Chapter 8: A Dance to Remember
Somewhere In Vale…
"Alright, kid, you remember the plan, right?" Angus questioned.
"Yes, sir." Scotty stuttered.
"Good, I know you don't want to disappoint," Angus smirked as they stood in the shadow of Beacon.
One Day Before Beacon Dance…
"Now, a critical point to remember is right here just under the chin by the neck," Max instructed as he pointed to the pressure point.
Currently, the Zeppeli was teaching his comrades his family's pressure point technique. He was teaching them the key points to memorize, such as the ones to increase and decrease aura's power and to paralyze individual limbs.
Joshua and Richard had managed to memorize most of them though they decided that the ones pertaining to aura would be more useful to them. Since they couldn't be as accurate with their Stands, they were more helpful.
It was the last day before the dance, and the Stand Trio were preparing for their upcoming battle with Angus Bolt, the Stand User with the arrow. After getting his description from Elton Jobe and confirming it with the picture they had of him.
For the past couple of days, they have been training for this fight beyond just learning a few of the Zeppeli family's techniques. Joshua began lifting weights at a local gym while accompanied by Richard and Max, who both trained in better mastering their Stands.
"So, what is the plan of attack here because it's not like we can just waltz into Beacon?" Richard questioned.
"That's true without special permission, nonstudents can't enter the campus. That being said, that also calls into question how Angus will get there as well." Max pointed out.
"Well, seeing as the User of Road Rage was able to get his hands on a bullhead, so it's not out of the question for him to get one as well. He even could have another user fly him there and drop them off, after all, security will be low during the dance." Joshua replied.
"Good point, but that being said, it's not like we can steal a bullhead to get up there, nor can we stop him from getting there," Richard said.
"What if we did steal a bullhead, though. By going on one of the last bullheads to Beacon and incapacitate the pilot. Very few students take late-night rides back to Beacon." Joshua suggested.
"Really, are you sure it could work if?" Max inquired.
"If we're caught, we'd be in bigger trouble than we were in back in Mistral." Max pointed out.
"I know, but I am willing to do anything in order to stop the institution as long as it does not put innocent lives at stake," Joshua responded.
"But if we were to do this, who could fly it. I know I can't, and since you can't even drive a car, I doubt you could, JoJo. So unless Richard can fly a bullhead, that plan is a bust," Max stated as he and Joshua looked at Richard.
"I've never flown a bullhead, but I have flown a smaller aircraft when I was evading the police in Mistral. However, I couldn't make a proper landing, so I crashed it." Richard told.
"It'll have to do, though, if you could please try to refrain from crashing the bullhead." Joshua requested.
"I can't make any promises, but I will try," Richard replied.
"Okay, so if we do make it onto Beacon grounds without getting caught, how will we find and engage Angus because we have no idea where he'll be entering Beacon from?" Max asked.
"I mean, if he is coming in from a bullhead, then we would have to see it, right?" Richard replied.
"True, but seeing as they don't want to get caught, I doubt he would be stupid enough to just fly in. If anything, he could have another user use their Stand to disguise the bullhead or even do something else to not get caught." Joshua pointed out.
"So, most of this is going to be based on luck?" Max inquired.
"I wouldn't say that we can always look all around Beacon because we won't be leaving that school until we find him," Joshua responded.
"This isn't the greatest plan in the world." Richard sighed.
"Sadly, with such a short timespan to plan this out and no idea how Angus plans on getting into Beacon, it's the best we have," Joshua replied.
"Okay, so when we find this guy, what's the plan? Do we incapacitate him and take the arrow, or do we capture him so we can get information out of him?" Max questioned.
"As much as I would like to say that we could get information out of him, I'm doubtful we will. However, we will be taking his arrow, and that will definitely get the attention of the higher-ups." Joshua answered.
"That means that they'll be more serious when it comes to killing us, doesn't it?" Richard asked.
"I'm afraid so," Max answered.
Beacon Dorms Next Day…
Weiss stood in front of the mirror, looking at herself in her dress. She was happy with her choice of attire, but something felt missing. It wasn't something about her dress but something about the dance itself that night.
Though she and Yang had organized the whole thing due to Team CFVY's absence, there still something that wasn't quite right, and Weiss had a feeling of what it was. She had no date for the dance, and while most of her team didn't either nor her friends, most of the other students would.
It felt like a blow to her confidence that someone as dignified as her, the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, couldn't find a date. Weiss was taken out of her thoughts when Ruby exited the bathroom now in her own dress, and the sight made Weiss's face heat up.
"Hey, Weiss, I didn't know you were still here," Ruby said as she shifted in embarrassment.
!
Ruby's dress looked even better on her than Weiss had imagined. The red dress clung to her body, complimenting her natural colors. As Ruby struggled to walk in her heels, she noticed Weiss staring at her.
"Is something wrong? Does the dress look bad on me?!" Ruby questioned in a panic.
"N-N-No, you look great, Ruby, and for once, like a proper lady." Weiss stuttered.
"Hey!" Ruby pouted, not happy for the last comment.
"Just take the compliment, Ruby," Weiss smirked.
"You look nice as well in your dress, too, Weiss." Ruby complimented, blushing a little.
"But what are you still doing here? I thought that you were going to ahead to the dance?" Ruby asked.
"Oh yeah, I was, but I just got held up in some thoughts. Since you're ready now, let's go together." Weiss answered.
"Okay." Ruby smiled as the two walked out of their dorm.
Though since Ruby wasn't used to wearing heels, Weiss had to help her walk. Ruby had to put her left arm around Weiss's shoulder eventually just so she didn't fall. The entire act embarrassed Weiss in more than one way.
"Why am I so self-conscious about this?" Weiss questioned as she and Ruby made it to the ballroom.
But as they walked in, Weiss noticed a bullhead flying overhead very recklessly. In fact, it almost seemed like it was barely keeping itself up before it disappeared from sight. Ignoring it, the two girls entered the ballroom seeing Yang in front.
"Oh, Ruby, you look so beautiful!" Yang exclaimed as she looked at Ruby in her dress.
"If you say so, but this dress is so stuffy, and I can barely walk in these heels," Ruby complained.
"Thanks, Weiss." Ruby thanked as she got off of Weiss's shoulder.
"So, how's the dance so far?" Weiss inquired.
"It's going pretty good so far, so you two go have fun!" Yang smiled.
"What about Blake?" Ruby asked.
"She'll be here soon, trust me," Yang assured.
"She better because she's overexerting herself." Weiss sighed.
"Like I said, she'll be here soon, so go and enjoy yourselves," Yang replied. Ruby and Weiss then left Yang to enjoy the party, but since Ruby wasn't really a fan of dances and Weiss was just not feeling it, they ended up by the punch bowl.
"So Weiss, what do you want to do first?" Ruby asked.
"I'm probably just going to look over the dance. My heart is just not in it." Weiss responded as she turned to leave.
"No! please don't leave me alone!" Ruby cried.
"Ruby, what's the matter?!" Weiss questioned.
"I don't want to sit here all alone. It will be so boring!" Ruby explained.
"Fine." Weiss sighed, knowing that Ruby would put up too much of a fuss about it.
The two stood next to one another as the dance went on. To their relief, Yang was correct as they saw Blake enter with Sun before dancing with Yang. As Ruby watched Yang and Blake dance, she felt left out.
Soon as she watched them, she imagined her and Weiss doing the same dancing with one another slowly. It had been a while since Ruby had begun to see Weiss in a different light. Every time she had looked at her partner, it made her heart skip a beat, and she didn't exactly know why.
"Maybe I like Weiss. But I can't say for sure I mean I've never liked a person like this before. Should I ask Weiss to dance with me?" Ruby wondered. The very thought made Ruby blush as she shifted next to Weiss, who noticed her odd behavior.
"Is something wrong?" Weiss asked.
"Nope, nothing's wrong," Ruby answered.
"Though it is boring, just sitting around. If we have to be here, it wouldn't be so bad to dance." Ruby added a big blush on her face.
"Really, you want to dance. I thought you wanted to just stand here. If you want to dance, then go." Weiss replied.
"Well yeah, but uh…" Ruby stuttered.
"Hey, you two, I see that you both are hiding over here." Jaune greeted as he joined to two huntresses in training.
"Oh, hey Jaune, what are you doing?" Ruby asked as she was almost shocked at his joining.
"Just coming over since everyone else is having fun or has a date," Jaune answered.
"Sorry again for rejecting you, but I wasn't interested." Weiss apologized.
"No, it's fine. I get it," Jaune replied.
"Why don't the two of you dance? It would be good for the both of you." Weiss suggested.
"Well, uh, I was actually hoping that we could…" Ruby began.
"I actually uh…" Jaune stuttered, surprised at the suggestion.
"What it's perfect, right, you both don't have a date anyway." Weiss pointed out.
"Well yeah, but I don't think I would be a good partner to dance with Jaune. I think Pyrrha would be better." Ruby replied.
"What do you mean Pyrrha would rather dance with her date." Jaune laughed.
"Date? What do you mean, Pyrrha is all alone." Ruby stated.
"Pyrrha doesn't have a date, are you sure?" Jaune asked.
"I mean, she's all alone right now, so I'm pretty sure," Weiss responded as Jaune turned around to see Pyrrha alone in a corner.
"Pyrrha never even said anything about coming alone." Jaune gasped.
"I'll see you two later. I have a promise to keep." Jaune said as he left the two girls.
"What is he talking about?" Ruby wondered.
"I have no idea," Weiss replied.
"So, I guess you'll have to dance without a partner," Weiss stated as she got a cup of punch.
"Well, actually, Weiss, I was thinking that we could…dance together," Ruby suggested.
"You…you want to dance with me?" Weiss questioned.
"Well, I mean Yang and Blake dance, and well I…uh." Ruby stuttered.
Weiss was at a loss for words from Ruby's suggestion. She didn't know what to say as several thoughts went through her head at once. Did Ruby like her? Was this just a dance between partners? Should she agree to the dance?
"I…uh…well, I guess it wouldn't hurt," Weiss replied.
"Really! Well, we should go to the dance floor then." Ruby said.
The two girls went to the dance floor and began to dance with one another. It was awkward at first since Ruby didn't know exactly how to dance, but eventually, Weiss began to guide her. They slowly got in tune with one another as their friends looked at them in surprise.
"Is Ruby and Weiss dancing with one another?" Yang questioned.
"That is an odd sight," Blake commented.
"Weren't you two just dancing with one another not two minutes ago?" Sun asked.
"Good point." Yang smiled.
Ruby and Weiss continued dancing, finally getting into a solid rhythm where Ruby wouldn't trip and fall. They seemed to take center stage as everyone made a circle around them. As they continued to dance, the world seemed to disappear as they stared into each other's eyes.
"I never realized how beautiful Ruby was. But why do I feel like this? I never felt this way towards another girl before?" Weiss questioned.
"Weiss is so close! Why am I panicking?!" Ruby wondered.
The two seemed to get closer and closer until they were inches apart. Something seemed to be almost pulling them together until they heard the roar of laughter fill the ballroom. They turned to see what everyone was laughing at seeing Jaune walking up to Pyrrha in a white dress.
"Is that Jaune in a dress?!" Weiss questioned.
"Maybe that is the promise he made." Ruby pointed out.
"I think we've had enough, so let's go and get some punch," Weiss suggested as she backed away from Ruby with a light blush.
"Oh, uh yeah, that's sounds nice." Ruby agreed.
As they left the dance floor, Team JNPR took center stage performing an amazing synchronized dance. Everyone cheered them on as they danced but unknown to them, two things occurred outside the ballroom.
It did not go unnoticed to them for long as the lights and all other electronics that were plugged in lost power as thunder rang through the area. They flickered on and off, startling many as it also occurred throughout Beacon before returning to normal.
"What was that?" Nora wondered.
"Maybe it was a short power outage," Jaune suggested.
"Since when did Beacon get power outages?" Ren questioned.
Outside, the second thing that went unnoticed experienced the same effect. Cinder Fall was about to infiltrate the CCT when the power outage occurred. The event intrigued her, and she planned on checking it out before she returned to the dance. As she went to break into the CCT, she didn't go unnoticed by Ruby and Weiss.
"Who was that?" Weiss questioned.
"I don't know, but I think we should check it out," Ruby replied as the two exited the ballroom.
Earlier…
Joshua, Max, and Richard breathed heavily as they sat behind one of the buildings by the bullhead landing pad, having successfully gotten onto the school grounds. Their plan had worked but was harder than expected due to some Beacon students being on the ship.
To make sure that the pilot did question them and reveal to the students that they weren't supposed to be there, they had to use their Stands to knock out the pilot. Since Richard couldn't go up and pilot the bullhead himself, he had to use his Stand with the help of Joshua and Max's.
Needless to say, it was a near disaster as the bullhead shook and nearly crashed and being the oldest there. The Stand Trio managed to calm the students down and not have them go up to the pilot and find out that he was knocked out.
When they finally landed, they exited quickly and got away from the Beacon students so as to not raise any suspicion. Needless to say, the three would not ride on a bullhead for a while due to that experience.
"Okay, we…are….never ever…doing that again." Max breathed.
"Not without lessons," Joshua replied.
"Okay, now that we're back, what now?" Richard asked.
"Now, we go find Angus Bolt," Joshua answered as he and his fellow Stand Users turned to face the castle-like structure of Beacon that laid in front of them.
ド
ド
ド
ド
Joshua took the first step as his comrades soon followed. As the traversed Beacon's grounds, they made sure to keep in the shadows. Though security was lax, none of them wanted to take that chance.
"So if you were to hide out in Beacon for months on end, where would you hide?" Joshua inquired.
"Definitely wouldn't go to any of the staff areas nor the lecture halls since staff frequent those areas." Richard pointed out as he took out a map of Beacon he got from a contact.
"True, and while he could go to the dorms to inspect the students, he could get easily caught there as well. So I think the best place would be the library." Max said.
"True from my contact, the library is very short-staffed, and only students go in there. Additionally, there is a library basement where he could hide. Beacon's library is massive, so very little books would be kept down there." Max agreed.
"So that means there would be minimal incentive to go down there." Joshua murmured.
"But that being said, how will he get food and drink if he stays down there. After all, the only time he could leave is during nighttime, and they would have to lock up. The last thing he would need is to leave evidence that he is there by breaking out?" Joshua asked.
"The sewers could be the answer. I wouldn't doubt that there would be a sewer entrance or grate down there to prevent flooding. He could use that to get into the food storage." Max explained.
"Okay, let's stick by the library and keep an eye out for a bullhead just in case while one of us explores Beacon grounds," Joshua stated as they walked to the fountain center.
"Okay, so who does what?" Richard questioned.
Just as he asked that a bolt of lightning struck the ground in front of them, drawing a line stopping the Stand Trio. Evil laughter came from behind as they three turned around to see Angus Bolt standing there.
"Welcome, I've been expecting you three, and now I am going to kill you all." Angus greeted with a sinister smirk.
"Wow, talk about confidence," Joshua said as he and the rest of the Stand Trio stared him down.
"So, how'd you know we were coming?" Richard inquired.
"It's simple. I knew that Elton lost and that you'd expect me to be here. After all, you are after this." Angus answered as he pulled the Stand Arrow out of his jacket.
ド
ド
ド
ド
"I know that you're trying to take down the institution and take away the arrows, but if you want this one, you'll have to kill me," Angus added as electricity sparked all around his body.
"Alright, this time, it will be a true three on one!" Richard smirked.
"Don't be too sure." Angus sneered as behind the Stand Trio, a floating figure approached them.
Scotty Carlon sweated profusely as he floated thanks to the help of his Stand Balloon Boy. His legs and arms were inflated like balloons as he approached the arrow tied to Richard's back. He grabbed onto the arrow and slowly took it out as the Stand Trio finally noticed his presence.
!
"What the who's he?!" Richard questioned as Scotty started to run.
"Who cares? He took the arrow! Stop him!" Max replied
"I'm on it!" Richard shouted as he sprinted after him.
"Now it's a two on one meaning the odds are slowly turning to my favor." Angus laughed.
"Don't be so sure about that, pal!" Joshua replied as he summoned his Crimson Destiny and threw a punch at Angus.
"Tro!" Crimson Destiny yelled.
However, Angus countered in kind, summoning his own Stand that seemed to be made of pure blue electricity. Upon closer inspection, the Stand was also see-through, allowing its brain and nerve system to be seen. (AN: Like the Avogadro from COD Zombies)
When Angus's Stand's fist made impact with Crimson Destiny's, Joshua felt a strong shock throughout his body. Joshua felt like all the energy in his body was out of wack, causing his body to seize up as he called Crimson Destiny back and fell to the ground.
"What the hell?!" Joshua questioned in confusion.
"Shocking is it? But don't worry. You won't live long enough for it to matter!" Angus declared as his Stand went to kick Joshua.
However, before he could make contact with him, Angus jumped back to avoid a knife. Max threw several more knives at the enemy Stand User, who created a shield of electricity around him like aura to stop the blades.
Every time a knife made impact with the shield, they were moved out of the way. Then with a flick of one of his fingers, a bolt shot out and struck Max in the stomach, severely damaging his aura.
"Sorry, but with moves like that, my Stand Thunderstruck will be one step ahead of you!" Angus smirked.
"Okay, this isn't good. Do you have a plan, JoJo?" Max asked.
"Not yet, but I have the start of one," Joshua answered as he got up.
"Don't leave me in the dark." Max insisted.
"You remember what that kid who stole the arrow did?" Joshua questioned.
"Yeah, what about it?" Max inquired.
"We need to do the same thing and plan an attack," Joshua replied.
"Wait, you don't mean…?" Max began.
"Yes, that's right. In order to win this fight, we must…" Joshua started as he turned and grabbed onto Max.
"RUN AWAY!" Joshua declared as he and Max ran from Angus.
ド
ド
ド
ド
"Don't think running away will save you!" Angus shouted as he ran after them.
Angus darted after them, keeping out his Stand the whole while. As he chased them, he would periodically shoot bolts of lightning that were too short to make thunder. Some just barely missed Joshua and Max, but others clipped them, nearly taking them out.
"Don't tell me you're just going to keep running away!" Angus smirked as he fired another bolt.
As he did, it exploded the ground next to Joshua and Max, sending them sprawling to the floor next to the main ceremony hall. Before Angus could attack once more, Joshua used his Crimson Destiny to punch into the ground and pull out of a pipe that shot water all throughout the area.
Angus quickly stopped himself, calling off his Stand as the water reached him and rained down around him. The tables had turned once more since Angus couldn't use his Stand due to the water that was flooding the area. Getting back up, Joshua and Max stared down their enemy as they summoned their Stands.
"Now, there's no need for us to run." Joshua smiled as he and Max approached Angus.
"Don't be so sure about that," Angus replied as he flashed a sinister grin before resummoning his Stand.
ゴ
ゴ
ゴ
ゴ
"DID YOU THINK SUCH SMALL AMOUNTS OF WATER WOULD AFFECT ME?!" Angus questioned.
Angus proceeded to jump up and electrify the flooded ground below. Both Joshua and Max were flooded by electricity, causing their Stands to disappear and them to fall to the ground as they screamed in pain.
"As long as the water doesn't touch my Stand in large volumes, I'm fine. It's a good thing that it's a close-range because if it wasn't a move like that could have worked to defeat it if I wasn't careful." Angus smirked as he walked over to the two unconscious users.
"I create my own electricity, and tricks like this won't work against me," Angus stated as he crouched next to Joshua.
"I just don't understand how you three were so much trouble," Angus said as he held his hand over Joshua's head, which sparked with electricity.
"One quick shock through the head, and you'll be dead." Angus smiled as he lowered his head. But as he did, Crimson Destiny appeared right next to him and clocked him square in the jaw.
"TRO!" Crimson Destiny yelled.
ド
ド
ド
ド
Angus was sent flying away into a wall before it broke, sending him into the main ceremony hall. Though his aura took the brunt of the attack, Angus was discombobulated as his brain tried to understand how Joshua was still awake.
"How? You should be unconscious from the amount of electricity I sent through your body?" Angus questioned as Joshua walked through the hole.
"While I was in the institution, I was put through hell and back, including "electroshock therapy". Because of that, I have a high tolerance for your attacks." Joshua explained.
"Don't think that saved you. I'll just turn up the voltage!" Angus declared as he summoned his Stand and attacked Joshua.
Joshua attacked in turn, and the two Stands exchanged several blows. Crimson Destiny managed to stop Thunderstruck from hitting Joshua, but as the blows continued, Joshua felt it harder to move his body correctly.
"You're getting slow, Joestar!" Angus smiled as his Stand grabbed onto Crimson Destiny's.
"Now, I'll overload all the electric currents from your nervous system!" Angus declared as his Stand began to overload the electric current from Joshua's body through his Stand.
"Don't think that because you surprised me, you can win!" Angus smirked before a knife embedded itself in his shoulder.
"Same goes to you. Don't just think that one up means total victory." Max stated as he created more knives to throw.
Backing away from Joshua, Angus created a shield of electricity covering his body like aura to protect himself from the knives. As Max held Angus at bay, Joshua regained his senses and ran out of the lecture hall, where he proceeded to collapse the wall he sent Angus through, cutting off their entrance.
"That should buy us some time, so let's go and strategize," Joshua said as he and Max ran off towards the amphitheater.
With Richard…
"Get back here!" Richard demanded as he chased down the kid who managed to get the arrow.
Surprisingly he was faster than he expected and managed to get a good distance between them. But Richard was used to chases, and he knew that he could manage to turn the tables. Getting an idea, he opened the deck holder on his belt and unleashed his Stand.
Connecting several cards in a string, he sent them ahead to intercept Scotty. His House of Cards got in front of the boy before growing into walls to block him in. With nowhere to go, Scotty was forced to use his Stand to escape.
Scotty summoned his Stand that looked like a balloon animal in the shape of a human. It was made up of red and blue balloons. His Stand punched himself in the legs and core, allowing him to float upwards.
"What the hell?!" Richard wondered as he watched Scotty float up towards the roof of the Dining Hall.
Thinking quickly, he took the whip of cards he had made and implanted each one into the building at an upward angle with one swing. Afterward, he expanded his cards, creating a makeshift staircase that he ran up to catch up with Scotty.
"Just stop this kid. I'd rather not hurt you, but if you persist in keeping the arrow away, you'll force my hand." Richard demanded as he approached Scotty.
"Sorry, but if I don't do this, they'll kill me!" Scotty cried as he jumped from the roof and floated away.
"That little…!" Richard hissed as he created another staircase and followed him.
With Joshua and Max…
The two Stand Users hid close to where Angus was as they tried to think of a plan. A direct assault was out of the question as Angus was able to counter both of their Stands. But if there was some way to stop his Stand, they had to find it.
"So, what can we do to incapacitate him?" Joshua inquired as he spotted Angus taking out the knife in his shoulder and patching up the wound.
"Don't know. Water is out of the question because he'll be expecting that." Max answered.
"Well, we need to think of something soon because we can't run forever," Joshua replied.
As he said that, Max thought about how Angus's Stand worked. It was made of pure electricity, so if they couldn't use water to discharge him, then maybe they could do something else. It was then that Max had an idea.
"JoJo, I have a plan," Max informed.
"What is it?" Joshua asked.
"I'll explain later, but for now, I need you to get me some conductive wire and find a power line," Max answered.
"What about you?" Joshua inquired.
"I'll divert his attention and get the last thing we need," Max responded.
"But that being said, it may kill him," Max stated.
"I'm prepared for that possibility. After all, with what we want to do, it is inevitable." Joshua replied
No sooner did he run did Angus spot him and begin chasing him. Having memorized the general layout of Beacon from the map, Richard had Max ran to the storage building, hoping it had what he needed.
"Where do you think you're going, Zeppeli?!" Angus questioned as he fired a bolt at Max, blowing up the ground behind him.
The explosion sent him through a window, narrowly avoiding another bolt of lighting. Quickly looking around and hiding from Angus, who stalked the building searching for him, Max found what he needed.
Seeing the door Max made a break for it before a bolt of lightning shattered the door. Turning around Max saw Angus approaching him and before he could attack Max ran behind a bookshelf.
Max continued to run from Angus hiding away from him before going up the stairs. Once up there he pushed down several bookshelves to rain books down upon Angus and confuse the Stand User. However, Angus blew them apart with lightning before blowing up the bookshelves and causing a small fire.
"You can't hide from me, Zeppeli!" Angus smirked as he fired a bolt of lightning hitting the roof.
Max managed to move out of the way of the falling rubble before dodging another bolt fired by Angus. He proceeded to exit the building by jumping out a window as Angus followed in close pursuit. Just as Angus went to fire at Max, a large chunk of concrete was thrown in front of him, stopping him.
"Max over here!" Joshua called as held a chunk of conductive wire he must have ripped from the ground.
"Give the wire to me." Max requested as he reached Joshua.
"Okay, care to tell me the rest of your plan?" Joshua inquired.
"We're going to take out Angus and his Stand in one fell swoop," Max answered as he tied the wire on the item he took.
"Did you find a power line?" Max asked.
"I did and a big one too. It must power all of Beacon." Joshua answered as he led Max to the line while Angus followed.
"You can only run for so long!" Angus shouted as he fired at the two.
He managed to clip Max in the heel draining the last of his aura, but he managed to stay on his feet as Joshua caught him. When they finally arrived, Max jumped to the ground as he narrowly dodged a bolt of lightning.
"It's over. You two have nowhere to run. I'm killing you both here and now, and then you're friend Speedwagon is next." Angus declared as both of his arms charged with electricity.
"You won't get the chance." Max hissed.
"We'll see about that now, DIE!" Angus replied as he fired a bolt at Max.
Having caught onto Max's plan and realizing his friend's condition, Joshua pushed him out of the way before moving away himself. Angus was confused until he saw what was behind them. An exposed power line and attached was…A WRENCH COVERED IN WIRE!
ド
ド
ド
ド
"A wrench!" Angus questioned as his bolt made impact.
That's right Maximillian Zeppeli had grabbed a wrench and attached conductive wire creating a homemade lightning rod! Now that the current from Angus's Stand has made impact, it is now exposed to the greater current that powers all of Beacon!
"NOOOOOO!" Angus cried as his entire body began to convulse as his Stand short-circuited as thunder rang throughout Beacon.
Due to Beacon's higher power source and the short path between it and Angus's Stand, it caused a short circuit! This caused all the electricity that was in Angus's Stand to disperse and discharge, not only taking out his Stand but all the currents inside Angus's nervous system.
Because of that, his brain was unable to send directions to his body, causing instant death! But as the short circuit happened, a power fluctuation occurred, exploding in a burst of electricity hitting both Joshua and Max, knocking Max out and severely injuring Joshua.
"Shit that hurt." Joshua cursed as he slowly got up.
First things first, he checked on Max, seeing that he was okay, and thankfully, he was. After that, he walked up to Angus and found that he was dead. He took the arrow and picked up Max getting to a nearby wall before laying there.
"I've got no more aura, and this pain is killing me. I guess I have to wait to recover. Hopefully, Richard succeeded in getting the arrow back." Joshua thought as he rested.
Name: Angus Bolt.
Stand: Thunderstruck.
Type: Close Ranged Attack with short-ranged fire.
Brand: A.
Ability: Thunderstruck is a literal powerhouse! It can produce enough electricity to power two entire hospitals that are full of patients. Additionally, it can overload the electrical currents that run through a person's nervous system to the point of death. It is the ultimate electricity type Stand!
Status: Deceased!
Minutes Later, CCT Tower…
Scotty breathed heavily as he clutched the Stand Arrow close to his chest. He managed to lose Speedwagon, but he knew it was only a matter of time before he was found again. But one thing was certain, and that was the battle between Angus and the other two Stand Users was over.
He knew it was when the power all around Beacon fluctuated and flickered indicated a large power surge. No doubt it was caused by Angus's Stand, and Scotty could only hope that Angus had won for his own sake.
"What have we here?" A sultry voice questioned behind him. As he turned around, he was met face to face with a masked woman with black hair and orange eyes.
"Are you lost? Because children like you shouldn't be here alone with a weapon like that?" She questioned as she eyed the Stand Arrow.
"But don't worry…" She began before summoning a sword and stabbing Scotty in the chest.
"I will take good care of it." She smirked as she took the arrow and left Scotty to fall to the ground as his aura struggled to heal him. Due to his young age of twelve years, his aura was very weak and was unable to defend against the woman's attack.
"STOP!" Richard shouted as he spotted the woman with the arrow.
Richard summoned his Stand and created a whip to attack the woman. However, she used a strange power to cause the ground beneath him to explode, damaging his aura and sending him flying.
After recovering, she was gone, and Richard noticed Scotty on the ground with the sword in his chest. Knowing that he could not leave him to die, he ran to his side as the sword that had pierced him disappeared.
"Hang in there, kid, don't die on me!" Richard called.
Richard quickly found the correct pressure point and pressed it increasing the effectiveness of Scotty's aura. As he did, he heard the cocking of a gun behind his head as General Ironwood stood behind him.
"Don't move!" Ironwood demanded as Weiss and Ruby rounded the corner of the CCT.
"Ah, shit." Richard sighed as soon they were joined by soldiers, and he was placed in handcuffs.
Name: Scotty Carlon.
Stand: Balloon Boy.
Type: Close range.
Brand: C.
Ability: To inflate anything, it punches like a Balloon, and if the inflated piece is punctured, it explodes, sending whoever it was attached to away before returning the part to normal.
Status: Incapacitated.
"Hey, you don't need to be so pushing. I'm complying, so can you just get the kid to the hospital." Richard requested.
"He's right, General. He needs a doctor." Weiss agreed as she crouched next to Scotty.
"Take him to Beacon infirmary," Ozpin ordered as he joined the group suddenly.
"I would also like to keep him confined in Beacon if you don't mind." Ozpin requested.
"Oz, he should be held in one of my flagships. He broke into Beacon and the CCT." Ironwood argued.
"Okay, I'll admit to breaking into Beacon, but I did not go inside this building," Richard stated.
Ruby and Weiss both looked at him and didn't know what to do. Should they tell both Ozpin and Ironwood that they knew him and what he and the other two were doing? After questioning that for a while, Weiss noticed that the arrow was gone from Richard's back.
Before either could question about it, everyone turned around to see Joshua and Max round the corner behind them with Max leaning on Joshua. When they saw the current situation, they knew that they were screwed.
"FREEZE!" The soldiers demanded as they surrounded the two Stand Users. Joshua and Max were handcuffed, and the arrow in their hands taken as Ozpin noticed the arrow.
"Hold on," Ozpin ordered as he took the arrow himself.
"Where did you get this?" Ozpin questioned.
"From a man trying to use it on your students. He's dead over by the road towards the amphitheater." Joshua answered, knowing that it was pointless to lie.
"What does the arrow matter Oz?" Ironwood inquired.
"I'll tell you later, but for now, take those two to the infirmary and make sure they are under constant watch," Ozpin ordered the soldiers.
"Ozpin, are you sure?" Ironwood questioned.
"I'll explain everything to you later," Ozpin responded.
"As for you two, it was very courageous of you both to come and stop whoever broke into the CCT. But now, please go back to the dance and come to my office tomorrow." Ozpin requested as Weiss and Ruby reluctantly complied.
"What the hell is going on?" Joshua questioned.
"Your guess is as good as mine," Richard answered.
With Cinder…
Cinder slowly walked back into the ballroom, having changed into a dress where she hid the arrow which she had acquired on her leg where no one could see it. To completely blend with the party, she joined her two servants in the dance.
"I see you were successful." Emerald smiled as she spotted Cinder.
"More successful than you could imagine." Cinder replied as she started dancing with Mercury.
"Did you find something in the CCT?" Mercury asked.
"Outside, actually. Let's just say that I found something that will grant me even more power than I thought possible." Cinder smirked.
"Care to clarify?" Emerald inquired.
"Later, for now, let's just blend." Cinder answered. However, unknown to her, she was being watched by a floating eyeball that hid by the ceiling.
Unknown Location…
"Play times over, I want them dead now!" The Dark Figure shouted.
"Who should we go after first?" Syed asked.
"Both. I want Zero-G to kill those three who have finally become a bother and Davion to kill HER pawn. I don't want the power of the Stand to get into her hands!" The Dark Figure ordered.
"That will take time, so I will have a Star Brand that is already in Vale take care of the three thorns," Syed replied.
"Do you mean Organ Harvest? Because that sadist will play too much with his food?" The Dark Figure inquired.
"It is better than nothing," Syed argued as he sent the message.
"Besides, they have made contact with Ozpin. It's only a matter of time before they find out who you are." Syed added.
"Good point." The Dark Figure sighed.
"So, are you clear on what you're supposed to do, Davion?" The Dark Figure questioned as Davion stood in the doorway.
"Yeah, I got it, and I'm just going to ignore the fact that you used my full name instead of my preferred," Davion responded as he left the room. He walked down the hall of the complex and entered another room where he looked around.
"Dio, what brings you to my room?" A feminine voice inquired as Davion looked up to see a girl with short purple hair in a ponytail with a matching one-piece latex clothing and red eyes on the ceiling.
ド
ド
ド
ド
She was sitting on a chair next to a table, pouring herself a glass of tea. All the while, she was upside down on the ceiling. It seemed that something was letting her defy all known laws of physics as if gravity was reversed for her and everything she was using.
"I see you still like to keep yourself against gravity, Viola," Davion commented.
"Of course, everything feels off otherwise," Viola replied.
"Would you care to join me?" Viola inquired.
"No, thanks. I'll stay on the ground." Davion declined.
"So, what brings you here?" Viola asked.
"We have a job. Three Stand Users have been making some noise in Vale, and two arrows have been compromised." Davion began.
"You're job is to kill those users and retrieve one of the arrows while I kill the one who took the other." Davion finished.
"I see, and who is this other person with the arrow?" Viola asked.
"One of HER pawns. It seems that she must want the power of a Stand." Davion answered.
"Interesting, but tell me if she does obtain a Stand, what will you do? Will you follow your uncle's orders or the desires of your father?" Viola questioned.
ゴ
ゴ
ゴ
ゴ
"I will do what I see is most advantageous," Davion smirked.
"My uncle has not given us a timeline to do this, but I think he'd want it done sooner rather than later. So don't make him mad." Davion added.
"Don't worry, I'll get it done when I feel like it." Viola smiled as she took a sip of tea.
Beacon Next Day…
Joshua and the rest of the Stand Trio laid in the infirmary of Beacon in cuffs as they waited for something to happen. They had not been told what would happen to them but that they would be questioned soon.
"Honestly, even though this was a possibility, I didn't see this eventuality happening." Max sighed.
"Should we at least try to escape?" Richard inquired.
"No, we're in no condition to fight, so it's better to just comply for now," Joshua answered.
"How's the kid doing?" Joshua asked.
"From what I heard, he'll make it, but he has yet to wake up," Richard responded.
"That's good. I'd feel bad if a kid died." Max commented.
"So did you get a good look at who stole the arrow?" Joshua asked.
"No, it happened too fast, but the kid probably got a better look at her," Richard answered.
"I guess our business in Vale isn't over." Max sighed.
"Nope, not yet," Joshua replied. As they finished talking, the door to the infirmary opened, and Professor Ozpin, along with Weiss and Ruby, entered the infirmary.
"Hello, I have some questions and most likely some answers for you," Ozpin stated.
===To Be Continued===
Next Time…The Man Behind Brando
Author's Note:
Hey guys, sorry for the wait, but I had some writer's block with the chapter, and I had to do some research based on how I had Thunderstruck beaten in this chapter. Hopefully, I did it right because who knows, maybe I misunderstood what short-circuiting would do, but I think I was right.
Also, as you know, I was fixing the old chapters for the run-on sentence problem, and since it was a problem in this story, no doubt it would be in my others too. So I had to reformat them all, and since my most popular story, Remnant's Saiyan, is over 40 chapters long and over 330 thousand words, it took me a while.
I hope you guys enjoyed both Thunderstruck and Balloon Boy though he didn't do much, and yes before anyone asks, Cinder is getting a Stand, and yes, it will be original. As I said in the first chapter, this story will only have original Stands made by me, and only one Stand from the original JoJo will appear in a later part.
Honestly, though, I don't know how Araki does it because midway through writing this chapter, I remembered that Thunderstruck is similar to Red Hot Chili Pepper in a sense. So I had to go reread that part of DIU to make sure I made it different, and how it was beat is different enough.
About his Stand too on why Joshua and Max couldn't do much, I hope it was obvious, but I like to be careful, so just in case I'm going to explain some things. So Joshua couldn't do close combat due to Thunderstruck being able to overload his nervous system through his Stand, and Max couldn't hit him with his knives beyond catching him by surprise.
I know that many cases, they would have died if the lightning Angus fired hit them but aiming and firing something that goes at the speed of light is hard. Plus, Angus can't bend the electricity to his will because if he could, his Stand would be a Star Brand.
Now I know I didn't do too much with the WhiteRose development this chapter, and that's because it's mainly just going to happen in the background. The main focus of this story is about the Stand Trio and not fully the main RWBY cast, so it just needs to happen. That being said, I'm still going to try to make it as realistic as possible.
For Balloon Boy, I want to clarify yes it is a fnaf reference if it wasn't obvious enough. Fun or not so fun fact is that I originally just had him dying by Cinder's hand this chapter and his body being burnt to ash. Really dark, right? But then I found another use for his character, so I decided against it.
So yeah, soon, the first battle with a Star Brand will finally happen soon, so hope you are as excited as I am though it won't happen next time as it will mostly be exposition. Anyways hope you guys enjoyed and I'll see you all next time!