Dark Rose
Chapter 19: Nip It In The Bud
"Thanks, kid." the man at the counter said to Jett when he returned the plates he was holding. "You know we usually pick them all up after everyone leaves, right?" Jett shrugged. "I know that it's a hard job to feed all of us. It's the least I can do for you." The man smiled. "It's good to know some of you superheroes look out for the little guy. See ya, kid." Jett started to walk away, but after that last bit, he couldn't just leave it at that. "Hey!" he exclaimed, trying to stop the man from walking into the back with the dishes. "Hmm? What do you need?" "When you said that it's good that some of us "superheroes" look out for the little guy, what did you mean?" Jett asked. "That? Nothing. Was just trying to make conversation." Jett pressed the man. "Is someone trying to get you fired?"
The man fidgeted slightly, and dropped his voice. "Fine, if you wanna be nosy." The man whispered, leaning closer to Jett from behind the counter. "You remember that piece of work that walked out after harrassing that faunus girl?" Jett cocked his head to the side. "Cardin?" "Shhh, keep your voice down!" the man hissed. "Sorry." Jett apologized dropping his voice. "All the cooks here know not to mess with him because of his family." The man started. "But, I accidentally said something off the cuff to him one day, and now Cardin is holding it over my head, blackmailing me about it." Jett turned to the man. "Why haven't you gone to the Headmaster about this?" Jett asked. "Because he threatened to send goons after my family back in Vale!" The man hissed. "This is unacceptable. I'll take care of him." Jett nodded. "You're out of your league, kid." The young man grinned. "You apparently didn't hear what I did to him two weeks ago." Jett remarked. Pushing himself off the counter, he turned to leave. "Thanks for the info!" Jett exclaimed, waving to the confused man as he walked out the doors
...
Looking around as he walked down the cooridor, Jett tried to find Cardin in the halls before he went to his team's dorm. Finally, after some time, he found him and his team picking on a blonde-haired boy wearing ancient-looking armour, and a black and red hoodie underneath. "Cardin, I think you misheard me! I never said that YOU should dunk your head in the river, I just said..." the boy explained nervously. "Stow it, Arc." Cardin responded curtly, getting more in the boy's face. "If you don't take it back, me and my team is going to make life veeery difficult for you, Jauney-Boy." The blonde boy threw his hands up. "Fine! I'm sorry!" he exclaimed. Cardin smirked. "Nah, I don't think he means it. Why don't we show him what it means to cross Cardin Winchester?" he asked. His teammates all gave an evil grin. Cardin cocked his fist back, ready to pummel this blonde boy.
Jett's body moved on it's own accord. In a flash of light, he was in front of the blonde boy, blocking Cardin's fist with his palm. "Enough. He said he was sorry, Cardin." Jett stated, coldly. A fire lit in Cardin's eyes as he locked his with Jett's. "Oswind." He growled. Using his Aura, Jett pushed the armor-clad man off with the strength boost it gave him. The young man reached into his back pocket, and slowly pulled out his Scroll, trying to keep it out of sight. He opened the device, and pinged his teammates to his location, stashing it back into his pocket.
"This is the last time you'll humiliate me, Oswind. This time," Cardin started, charging at Jett with his shoudler out. "I'LL KILL YOU!" Jett flexed his legs, and flipped over Cardin's back, and let him smack his face on the wall behind him. Cardin's three other teammates: Russel, Sky, and Dove, joined in on the fight. Russel flipped through the air, and kicked Jett into the ground. Sky came up fast on Jett's right side, and spun around to his backside, putting Jett into a Full-Nelson. Cardin shook the confusion out of his head, saw that his teammates were helping, and smirked. "I get the first punch!" Cardin exclaimed, cracking his knuckles. He cocked his fist back, and punched Jett in the stomach as hard as he could. "Gah!" Jett exclaimed, spewing blood out of his mouth.
Cardin continued to wail on Jett for several minutes, his teammates smiling cruelly at the exchange. Jett tried to maintain his composure to the best of his abilities, but to no avail. The only thing he could do was wait for his team to arrive. What? Jett spotted the blonde-haired boy getting up behind Cardin. He reached for his sword at his waist, unsheathing it slowly. No, don't do it. Jett thought, gritting his teeth at the pain. You'll only make things worse. "You leave him alone!" the boy yelled, running at Cardin, both hands gripping the handle of his sword. He swung the blade at Cardin's head. The cruel boy smirked, and stepped to the side, avoiding the swing entirely.
"Guess I'll have to deal with you now!" he said enthusiastcially. Cardin pulled out his mace, and swung at the blonde boy's head: The hit would never connect. A split second before the hit connected, green vines wrapped around Cardin's arm holding his mace, wrenching it back, taut. A shocked Cardin dropped his mace, and looked back down the hallway. Jett followed his gaze, and smiled. "We can't leave you for five minutes without you getting into trouble, can we?" Eccon, and the rest of team JEMM walked confidently to the scene of the fight.
Matilda looked at Sky, and activated her Semblance, staring straight into his eyes. "Drop. Him. Now." she growled, her eyes flaring at the last part. Sky gave a confused look, and obeyed, dropping Jett to the floor. Matilda looked away, turning her Semblance back off again. Dove looked at Jett, and gave an evil smile. He rushed over to Jett's side to try and attack him. A glint of red shone out, and a laser cut across Dove's path, making a scorch mark on the floor. The scared boy looked up, and saw Miranda holding her arm aloft, red smoke trailing off the laser emitters she just used on her gauntlet. "No touch, Bird-brain." Miranda chastised, wagging a finger at the boy.
In all the commotion, Jett's eyes filled with electricity, and he teleported himself to JEMM's side, holding his side with his hands. "Are you okay?" Matilda asked. "No. I think four of my ribs are broken, and now my Aura is gone." Jett responded, wincing at the pain. Miranda smiled. "Then let us take care of this, fearless leader." she said, pounding her fists together. "Just give me a few minutes, and I'll be back in the fight; Aura will take care of most of it for me." Jett retorted. "Buying you time? Sounds dull, but let's try and take these guys out!" Eccon exclaimed, pulling out his own weapon. Matilda sighed, pulling out her long swords, and loading Gravity Dust in the crossguards. Cardin yanked his arm back, ripping it out of the vines enveloping it. He picked back up his mace, and slung it over his shoulder. The rest of his team pulled out their respective weapons: a bronze short-sword, twin revolver daggers, and a folding halberd.
"This will decide which deserves to be here!" Cardin exclaimed. Russel and Dove ran out from behind Cardin and attacked Matilda and Miranda. Matilda put her swords in an X, and blocked Dove's initial attack. Miranda put her gauntlets in front of her, and likewise blocked Russel's attack, his daggers bouncing off the metal on the backs. Sky targetted Jett, running towards him. "Oh, no you don't!" Eccon exclaimed, eyes lighting up. Vines erupted from the floor, and bound Sky's feet in place. Eccon turned his blade so it was facing Sky's shins, and swung. Sky swiped at his feet with his halberd, and backflipped out of the way of Eccon's weapon. The faunus boy swung his polearm around his head, and lashed out at Sky again. "I'll show you why I call my weapon: Nature's Edge!" Eccon exclaimed.
"My turn!" Cardin shouted, barreling for Jett at full speed. "No. You. Don't!" Miranda yelled, punctuating her words with blows she was taking from Russel. She pushed her attacker back about three feet, and activated her Semblance, an aura of green energy whipping around her. Miranda launched herself forward, and was within melee range of Cardin. Time seemed to slow for Jett as he watched Miranda's fist connect with Cardin's face, redirecting his attacker through the nearest wall and into the courtyard outside. The rest of Cardin's teammates looked to their fallen comrade, distracting themselves from their enemies they were fighting. Eccon and Matilda gave each other a look, and sent Sky and Russel through the hole Miranda created with a synchronized drop kick to each.
Dove looked back forward, and tried to rush Jett, who was still on the ground. Jett looked up at the attacker, and his eyes filled with yellow. The young man's Aura flared golden around him, and he activated his Semblance. Time slowed around Jett as focused on the spot right in front of where Dove was running to. Lightning cloaked his body, and he disappeared on the spot, appearing at the place he was thinking of. "Surprise!" Jett exclaimed, smiling. "I'm back in the fight!" Using his momentum, Jett Spartan-kicked the young man through the wall, creating a smaller hole next to the one Miranda created. Jett stood up, and quickly flipped out Ebony & Ivory, rushing into the fight outside.
What Jett saw was pandemonium: Matilda was fighting Sky off to the right, her blades dancing the dance of Death, weaving in and out of Sky's melee range. Eccon engaged Russel. Mr. Thrush dashed in and out of Eccon's range taking swipes at his sides, only to have the Faunus boy block his blows at the last second. Miranda engaged Cardin directly, staring down the big linebacker. He smiled, and raised his mace above his head, and smashed it into the ground. The force around the blow broke apart the pavement at his feet. Miranda looked disapprovingly at the bully. "Hmm, not impressed, prick!" she jeered. Cardin's smile contorted from a smile into a scowl immediately. The young man charged at the snide female, his mace held aloft.
"Enough.." Jett whispered to himself, clenching his hands into fists. Jett's Aura slowly started to stir around him. Multiple lights shone from beneath his eyelids, and he closed his eyes. "Enough!" Jett forced his eyes open, and his irises shone with three colours: Blue, Yellow, and Green, all segmented into a pinwheel shape within his eyes. Time slowed to a stop around Jett, yellow lightning wreathed all of Jett's limbs, and a blue time warp started to form around Cardin. Jett's face contorted into a grimmace, and he teleported directly to Cardin's front. Jett turned off Time Dilation, and time went back to normal, losing two colours from his eyes, leaving the glowing blue hue to his eyes. "W-What...How did you..?" Cardin stuttered, shocked as Jett just appeared in front of him suddenly. "Two words: Mirror Blade." Jett huffed.
On command, time distorted around the two of them. Mirror images of Jett appeared all around them, swords outstretched. "Why...How..?" Cardin stuttered again. "This is my place." Jett explained. "Doesn't mean that I still can't kill you!" Cardin yelled. The young man took a single step forward, and two copies of Jett dashed across Cardin faster than he could react, raking their blades across his sides. The young man fell to a knee, clutching his side. Jett bent down, and looked Cardin in the eye.
"Don't. Ever. Hurt. My. Team. Again. Are we clear?" Jett growled. Cardin spit in Jett's eye. The young Hunter blinked once, and wiped the spit away, frowning. He snapped his fingers together, and five more Jett's winked into existence, and repeated the same actions as their first copies. Carin fell to the ground in pain, gasping for breath. Jett grabbed the bully by the hair, and yanked him up into a sitting position. "Last chance. Leave them alone, or else?" If hate could be felt in terms of heat, Jett was sure that Cardin was close to a nuclear meltdown at the moment. The boy spit out a glob of blood on to the ground. "...fine." Cardin said through his teeth. Jett smiled. "Then, we're done here." Jett's eyes returned to their natural colour, and he slumped down slightly in exhaustion.
Author's Note:
Hello, everyone! Molvefman24 here! I just wanted to say that I'm overjoyed that my fanfic has gotten the buzz it has recieved thus far. I know my writing skills are not the greatest, and I have a long way to go before I'm one of the greats. Since I have you guys here, I'd like to address something that has come to my attention. I have been getting several reviews that have been less than ideal, and that's fine. The first two I recieved were decent critism, albeit a bit misplaced. The last one I recieved is why I wanted to make this Author's note. Like I said, I appreciate all your responses to Dark Rose. But constructive critism is needed for me to know what I need to improve on, not the deprication of other people who like my work. I am writing Dark Rose because I enjoy writing it, and I figured others would, as well. So, I'm not going to stop writing when someone tells me it's bad, with no further critism on the material. That being said, thank you for enjoying Chapter 19 of Dark Rose! I hope you enjoy all my future content, too!