the building. Then the alarm went off alerting him. Only for him to ignore it when he asked Muriel if she heard it as well and she answered no.
"Are all security guards like this in Nowhere?" Glynda asked shocked.
"Pretty much." I answered. She seemed like she was about to have a mental breakdown but managed to keep herself together. Looking back at the guard, I saw Muriel disappear and all the stuff she was juggling hit him on the head causing him to go down and become unconscious.
"Ouch." I said at seeing all that hit him. I was about to go and check up on him but Glynda stopped me when she spotted Eustace and Muriel coming back with a large bag of money. They got in the truck and began to drive off. Presumably to where Le Quack is.
"Where is your dog?" Glynda asked. But received her answer when we saw Courage lean out of the truck and start tossing money out. Leaving behind a trail of money for either us to return or for the police to follow.
"Apparently, in the bag leaving a trail of money for the police to follow when they got alerted when the alarm went off." I explained. She nodded in understanding as we kept our heads down as Eustace drove us to where Le Quack hopefully is. All the while, Courage kept tossing money out the window.
Half an Hour later
After a long drive, we finally reached our destination. Eustace stopped the truck with him and Muriel getting out of the truck while carrying the bag of money. Unaware that Courage was still in it. Hopping off the truck, we silently followed them inside the building. A few moments later, we reached a door where Le Quack is probably behind.
"Glynda, me and Courage will take care of Le Quack. Can you take care of Muriel and Eustace?" I asked her. She sent me a light glare but nodded all the same. We turned back to face Eustace and Muriel and saw them both hold onto the bag of money while they kick open the door and enter.
"Bon Jour! Le big bucks." The voice of Le Quack said happily. Quietly entering the room, we saw Eustace give Le Quack the bag who then dropped it to the floor before laughing evilly while rubbing his 'hands' together.
"Qu'est-ce que c'est?" He suddenly asked confused when Courage suddenly threw up a dollar bill. Le Quack then opened the bag to discover Courage in there. Stepping closer, I saw that there was no money in the bag left.
'Hahaha.' Courage laughed nervously when Le Quack stared him down. Turning to Glynda, I nodded to her. She gave a small nod as well before using her semblance to pull Muriel and Eustace away to safety where she then tied them up. Luckily, Le Quack did not notice that as he was too preoccupied with Courage.
"You pesky little dog! I thought I got rid of you." Le Quack said before reaching in and strangling Courage. "What have you done with the money?"
"Back off Le Quack." I shouted getting his attention. He turned to me but then got blinded when Courage poked both his eyes. He recoiled in pain while letting go off Courage. Which gave me the chance to get Courage out of the bag and then place the bag on Le Quack's head. He growled in annoyance and tried to take the bag off but was clearly having trouble but was slowly getting it off.
'Over here.' Courage shouted. Turning to him, I saw that he was pointing to a room filled with televisions. Nodding, we quickly entered the room and hid behind one of the larger televisions.
"I have you now. You dirty little dog and boy." Le Quack said as he entered the room and started to look for us. Peeking around, I saw him pass by us.
'I have an idea.' Courage whispered to me.
He then leaned in and turned on the television. It was static for a moment but quickly went to a channel. I was about to turn it off, hoping that Le Quack did not hear it but Courage stopped me. I was confused but got my answer when the archers on screen shot some arrows. But instead of staying in the television, they came out and nearly hit Le Quack. But it missed as he managed to hide behind another television. He turned on his television and, on the screen, appeared warships I have not seen before that were firing. A canon ball came out of the screen and towards us. I pushed Courage down just in time as the canon ball skid the top of our heads and passed by harmlessly. This went on for a few more moments. With both sides just changing channels with different weapons coming out at the screen and towards each other. But it stopped when I heard Glynda's voice come out.
"Jaune. Where are you?" She called out as she entered the room. I was about to answer but heard Le Quack laugh evilly. He then changed channels to one that had military soldiers on screen wielding a rocket launcher.
"WATCH OUT!" I shouted as I saw Glynda pass. I grabbed her hand and pulled her to us behind the television. And just in time as the rocket launcher was fired with the missile heading towards us. Luckily, Glynda reacted in time and managed to use her semblance to catch the rocket and send it off in another direction where it exploded upon impact with another television. She then turned to us with a glare.
"What is happening?" She asked.
"Using the televisions to battle each other." I answered as I reached around and changed channels. A submarine appeared on screen which fired a torpedo which came off screen and at Le Quack who managed to dodge it.
"How is this possible?" Glynda asked dumbfounded that this was possible.
"I have no idea. But I just go along with it." I answered. She took a deep breath before nodding. We the turned back and saw Le Quack changed to another channel with a hydra shooting fire. Had I not been scared; I would have realized that I have seen that hydra before in New York.
"Get down." Glynda said as she pushed me to the ground to avoid the fire that the hydra shot at me. She then pulled me back.
"Thanks for the save." I told her as I moved behind the television.
"Let me try." She said as she reached around and changed channel. This time, instead of something dangerous, a policeman was on screen with a pie in his hand. He then threw the pie which came of screen and managed to hit Le Quack in the face.
"How annoying." Le Quack stated with the pie covering his face. He then shook the pie off his face. Only to be left staring at a giant stick of dynamite on his face with its fuse lit. "Uh-oh."
"SHIT!" I shouted and pushed Glynda and Courage behind some more televisions as the fuse reached the dynamite.
'This is gonna hurt.' I thought as I braced myself for the explosion.
BOOM
Everything hurt from that explosion. Rubbing the stars from my eyes that came when a broken television hit my head, I looked around and saw that everything was destroyed. Looking towards Le Quack, I saw that he was sitting right where he was with an annoyed look on his face. His feathers pitch black from soot. Turning a bit to the left, I saw that Courage was in the television we were hiding behind earlier with a dazed look on his face.
"Are you okay Jaune?" Glynda asked. Looking up, I saw her hand held out to help me. Grabbing it, she helped me up.
"Yeah, I'm fine. But how about you?" I asked worried.
"Even after suffering a giant explosion, you are still more worried for others which is admirable. But to answer your question, yes, I am fine. I have survived much worse and have my tricks on how to survive explosions like this." She answered while giving a rare smile and even rarer wink. I was about to say something but stopped when all of sudden two officers came into the room.
"Oh ho, Le Quack. We've been looking for you. So, we got you at last." The officer with a mustache said as his partner placer cuffs on Le Quack. They then started to leave but stopped and turned to us.
"Good job. All of you." He said before leaving.
We just nodded while Courage laughed still dazed. Once they were gone, we looked around at all the destruction before shrugging and leaving the room. Exiting the room, we saw Eustace and Muriel manage to free themselves and were now eating the food Le Quack left out earlier. Unfazed and unaware of all that just happened.
"What shall we do with them?" I asked worried that we could not reverse what Le Quack did to them.
"Do not worry Jaune. I found out what the duck did to them and learned that it was only temporary. It should wear off soon." Glynda answered.
"That's good. Now, let's get them back home." I said with a sigh as I felt the tiredness catch up to me. Glynda and Courage nodded and we began the long process of getting them back to the farm from this place.
Farmhouse
"Well, I can certainly say that was a fun little adventure." Glynda said with a soft smile.
"It sure was Ms. Goodwitch." I said with a smile as well.
We were back at the Farmhouse. It was nighttime and we were on the front porch. Glynda had just finished the tea that Muriel made for her and we finished discussing and going over all the finding that Penny had found. And not surprising at all, Glynda was again shocked at what I showed her. Even more when I called Iris to come over real quick. Glyda nearly fainted when Iris appeared and showed Glynda her control over storms. I was worried though that Glynda would report this to Ozpin and even more trouble would come thinking that Iris is a maiden. Luckily, Glynda told us that she would not be revealing that to Ozpin. After a few more minutes of discussing everything, Glynda left as the airport was back up and running again. Iris also left as she still had some work left to do. But before she did, I grabbed her hand and pulled her in for a kiss on the lips. She blushed when we separated but smiled all the same. She then left to go back to her work. Smiling, I went back inside the house. Muriel and Eustace were both in their chairs with Courage on Muriel's lap. I went in between and sat down. Turning to the t.v. I saw that they were about to announce the winner of the lottery.
'And the winner of the Nowhere lottery is number 1,2,3,4,5.' The reporter declared.
"Huh? Hee, Hee, Hee. I'm rich! Ha, Ha. I'm rich! I'm rich! I'm rich!" Eustace shouted in joy. But before he could continue, the reporter spoke up again.
'Unfortunately, due to a burglary earlier today, the lottery is down to.' The reporter said while he reached into his pocket and pulled out some change. 'Seventeen cents.'
"AAAHHH!" Eustace yelled out in anger. He then picked up the television and walked to the back of the house and opened the back door where he proceeds to kick it away from the house in anger. "ROTTEN TV!"
'Should we tell him?' Courage asked smiling at Eustace getting boiling mad.
"That he quite literally had his hands on the money earlier but didn't know it because he was under Le Quack's control." I said while smirking at Eustace who was close to breaking down now. "Nah, let him lose it."
'Alright.' Courage said looking back at Eustace who was now coming back to his seat angrily. I internally smirked at Eustace's dismay and luck.
Note:
(1) Fishy Business with Blake. (2) Dome of Doom with Peach. (3) Son of the Chicken from Outer Space with Winter. (4) The House of Discontent with Oobleck. (5) Human Habitrail with Coco. (6) The Quilt Club with Coco.
Those that are asking if I know any stories where team rwby reacts or go into another universe, sorry but while I do know a few, they have been discontinued or been taken down, And the few that are still up only have a few chapters for a specific series like react to a jaune of a different universe or to death battle.
This chapter was a bit tough without changing it completely as Glynda could easily change everything or making something seem really forced.
X3runner: I would say so that Iris knows the goose god.