Chapter 7: Rocket Man
Elton Jobe was once part of a well-established family in Atlas. Due to his upbringing, everyone expected him to do great things. In his youth, he picked up playing the piano. Slowly it became his passion, but not everyone cared for it.
Whenever he would play for his family, it was never good enough. The boy was scolded for his performance. Everyone who had listened to his performances always had the same feelings. It caused Elton to give up on his passion for many years until one day.
One day his family traveled from Atlas to Vacuo on a business venture. Away from the bright lights that polluted the night sky, Elton, for the first time, saw the stars! The stars enamored the boy as he could now see the beauty of space.
Captivated, he wanted to express how it made him feel to see such beauty. That was the moment that sparked his love for piano once more. However, instead of having an audience full of people, his audience was the stars above.
The more he played, the more Elton wished he could be up there with the stars themselves. To soar like a rocket to join the only other audience to his music besides himself. Not too long after was when he was shot by the Stand Arrow!
His Stand manifested itself as his deepest desire. After years of being in the institution, he joined with their main initiative. All he had to do was guard the one who held the arrow, and he would be able to watch the stars and play for them.
That was all he wanted to do in life. He never really cared for others since they never cared for him. His family was indifferent to him, and he never had friends. But as long as he could follow his heart through his music, then he would be happy.
Now he was waiting for his targets to sleep or at least let down their guard. Soon he would kill them and continue working on his performance!
Elton watched from the rooftops. He stared at the window he knew belonged to the room his targets resided. The Stand User waited for the light to turn off, indicating that they were going to sleep. When the lights went out, he smiled as he hopped off the roof of the adjacent building.
As he fell, his Stand appeared behind him. It took on the form of a robotic spaceship, one that looked like it could transform (Basically, a Transformer). His Stand hit his legs, causing thrusters to form, slowing his fall.
When he reached the ground, he was safe and sound. Using his Stand, he made the thrusters disappear. The Stand User proceeded to walk across the street to enter the hotel, but he stopped short when the doors opened.
The Stand Trio exited the building and began to walk down the street. Surprised at the sudden development, Elton stayed behind before following them. He remained in the shadows as he followed and listened in to their conversation.
"Couldn't we stay one more night in that hotel?" Richard complained as they walked.
"It's too risky, Richard. We need to be constantly on the move to avoid being detected by the enemy." Joshua explained.
"JoJo's right. With the institution's resources, it won't be too hard to find us." Max agreed.
"Still, did we have to do it in the middle of the night?" Richard questioned.
"It's the best option compared to doing it in broad daylight." Joshua pointed out.
As they continued towards their new hotel, Elton followed them. Going on for a half an hour, taking many twists and turns, they continued. It was as if the Stand Trio wanted to do their best to lose any tails before they get to the new hotel.
"Something like this won't stop me." Elton thought as he watched the Stand Trio.
Joshua could feel it. He always could. Ever since the fight with Camera Man, he became more aware of when he was being watched. It was just a feeling he would get. Without looking behind him, Joshua tried to figure out whether his gut feeling was real.
Mainly he used the windows and other reflective surfaces to look. However, none of them were adequate to confirm his suspicions. Joshua tapped Max's arm to get his attention, and without saying a word, his comrade understood his thoughts.
Max summoned a single knife, and, while keeping it concealed, used it to look behind them. Whoever was tailing them was good, but Max spotted them briefly before they disappeared. With the confirmation that they were being followed, the trio broke from their path.
"How are we going to approach this?" Max inquired.
"Don't know, but first things first, we need to get the user out in the open," Joshua answered.
"Wait, we're being followed?" Richard questioned.
"Yeah, don't look behind us. We don't want to let our tail know we know they're there." Joshua responded.
Now on a new path, they led their tail to a secluded area, one where they could fight them without citizens getting in the way. Soon they found an empty street with not a single person around them.
"This will have to do," Joshua stated.
"What if people come on the street?" Max asked.
"Hopefully, whatever battle ensues will scare them off," Joshua answered.
Suddenly Max summoned his Stand and shot a knife straight behind them. The knife soared and imbedded itself in a wall just missing Elton. Knowing that he had been found, Elton emerged from his hiding spot and walked in front of the Stand Trio.
"Alright, let's skip the semantics. Who are you, and what is your Stand?" Joshua questioned.
"Slow down there, Joshua Joestar. We just came face to face. I will give you my name, but as for my Stand, you'll have to find out." Elton replied.
"The name is Elton Jobe, and I am here to kill you all." Elton introduced himself.
"The other Stand Users failed at exactly that. What makes you think you will be different?" Max asked.
"That's easy. It is because the higher-ups are done playing games with you, so they sent me an A brand to take care of you." Elton explained.
"Though I have to say to have spotted me following you so easily, I can see why the institution wants you dead. You may just get the arrow in Vale." Elton added.
Taking a closer look, they saw that Elton had light blonde hair and wore flamboyant clothing. It was a wonder how he had followed them for so long without being noticed.
"That does sound much more dangerous than the others." Richard pointed out.
"True, but we still have the numbers," Joshua argued.
"Numbers won't matter with my Stand!" Elton smirked.
"Let's see if you can live up to such words!" Max shouted as he threw several knives at Elton.
However, before the knives had any chance to connect, Elton shot up to the air. His legs had sprouted thrusters just as he did when he jumped off the building. This time they allowed him to hover in the air!
Noting this, none of the Stand Trio made any assumptions on his power. They knew that there could be more to his Stand's power. This proved right when Elton dropped from the sky and attacked them.
Elton's Stand appeared behind him and attacked Joshua, who blocked with his Crimson Destiny. The second Elton's Stand hit Crimson Destiny, a thruster appeared on Joshua's left arm! With the new attachment on his body, the thruster caused Joshua to shoot off into a street lamp.
Joshua's aura took a small hit from the impact with the lamp, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. After seeing Joshua get hit with Elton's Stand Max and Richard took a step back from the enemy, knowing it was safer to fight from a distance.
Max proceeded to throw more knives at Elton, but the enemy Stand User managed to avoid each one. Elton had used his Stand to create more thrusters to push himself out of the way of Max's knives and over Richard's cards.
Watching from afar, Joshua waited for a chance to catch Elton off guard. While his Stand was not as good at combat from a distance like Max and Richard's, he was able to throw items at high speeds.
However, as he went to grab something to throw at Elton, the thruster on his left arm ignited again. Once more, Joshua was sent flying. However, this time he hit Max, causing both Stand Users to fall to the ground.
"What the hell!" Joshua shouted.
"What are you doing?" Max questioned.
"It's this thruster! It blasted me over here." Joshua stated.
Taking this chance, Elton used his Stand to hit both Joshua and Max causing another thruster to appear on Joshua's back and one to appear on Max's right leg. The two attempted to get back up, but as soon as they moved, the thrusters activated again.
"Oh shit!" Max cursed as the thruster ignited.
Joshua and Max were thrown around by the thrusters, unable to move freely. It seemed that whenever they would move any part of their body, the thruster would turn on. Now only Richard was free to move against Elton as the two stared at one another.
"And then there was one," Elton smirked.
"What is your Stand doing to them?!" Richard questioned.
"Since there is not much you can do against it, I will enlighten you about my Stand." Elton began.
"My Stand is called Rocket Man, and with it, I can create thrusters on anything I punch. When a thruster is on a person, however, things get interesting." Elton continued.
"Whenever a person moves, the thruster will activate, sending them flying away. But that's not all! My thrusters are also powered by chemical energy in a person's body." Elton explained.
Chemical energy is the energy food generates when it is eaten. It is what gives us the power to do all that we do every day! It ranges from allowing us to move our body or even speak!
"What happens when it runs out of fuel?" Richard asked.
"That is the best part. They explode, killing whoever they are attached to instantly regardless of aura." Elton smiled.
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"Not good, that means we can't move!" Joshua cursed as he tried using his Crimson Destiny only to activate the thrusters on his body once more.
"It's up to Richard now." Max pointed out.
"Also, just to let you know, the more thrusters you have on your body, the faster it consumes the energy in your body," Elton stated.
Summoning his Stand, Richard took two card whips one in each hand. Richard attempted to hit Elton, but the enemy Stand User was too fast with his thrusters. Suddenly Elton created a thruster on his back, causing him to shoot towards Richard at a frightening speed.
With nowhere to run and no way to dodge, Richard was cornered with no means of defending himself. But then suddenly, one of his cards shot out and enlarged itself into a shield! Unlike before with Camera Man, where he used the entire Stand to protect himself, a singular card was defending him!
"So I can use individual cards like this! That can be very useful if I use it right." Richard thought.
However, when Elton's Stand hit the card, a thruster appeared, pushing it back. But anticipating that it would happen, Richard managed to get out of the way just in time. Now in close range, Richard struck Elton with his House of Cards.
Elton reeled from the pain of Richards attack, but his aura dulled the pain allowing the User to continue fighting. He knew that he couldn't fight up against Elton in close quarters, so now he was on the defensive.
Now with the knowledge of using individual cards as weapons and shields. Each time one of his cards was hit, a thruster was put on it though thankfully, it did not reflect on his body. It seemed that when a card was independent from the main body of his Stand, it did not reflect on his own.
Soon he made another discovery in that the thrusters would disappear if he shrunk the card. It seemed as if they only could work on something of considerable size. That made sense, for if it was too small, then it wouldn't do much or have much fuel.
"Well, this is the first time I ever encountered someone who could counter my Stand like this. Though I do have to admit it is fascinating." Elton stated.
"Let us see how much you can do!" Elton laughed as he attacked Richard.
In response, Richard used his cards to make a dome around him to protect himself from Elton's attacks. However, with each strike, a thruster was made on the card, pushing it back. To avoid any of his cards from hitting him, Richard turned the cards 180 degrees and spun the dome.
As the dome spun around, Elton jumped back to avoid being hit by the cards as they spun around Richard at high speeds. Soon the cards shrunk and returned to their original size before forming the humanoid body of House of Cards.
Seeing that he was getting nowhere, Richard backed away from Elton and tried to think of a plan of attack. Unlike Joshua or Max, he had not fully mastered his Stand just yet. But he felt like he was close that he would soon fully understand his Stand.
Though that being said, he wasn't used to fights like this. Back in Mistral, when he was still a thief, Richard would corner his target and catch them off guard. If that didn't work, he always had the advantage of knowing the layout of Mistral better than his target leading them into a trap.
But now he was in unfamiliar territory. Richard did not know the layout of Vale that well. Nor did he know how to fight, such as Joshua or Max. At that moment, a thought came to mind. Did he have to fight like Joshua and Max?
He fought in his own way, but how would he do it now? As he kept Elton far from a distance with his whips, Richard looked at his surroundings to find something that could help him. His eyes then set on a nearby dust shop.
"That's it! If I use my cards the right way then…" Richard realized as he retracted his cards and ran.
Elton was confused at first when he saw Richard run, but when he saw the dust shop, he knew exactly what he had planned. He was going to use the dust inside to make his attacks that much stronger against him. Or just coat his cards to prevent him from hitting them.
"I'm not going to let you get any of that dust!" Elton declared as he shot towards the dust shop past Richard with the help of his thrusters.
Soon Elton broke through the window of the dust shop as Richard entered. Elton blocked his fellow Stand User from the dust that was inside. With his passage to the dust blocked, it seemed that Richard was back at square one.
"Nice try Speedwagon, but I am not letting you use this dust," Elton smirked.
"Even if you did, there would not be much you could do with it against me. With my thrusters, I could move out of the way before you could ever use it!" Elton boasted.
"That's where you're wrong." Richard smiled, confusing Elton.
"What are you smiling about Speedwagon? I've got you cornered!" Elton asked.
"Not true, in fact, I have cornered you!" Richard declared.
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"Excuse me?!" Elton questioned.
"Take a better look at your surroundings, Mr. Elton Jobe," Richard suggested.
Elton looked around and noticed what Richard had meant. All the containers of the powdered dust also the crystalline have been scattered all around the floor. Then he saw Richard's House of Cards holding a fire dust crystal. It was small and had a line of cards going back to Richard.
"He sent his Stand ahead to wreck the store. This whole thing was a trap!" Elton realized.
"Here's the thing I realized during our fight. I'm not like Joshua or Max. I fight in my own way by putting my enemies in a trap and fighting them on my terms." Richard began.
"That is the true nature of my Stand not to engage in close combat, though it can, it's true purpose was to trap my enemies in its namesake a house of cards." Richard continued.
"And as long as my Stand is not in its humanoid form, then any damage done will not reflect on me!" Richard declared as he retracted his House of Cards and formed a cage around Elton.
Just as Richard said, this is the true nature of his Stand! To create structures or walls to entrap enemies and with its razor-sharp edges, it can cut the User's enemy to shreds if needed. But now it serves to trap Elton in a shop rigged to blow!
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Richard jumped out of the way as the dust shop exploded in a violent fury. He looked over to see Elton Jobe on the ground with his aura broken and several burns all over his body. Soon Richard was joined by Joshua, and Max now freed from their thrusters as he approached Elton.
"Great job Richard, you managed to take out the Stand User all on your own." Joshua congratulated.
"Thank you JoJo, though that being said, it was not easy," Richard replied.
"I just wish you could have seen his ability coming JoJo." Max sighed as he rubbed his leg were the thruster was.
"Sadly, he was too fast for it to even matter," Joshua stated.
As they got to Elton, the sound of sirens and approaching people grew, indicating they wouldn't be alone for long. Acting quickly, Joshua picked up Elton, and they ran off, but before they left, Max picked up what seemed to be Elton's scroll.
Soon they reached an empty alleyway where Joshua tossed Elton onto the ground. The Stand User was still alive, and Joshua hoped that he could shed some light on some things. Though that would be very doubtful.
"Wow, you'd think that someone like him would have a password on his scroll," Max said as he opened Elton's scroll.
"He doesn't have any contacts nor any recent call history, meaning he could have deleted the history." Max began.
"However, he does have some pictures of us and descriptions of our Stands. That and several gigabytes of music." Max finished as he played one of the songs.
The scroll played a beautiful sound of a piano playing. It surprised them that their attacker had such tastes. They played several of the songs, and each one was of a piano. Upon hearing his own music, Elton began to stir, seeing the Stand Trio listening to his songs on his scroll.
"No…those are…they are not for you!" Elton muttered, catching the Stand Trio's attention.
"What do you mean?" Joshua asked.
"Those songs are meant for my ears only and for the stars," Elton stated weakly.
"The stars, what is that supposed to mean?" Richard questioned, confused at what he meant.
"No one likes my performances. That is why I only play for myself and the stars above." Elton explained.
"Really well, that's pretty odd. I think these sound pretty good." Max replied.
"Yeah, it's nice. Sounds like something you would hear in a theater." Joshua agreed.
"I've never been much for music like this, but even I find myself captivated by the sound." Richard smiled.
Elton began to tear up at the words the Stand Trio spoke. For the first time in his life, someone had complimented his music. He could see that they were truthful that they really did enjoy the sound of his music.
"No one has ever enjoyed my music," Elton said as he began to tear up, and the Stand Trio walked towards him.
"Listen, you are seriously injured. If nothing is done, you will most likely die." Joshua began as he knelt down next to Elton.
"If you answer our questions, I promise to take you to a hospital." Joshua finished.
"Ask away. I can no longer fight. You are the victor. I no longer have the will to fight against you." Elton replied.
With his defeat and the kind words from the Stand Trio, all of Elton's will to fight was gone. Even though he was ordered to kill the three Stand Users before him, he couldn't bring himself to do so. The words they spoke had touched his heart, one that he shut closed years ago.
"Where is the Stand User with the arrow? What is his name? And furthermore, what is his power?" Joshua inquired.
"His name is Angus Bolt. At first glance, he is a human, but in reality, he is a wolf faunus." Elton began.
"I only met him once, but he hides his wolf ears under a blue hat and the arrow in his coat. I don't know much about his Stand though I know that it is much stronger than mine." Elton continued.
"You must be careful against him, for he won't hesitate to just kill you fast. At the moment, I don't know if you are strong enough to take him on." Elton explained.
"Finally, for where he is, I don't know. But I do know where he will be. He is going to sneak into Beacon academy during a dance being held in a couple of days." Elton went on.
"Every student and teacher will be there, leaving the academy almost entirely defenseless. He will hide there, scouting the best students to target, and well, I think you can guess the rest." Elton finished.
"How do we know you're not lying?" Max asked.
"He's not lying, I can tell. After years of being on the streets in Mistral, I learned how to tell exactly whether or not someone is lying, and he is telling the truth." Richard responded.
"I see. So if it is true, such an event would make it easy for any Stand User to sneak in." Max pointed out.
"Alright then in a few days, we will intercept this Angus Bolt at Beacon and take the arrow from him," Joshua stated as he picked up Elton.
"Now, let's get him to a hospital," Joshua added.
Name: Elton Jobe.
Stand: Rocket Man.
Type: Close Range Battle.
Brand: A.
Ability: To create a rocket thruster on anything it punches. If it forms one on a person, it uses the chemical energy in their body as fuel.
Every time a person moves their body, the thruster will activate, and if it runs out of fuel, they explode!
The User themselves can also use the thrusters on command when they create them on their body!
Status: Surrender.
Next-Day Beacon…
Currently, Team RWBY was separated, doing several things around Beacon. For the past couple of days, they had been helping setting up the dance since Team CFVY had yet to return from their mission. However, Blake had been less than helpful in the past few days.
Ever since the battle with Torchwick, she has been investigating the White Fang non stop. She rarely slept, and in classes, she was barely present. It worried her team to no end, and if that wasn't bad enough, Weiss was starting to do the same.
Though not at the same degree as Blake, she did occasionally stay up late to research the Brando Institution. She had explained her suspicions that Joshua Joestar might know more about her brother than he was letting on, and she wanted to know what.
Weiss couldn't find much information about the institution itself, and any she did she already knew were mostly lies. So instead, she focused on finding Joshua Joestar once more and ask him again about her brother to no luck.
Thankfully though, in her case, she agreed to make sure she rested and enjoy herself at the dance. Though she planned on going, the main attraction for many was having a date, and she had no one in mind as she sat in her dorm room thinking about it.
Initially, she was going to ask Neptune to the dance, but she knew that wasn't an option when she learned he was kind of a playboy. She didn't really have anyone else in mind to ask, and as she thought about it, Ruby and Yang entered the dorm room.
"Hey, Weiss, whatya doing?" Yang asked as she and Ruby entered.
"Oh, uh nothing. Where have you two been?" Weiss inquired.
"Ruby and I got our dresses for the dance," Yang answered, showing off her new white dress.
"Isn't white my color?" Weiss questioned.
"So doesn't mean I can't wear it too," Yang smirked.
"I just wish I didn't need to wear a dress. I just want to wear my hood." Ruby sighed as she held hers.
Ruby's was a red dress with black highlights. When Weiss saw it, she imagined what Ruby would look like in the clothing. As the image came to mind, she felt her face heat up at the very thought. Weiss didn't know why, but such things started happening a while ago.
When she first met Ruby, she couldn't stand her very presence and attitude. But as time went on, they got much closer and became much more than just partners. They were friends and like a family, just like she considered the rest of her team.
However, recently Weiss caught herself staring at Ruby sometimes for extended periods. She didn't know why, but Ruby seemed more appealing to her lately. Weiss didn't fully understand these feelings that were budding inside of her, but maybe one day, she would.
Sometimes she felt that the feelings were similar to a crush, but she laughed at the thought. But what if it was true? Shaking her head Weiss pushed the thoughts aside as she wanted to focus on what she had to do next.
"Well, now that you two are back, we can finish setting up the ballroom," Weiss stated as she got up.
"Alright, I think the smoke machines arrived today too, so it's perfect timing!" Yang exclaimed as they headed out of the dorm.
But as they left, Weiss couldn't help but feel like she was being watched. She turned around but saw no one and nothing there. Continuing on, they went to the ballroom, not noticing the moving shadows behind them.
Unknown Location…
"Sir, why do you choose to watch them like this? I could give you a more accurate picture with my Stand." Anthony inquired.
"I do not need a picture, Anthony. All I need to know is where Weiss Schnee is." The Dark Figured answered.
"I'm sorry for questioning you, Sir. I am just confused about why you choose to watch her." Anthony apologized.
"There is no need to apologize. I just want to make sure I know where she is at all times. This way, when Walter Schnee finally comes out of the shadows and becomes a thorn in my side, I have something to use against him." The Dark Figure explained.
"I see with the life of his sister on the line, he wouldn't be too much of a threat," Anthony replied.
"That is not why I'm doing this. The real reason is to make him come out on our terms then kill him." The Dark Figure clarified.
"For now, I will continue to test Joshua Joestar." The Dark Figure added.
"And if he were to get his hands on the arrow in Vale?" Anthony inquired.
"Then Davion will get the fun he has been searching for along with Zero-G." The Dark Figure responded.
Vale…
"A-A-Angus, what do you want?" A young boy wearing a blue and red baseball cap and matching shirt asked as he backed up from Angus Bolt, who stood before him.
Angus wore a blue wool hat as well as a black coat. His pants were the same color of black while his shoes were a dark blue, much like his eyes. Though unseen to the eye under his hat, he had blue hair with matching wolf ears.
"I'm here because I want your assistance on something Scotty," Angus stated as he walked closer to the now named Scotty.
"B-B-B-But I'm just a C brand. What could an A brand like you have use for me?" Scotty questioned.
"Well, word around the street is that you have failed nearly every mission you were assigned. If you keep that up, the higher-ups might just kill you." Angus began.
"If you help me with my mission, they might just spare you." Angus asserted.
"But I'm just a kid. I'm not good at this stuff, let alone fighting. My Stand Balloon Boy wasn't meant for that!" Scotty cried.
"Don't worry, I am not here to make you fight. All you have to do is steal an arrow from our enemy." Angus stated.
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"Do you mean a Stand arrow?" Scotty asked.
"Yep, that's right. Currently, there is one in the hands of some people looking to take down the institution, and you are going to steal it back when they come after my arrow." Angus explained.
"That being said, you can always refuse. But if you do refuse…" Angus began before placing a hand on Scotty's shoulder with some blue electricity sparking on his hand.
"I'll kill you right here right now," Angus stated, scaring Scotty, who nodded.
Elsewhere…
"So, how are we going to train our Stands?" Richard asked.
"It's going to be different for all of us in what area we want to improve in." Joshua began.
"Personally, I am going to work out to increase my normal strength. If what happens to a Stand can physically affect us, then the reverse should also be possible." Joshua explained.
"Maybe then I won't injure myself when I hit something stronger than steel," Joshua added.
"I am just going to practice with my Stand and new techniques to use," Max stated.
"I guess I should master using my own Stand as well," Richard replied.
"How many days are there to this dance anyway?" Max inquired.
"We have four days to get ready. Honestly, I think it's plenty of time to be prepared, and afterward, if no, when we defeat this Angus Bolt, we should continue training so that we can get stronger." Joshua answered.
"It's true we can't just stay like we are currently forever because who knows how strong the people in charge are." Max agreed.
"Max, I was also hoping that you can teach me some of your family's pressure point techniques just in case." Joshua requested.
"Sure, I don't mind, but just to let you know, they're pretty hard, so be prepared for that." Max accepted.
===To Be Continued===
Next Time…A Dance to Remember
Author's Note:
Hey, guys hope you all enjoyed the chapter! If you noticed, this chapter was written a little bit differently than the previous ones. That is because I've seen the reviews about the run-on sentences or run-in or whatever.
So I've been working on my grammar and sentence structure ability and downloaded a program to help me with it. So hopefully, from now on, that problem will be gone. I will also edit the previous chapters to fix the issue as well.
Beyond that about the whole bit with Team RWBY in this chapter. I will be doing Whiterose for this story cause I couldn't think of another pairing for Weiss in this story (cause it will be important later on in another part)
So I just decided to do Whiterose for I didn't want to make an OC for Weiss cause then I would also need to make a whole team with a backstory and all so yeah. Plus, I can't pair any of the Stand Trio with them because they are way older, so that would be borderline pedophilia.
Also, I know that how I write specific dialogue and sections in this story may be confusing. So if you guys need a legend or anything, just ask I will add one in right away! Anyway, that's all I have for now. See you guys next chapter!