As the school year continued a great party and school dance for being set up for everyone. Students and faculty continued making a necessary decorations and party favors needed for such an event. But the most important part of any party is getting the right date of course. And sadly Ash had no shortage of fans. Almost every Bachelorette sent him either an invitation or had asked him outright. He was quick to disarm them and said that he was not quite interested in such things which was a perfect lie he always enjoys going to parties all the food he could eat the wonderful music and a socializing that it's been many years since he done any of that and you still didn't quite feel comfortable enough to do it especially with ones he did not quite know or feel for.
Team RWBY did not get into the party mentality just yet no they were planning on enjoying themselves and we're looking forward to some relaxation from all the studying and the school work. The evening of them understanding some of the skeletons in Ash's closet do kind of put them less at ease; not with him though, they still respected him and cared for him as they did before, but they did wonder about having too much power may affect someone and how they themselves me have to struggle with that kind of demon in the future. Blake more than anybody felt that due to her ties to the White Fang organization before it turned into a crime terrorist network. Yang wanted to help him feel better but didn't know exactly how Ruby wanted him to have the best night of all and she was even going to wear a nice dress with some heels even though she really hated them. Weiss on the other hand knew exactly what she was going to do. Even though Neptune had been a clear candidate for a date she walked up to Ash at the end of the class the day before the dance.
Wiess said to him "Look, we can go just as friends but I don't think you should be alone on such an occasion. I think you should enjoy yourself and dance with all of us but I would like to be your first dancing partner."
Ash smiled he had broken so many hearts before telling them that he was not interested although he hardly knew them and didn't want to put them into a spot, but these were his teammates and they did not want to do a romantic date but just go as friends Ash smiled and agreed that it will be only friendship between them.
Although our expectations and our intentions never usually go the way we want them to especially for Ash when it comes to beautiful women entering his life but that comes later on in the story. So it was agreed they would all go together that night and enjoy the party. Just before the party started Ash was able to help Jaune get his head out of his butt when he found out that he was going to be going to the dance with Weiss. He had found him standing on a balcony sulking to himself.
He walked up to him and says "You know we're just going as friends and besides the girls are trying to help me out with something that I told them."
"Are you going to tell you the rest of your friends? Jaune said with some slight bitterness.
"I'll tell you the quick notes version. I did some things that I really regret it things that got a lot of people killed. They were the bad guys but even bad guys don't deserve what happened to them."
This really took Jaune back staring at Ash.
He stepped up to the balcony and looked around and says "I know you have your heart fixated on Weiss but if you don't look around you're going to bypass a love that may actually be better than you could imagine."
"Who could that possibly be?"
Ash dropped his head down thinking to himself 'was I this dense when it was with Misty?'
He looks back at Jaune with a smiles says "What about you and Pyrrha?"
"What about her Ash?"
Ash chuckled and said "How about go out on a date with her? She is a wonderful lady and who knows it might be fun."
Jaune laugh loudly saying "Why would she been seen with let alone have interest in a guy like me? She's probably have dozens of hot and cool guys all over fawning to be her date for the dance."
Ash smiled and says "That maybe so but what if she just wanted a nice guy a guy that she respects that she's helped out and that she calls her partner?"
He looked back at Ash "Why would she ever want a guy like me Ash, I'm nothing special."
Ash smiles warmly and knowingly "looking back sometimes the most amazing and powerful women usually tend to be seen as items whether someone to conquer or something to attach yourself with like an accessory. I've had my experience with that once. I'll tell you a secret though I used to date someone who is just like Pyrrah, she is a powerful Pokemon trainer just like me but she often wanted the simpler life that she once had before she became a a celebrity as it were."
"Oh" was all Jaune could say than asked "What happened between the two of you?"
Ash went quiet his smile faded a little reminiscing about some old memories and past feelings. "We had to go our own separate ways we still cared for each other and we would do anything for each other but I think our own insecurities about ourselves made it very hard to continue the relationship not that we didn't try but I think we wouldn't have worked out. I think she wanted to but I wasn't ready but if I am honest with myself; I was more afraid of getting hurt again of loosing her" Ash then turned on Jaune "I tell you this because I swear if you say anything to the other girls about this they're going to torture you into getting every ounce of information out of you and then once they're done they're going to come after me and boil me alive until I tell them everything about my personal love life. Got it?"
Jaune nodded his head very quickly and started to sweat Ash smiled and walked off but he turned back to Jaune before he left "Pyrrah is walking outside by herself, why don't you go over to her and take the opportunity after all; regret is a horrible companion and I do not wish for him to become yours as he is mine."
Jaune puzzled that the cryptic ness of his friends words but he did have enough common sense to at least try.
That night everyone was enjoying themselves at the party students danced with each other the general Ironwood was dancing along with the curly haired robot who's named he found out was Penny who was probably the cutest bundle of energy he had ever seen only second to Ruby but he kept that to himself. As he stood there the rest of Team Rwby came in and decided to just stand and talk for a little bit enjoying the festivities. But Wiess did ask for the first dance so Ash took her hand and walked out onto the dance floor dancing to the waves of the tunes and melodies. As the night kept going on Ash took the time to dance with each of the girls from his team from popular pop music too slow waltzes they were quite amazed at how well his dance moves were and always found his excuses rather boring saying that someone used to teach him such things at least try to be cultural.
But as the night rode on everyone was focused on the party but Ash with his aura always kept his guard up and kept his eye out for things that may be suspicious especially the trio who he felt their auras had unsettled him. He found two of them dancing the green haired girl and the grey-haired man he stared at them wondering where their leader was and looked around the party seeing no traces of her until he looked past the window and saw her slowly heading towards the tower. For Ash quietly slipped out without even informing his teammates try to follow her. He kept a distance watching her take out a guard as she entered the elevator towards the communications level we're all the students sent out emails and communication to anybody outside of Beacon. Ash did not jump at the moment he saw the guard being taken out but knew that something else was coming he sent telepathy to Pikachu and Lucario as his Pokemon themselves were enjoying their own party in the dorm rooms. Pikachu quickly ran to Ash' side but Ash stopped him from getting on his shoulder.
"Pikachu I just need you stay next to the towers electrical systems. I think someone is going to upload trouble." He then went into the elevator is he still fixated on this woman's aura trying to understand what her intentions were but when he remembered that this Tower had all Communications in and out of the school and this Kingdom if anything were to happen he shuddered at the thought and as soon as the elevator reached the floor he ordered Pikachu to Thunderbolt the tower. Pikachu nodded and without hesitation build up its electricity and fired the bolt of lightning coursing throughout the tower sending the electrical energy pulsating through all the circuitry, exploding system after system computer; software hard drive every form of electric devices attached to the tower exploded into burning fumes. The woman in the mask cursed as she slammed her fist onto the keyboard she had almost finished what she was doing but now with the tower out of commission like this it wouldn't be exactly as she would have hoped but then she looked up hearing someone pull the doors apart she quickly hid herself out of sight but she had no idea about Ash and his great aura vision.
"I know you're there" he said pulling out his staff which extended out into full length. "I don't know what you're doing up here and I might have startled you or interrupted a personal email but I would like you to explain why you're up here and why you are not being involved with that amazing party downstairs which we are both missing."
She stepped out and gazed at him not saying a word but then with a flash of her hand she made several shards and threw it right at him held out his staff and hit the ground an instantly all the shards went straight into the ground thanks to his gravity powers. She was surprised by this she tried again for the same results. Ash then thrust the staff towards her and her boots became very heavy she quickly tried for the window the gravitational pull on her feet where is tremendous. Ash kept his eyes and power focused on her. She reached the window and turned back to look at him, but then she gave him a coy smile and flash of light blinded in for a moment he stepped back losing his concentration and she rolled out of the window just as General Ironwood and Headmaster Ozpin entered through the emergency exit looking at Ash who was staring out the window with hard eyes.
Within a few minutes, Cinder the woman of questionable motives returned to the party had transformed her outfit back into a dress and quickly mingled with the crowd. She went up to her partners Emerald and Mercury and ask for the dance with the young man.
"So how did the mission go" he whispered to her
"Not as well as we should like. The tower has been disabled completely but not by me. A man with tremendous power probably had the place booby-trapped and disabled the whole system with electricity frying all the circuitry."
Mercury leaned in and says "But isn't that what we wanted to disable the entire communication Network."
She had a glare on "Yes but on our time the virus was supposed to shut down the system when we thought it was the right time this may have to accelerate our plans but everything is still in position and everything is going as we see it too we just have to move the timetable up. It's a shame I would love to have enjoyed the life of Vail for a couple more days before having to..."
But before she could finish her sentence she felt a tap on the shoulder she slowly turned and saw the same man who had interrupted her in the room he had a very genuine smile to her and held out his hand saying "My dear lady, I think I have not had the pleasure of dancing with you would you do me the honor and having this next dance with me?"
He then opened his eyes and they were sharp and they were clever. She smiled knowing that there was no way that he could tie her to being in the tower obliged.
"But of course I cannot say no to such a handsome face is this." she reached out and touched his face. He smiled then took her hand off his face and into his and the two began to dance slowly Mercury frowned and darted over to Emerald who whispered to her and posted them glared at Ash as he continued to dance with their boss.
"I hope I didn't unlock arm you too much when I killed the power to the Tower."
"I must admit it is quite unfortunate but it doesn't hinder me at all."
"I figured as much it may not be what you want but it is the outcome you wish maybe the timing's wrong but I can tell that you wanted to do something with the tower plant a virus into the system so you can take control or at least shut it down at the right moment" he dipped her down gracefully holding her own to her waist.
She smiled at his gracefulness but this conversation was a little one sided "I do want to know though if you don't mind me asking but what is your semblance I never felt something so powerful before."
He says "it's gravity"
She lost her smile as he twirled her around and his hand returned to her waist pulling her in close as they continue dancing this was a unfortunate circumstances they already had to deal with Pyrrah and her abilities to polarize metal but now this man had the ability to manipulate gravity itself. She resumed smiling as she leaned her head closer to his ear "I work for some very powerful people I can definitely make it worth your wild if you were to be on our team."
Ash smiled, he could smell the scent of smoke like a dying fire from the fireplace Embers as it were." I do not plan to do such things but I'm also not going to make any moves against you. You may be just activist wanting attention, maybe you're mad at dad for something silly, or maybe you're people who are putting innocent lives in danger to get what you want. I can't allow that to happen..." he said leaning in closer to whisper in her ear his face gently pushing up against her hair. "I'm only going to give you this one warning" he said his hands tightened slightly on her and she did not show it but she was slightly excited about this new challenge. "This is my warning if you endanger anyone that I care about here and put any innocents lives at risk. I don't care if I don't have evidence I don't care about the legality of what I need to do. You put anyone at risk or in danger, I will kill you myself he said looking her dead in the eyes.
She had slight goosebumps down her spin. This person really meant it he had killed before she could tell just by the tone of his voice and the sincerity behind it.
"You know what I actually believed you" she smiled "and for the record people always get hurt regardless if you have it the best laid plans and this won't deter mine and I doubt you want to cause an incident especially with so many Innocents around."
Ash knew that she was right as they did one more twirl they brought her close they stared eye to eye her golden Embers met his chocolate brown.
"I will keep it in mind though but know this I will do whatever it takes to complete my mission and nobody can stand in the way of that not even you handsome." She grabbed the back of his head and pulled him in capturing his lips with hers most people didn't catch on but four girls saw this and they came very livid at this dark-haired woman kissing they're Ash, though they themselves do not think that in those exact wording but did feel jealousy and resentment towards this newcomer and wondering why Ash had danced with her so long and held her so close. Clearly there were some explanations needed. She slowly pulled back and smiled he had a slight frown and said "That's cheating."
She says "All is fair in Love and War" and then she walked away and said enjoy the party. Ash straightened up still standing in the middle of the Dance Floor glaring back at this woman; she was cunning, she was dangerous that he had just threatened her like a fool, But he did find something out about their situation; he had thrown a wrench into her plans as long as he kept an eye out she would have to make new arrangements and at least he is now aware of them and she is aware of him. And knowing who your opponent is is half the battle.