Chapter 16: Playing at the Park
Star Warehouse…
"Steady," Elton whispered as he stood next to Richard.
"Steady," Elton repeated as Richard slowly placed two cards at the top of his house of cards he had built.
Though these cards were not part of his Stand, meaning Richard had no control over the cards as they towered over the table. Richard had gotten the idea that to better understand how to use his Stand, he should practice making a real house of cards.
"Almost got it," Elton murmured as Richard stopped his hands.
"Elton," Richard spoke.
"Yeah?" Elton inquired.
"Please stop." Richard requested.
"Oh, sorry." Elton apologized as Richard returned to placing the final parts to the house of cards.
Just as he was placing the final cards in place, the door swung open, shocking him and causing him to knock his cards down. Both Joshua and Max walked in carrying their supplies for the week before kicking the door close.
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"We're back!" Max announced as he noticed both Richard and Elton looking gloomy over a pile of cards.
"What are you two doing?" Max questioned.
"Nothing, apparently." Richard sighed as he shuffled the pile back into a deck.
"Where's Scotty?" Joshua asked, having noticed the boy's absence.
"Sleeping upstairs. He doesn't have much to do." Elton answered.
"I guess that makes sense. There are only so many comics a kid could read before he gets bored." Joshua replied.
"I feel that we aren't doing the best to take care of the kid." Joshua sighed.
"To be fair, I don't think we have any idea of how to take care of a kid." Max pointed out.
"Should we ask someone for advice or help?" Richard asked.
"I from what I've seen so far, you guys don't know many adults good with little kids." Elton reminded.
"I mean, sure, the staff at Beacon are good with handling teens but not little kids," Elton added.
"Should we try asking him what he might want? If he's unhappy, we could do something for him." Max suggested.
"That's a good idea." Joshua agreed.
"Wait, didn't you have younger siblings? Shouldn't you know how to deal with kids a little?" Elton inquired.
"Maybe, but unfortunately, I…don't recall most of my childhood nowadays," Joshua responded.
"Oh right. You did just recently remember you even had a little brother." Elton remembered.
"Exactly, and even then, I doubt the life I lived as a child would be what most kids want," Joshua added.
"Right then, let's ask him," Max insisted as the four went walked up to Scotty.
"Hey, Scotty." Max greeted as the four approached the boy.
"Hello. Is it time for training again?" Scotty inquired.
"No, we're done with training for the day," Joshua responded.
"We actually wanted to know if there was anything you wanted to do. You must be bored cooped up here." Elton explained.
"It's fine. I'm used to it. I didn't go out much before I was taken away." Scotty replied.
"Are you sure there's nothing you want to do?" Richard asked.
"Well, I don't know what I really want. I've never really done anything besides stay in my room. My old home was isolated, so I never had any friends either." Scotty responded.
"So you've never been to a park or anything?" Max inquired.
"No," Scotty answered.
"Want to try it out? Staying here all day can't be too good for you. Or any of us, I guess." Joshua asked.
"Go to the park?" Scotty murmured.
"I guess that's okay let's give it a try." Scotty nodded.
"Alright, but know that you don't have to go if you don't want to," Joshua assured.
"That's fine. It's worth a shot." Scotty replied as he got ready while Joshua and Max went downstairs.
"Do you think they're still watching?" Max inquired as they reached the downstairs.
"I can't say," Joshua responded.
"I want to say that after destroying that Stand the other day, they can't watch us anymore, but the user may be able to make another," Joshua added.
"They could also be the fact that they have another Stand able to watch us. We should be more aware in the future." Max pointed out.
"Agreed being out in the open can give us ample opportunity to find out if they are still able to watch us." Joshua agreed as the others joined them.
"Alright, let's go." Joshua insisted as the five left.
As they left, Emerald and Mercury waited until they were out of sight, and once they were, they were ready to enter the warehouse. It wasn't hard for them to break in and begin to set up cameras around the entire building.
"I feel like we should just leave these guys alone. I mean, it's not like they have any plans of bothering us." Mercury muttered.
"We don't know their exact plans, so who knows what they'll be doing besides what we already know," Emerald replied.
"Whatever, I this Stand stuff seems stupid anyway. I doubt the power isn't much to look at." Mercury murmured.
"You only saw Cinder's Stand. You haven't seen the full extent of Dio's." Emerald reminded as Mercury shuttered.
He had been taken out of the fight pretty early, and when he got back, he had to divert attention to the breach. All he knew about Davion Brando's Stand was that he was able to control the wind, but Mercury had no idea to what extent.
Emerald knew full well how powerful Davion was, and she could only assume that there were many others like him. Once they were done placing the cameras, the two exited the building making sure not to be seen as they made their way back to Beacon.
Vale Park…
"So uh…what should we do?" Richard questioned as the five Stand users stared at the park where families, kids, and couples played and walked about.
"We didn't really think this through, did we?" Max sighed.
"I have no idea what to do here," Elton murmured.
"I've been to a few parks but only for picnics. Other than that, I don't know what to do either." Joshua informed.
"By the way, I just thought of something. Won't this look a little weird?" Richard pointed out.
"What do you mean?" Elton inquired.
"We're four grown men with a little kid in a park. I think some of the people here will…get the wrong idea." Richard explained as the others came to the same realization.
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"Shit, he's right," Max muttered.
"Should we split up?" Elton asked.
"I guess. One of us will stay with Scotty, and the rest will get some food for lunch." Joshua suggested.
"I'll stay with him. You guys head off, and we'll…I don't know find more kids for him to play with." Richard volunteered as the others nodded.
"I don't know if I can talk to other kids," Scotty whispered as he was nervous.
"Don't worry, we'll figure something out," Richard assured as the others left. Unknown to any of them, a little girl had listened in to their entire conversation.
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"Time to have some fun!" She sang as she stroked a dollhouse.
Beacon…
"Checkmate!" Ruby called as Weiss and Blake got into position for their team attack.
Team RWBY had returned to the training room to practice more for the Vytal Festival. After the intense training with the Stars, they are more motivated than ever to train. The gap between them and the Stand users was great, and it motivated them to get better.
It also got them thinking about the competition and how they could be far stronger than they are too. Especially since they are going up against upperclassmen of other schools were coming to compete against them. They needed to be prepared for anything.
Though no one was more inspired than Ruby, who wanted to get them all stronger not just because of the tournament but to help in the fight against Stands. During their training with the Stars, the group had gone into further detail about their travels and motivations.
Both had inspired the young huntress, who was already inspired to better the world. So she wished to get stronger and help in any way she could against Brando. That was the job of huntresses, after all.
Since huntsmen and huntresses have failed to put a stop to it all in the past, then they would need to do better in the future. Their determination also spread to Team JNPR, who were training alongside Team RWBY so they wouldn't be left behind.
As they trained, Weiss was caught up in her thoughts concerning the entire Stand situation or, more specifically, her brother. Ever since learning about the power of the Stands and that the arrow that shot Walter is what gave people the power, she wondered what his Stand was.
The Stars explained that unless someone had their semblance unlocked, a Stand's power could be anything. Walter didn't have his semblance yet, meaning his power could have been anything, even something beyond imagination.
But she would never know as he was still dead. Now knowing the culprits behind his death, she wanted to help in any way to bring them down for good. Weiss wondered if Winter knew anything about this as her older sister had been looking into the place.
She did say that she never found anything, but maybe she didn't want Weiss to worry about anything. With how busy she is as an Atlas Operative, Weiss didn't know how much time she had to look into them. One day Weiss would tell her about it all to see what she thinks.
Maybe she can also introduce the Stars to Winter, who can use Atlas connections to give them clues. No doubt the Stars would know better where to look than anyone else in the world. But for now, she needs to focus on training and being ready for whatever the future had in store.
"Still, though. I wonder what would have happened if Walter didn't die." Weiss thought as she and Blake finished their combo.
Vale…
Joshua walked down the street alongside Elton and Max as the three tried to figure out what they would get to eat. It wasn't really a problem, but they also needed to figure out what they would do now that they were out and about.
While a trip to the park didn't seem to be working as they hoped, maybe a trip around Vale would do some good. He just hoped that this was the right thing to do as he didn't know how to handle kids.
It made him wonder if his son would be better off without him. After all, he may not be a fit father. But he couldn't just leave his son out there in the clutches of the enemy. Plus, he couldn't be as bad of a father as his father was.
He just needed to learn, and hopefully, things could become better, and Scotty would end up alright. Thinking about it, he didn't know what they were going to do with the kid once they were done taking out Kage Myojo and Brando.
Joshua wanted to not think about it now, but he knew that he needed to figure out a solution for it eventually. It was a problem that couldn't be left sitting around with nothing done about it until it blew up in one's face.
"JoJo, are you okay?" Max inquired as he and Elton noticed how silent Joshua was.
"Hm? Oh yeah, I'm fine." Joshua responded.
"Are you sure because you're more silent than usual?" Elton asked.
"And that's the new guy saying that." Max pointed out as Elton nodded.
"I'm fine. I'm just thinking about what's going to happen after all of this is over." Joshua explained.
"It is an important question," Elton noted.
"That is an issue we have failed to make a decision on, that's for sure," Max added.
"It's mostly about Scotty that I'm worried about," Joshua stated.
"What will we do with him then? Should we just put him somewhere, or…should one of us look after him?" Joshua wondered.
"Who knows. We don't even know what we're going to do ourselves when this mission is over." Max replied.
"I never thought about life after the institution," Max murmured.
"I guess it is something we should consider in the future," Max said.
"I, for one, wish to travel and see the greatest sights this world has to offer and create music about them," Elton exclaimed.
"Though I doubt Scotty would want that." Elton sighed.
"We should save this conversation for later. We'll have time to figure this all out." Max suggested.
"I don't think any of us really have the know-how to make a decision like this." Max pointed out.
"Alright. We should probably better inform ourselves in the future." Joshua replied.
"Thinking about it, we're not really that great as functioning adults," Joshua murmured as the three walked into a nearby restaurant.
"This place should do," Joshua stated as they stood in line.
"Are you sure because there are bugs everywhere?" Elton asked as he pointed toward several bugs that crawled around the floor in the corner.
"Yeah, let's go elsewhere." Max nodded as the three left, not noticing that no one in the restaurant could see the termites.
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Vale Park…
"I'm not good at this." Richard deadpanned as he sat against a tree with Scotty standing nearby.
"I've never had to deal with kids like this. What am I supposed to do?" Richard wondered.
"I'm fine not playing with others. I like being alone for the most part." Scotty replied.
"Others won't see that as great, not that it necessarily is." Richard sighed.
"Hi, there? Do you two want to play?" A Small Girl asked as she approached the two with a large dollhouse in hand.
The girl seemed no older than Scotty. In fact, she seemed a few years younger than the boy. Richard was perplexed that she came up to ask so easily. Everyone so far seemed to avoid them, but she didn't. But most of all, something just didn't seem right about her.
"Then again, this is some progress." Richard thought.
"Uhh…are you sure you want to play with an adult like me," Richard replied.
"Scotty? Do you want to play with her?" Richard inquired as Scotty gave him a nervous look.
"I don't really…." Scotty began before he was interrupted by the girl crying.
"Do you not want to play?" The Girl cried.
"No one wants to play with me. They only avoid me." The Girl continued as people began to give the three weird looks.
"Hey, don't cry, kid. We didn't mean to hurt your feelings." Richard insisted, nervous that people would get the wrong idea.
"We'd love to play, right Scotty?" Richard asked, giving Scotty a look that spoke say yes.
"Okay, for a little bit," Scotty answered as the girl broke an evil smile.
"That makes me so happy." She snickered as she opened up the top of her dollhouse and an unknown force began to draw Richard and Scotty within.
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"What the hell…?" Richard questioned as he and Scotty shrank and were pulled into the dollhouse.
The two hit the pink plastic floor hard as the girl closed the top of the dollhouse over them. Getting up quickly, Richard took quick note of their surroundings being that typical in any dollhouse.
"Did that kid shrink us?" Richard questioned as he helped Scotty up.
"She must be a Stand User." Scotty pointed out.
"Yeah. This is my fault. I should have been more on guard, but I didn't think a little kid would attack us, let alone be a Stand User." Richard agreed.
"But I'm a Stand User." Scotty reminded.
"True, but to be fair, you took us by surprise when we first met," Richard replied.
"Being away from Mistral is making me lose my edge," Richard whispered as he looked up at the roof.
"Let us out now! I really don't want to hit a little girl, but if you force my hand, I'll…." Richard demanded before he was interrupted.
"Why would I do that? You're the first new playmates I've had in a while." The Girl snickered as her voice rang through the dollhouse.
"My name is Yuri, by the way. Allow me to introduce you to my Stand. Dollhouse Rumble!" Yuri cackled.
Suddenly several thuds were heard as the sound of crawling and clicking came from down the hall of the dollhouse. Before long, a large beetle rounded a corner and sped toward the two Stand Users.
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"Ah man, I hate beetles!" Richard cried as he summed his Stand, which also shrank just like he did.
Creating a whip, he cut the beetle in two easily before turning his attention to the walls next to him. Richard threw the whip at it but much to his surprise, nothing happened. He attacked it over and over, even changing his Stand into human form, but it refused to break.
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"That's a first," Richard murmured as Scotty kept close.
"How are we going to get out of here?" Scotty questioned.
"I don't know, but if worst comes to worst, the others may be able to get us out…if they figure out where in here." Richard responded.
"For now, let's try to look for some windows," Richard suggested as he and Scotty looked into the six rooms upstairs.
The first only had basic plastic furniture, and the window was just a sticker forcing them to move on to the next room. Unfortunately, it was the same as before save a strong stench of rot that filled the room.
"That smell…" Richard murmured as Scotty covered his nose.
"This room reaks of blood," Richard commented as he took more whiffs of the air.
Moving around, he inspected the room to find the source until he opened the plastic closet and the mangled body of a human fell down. Scotty immediately ran from the room, trying not to throw up while Richard grabbed the closet and slowly lowered it to cover the body.
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"Guess she does this a lot," Richard muttered.
"That's right!" Yuri sang.
"You two are just my latest playthings! But I wish you didn't kill my beetle! It was fun watching him eat!" Yuri stated.
"How did a kid like you become so deranged?!" Richard questioned as he joined Scotty in the hallway.
"The usual things. Tv and video games." Yuri chuckled.
"Nice try that doesn't make kids do this!" Richard argued.
"Did mommy and daddy not pay you much attention?" Richard mocked as the other doors in the hallway burst open.
"No one makes fun of me." Yuri hissed as several dolls of all shapes and sizes exited the rooms.
"Stay close, Scotty." Richard insisted as Scotty held onto his bag of Dust just in case.
"I think I'll have my dolls pull your arms and legs off!" Yuri declared as the dolls charged in.
Richard summoned his House of Cards and attacked the dolls, but just like the walls, they could not be broken. This forced him to retract his Stand and keep on the defensive, creating a dome around himself and Scotty.
"Keep those Dust Crystals handy, Scotty." Richard insisted as the dolls slammed against the dome.
Several jammed into the edges of the cards attempting to pry them apart. It took Richard lots of concentration to keep them together while Scotty inflated several Ice Dust crystals. Soon though, some of the dolls managed to pry their fingers through and push the cards apart.
"Get ready, Scotty, because we're going to make a run for it," Richard ordered as Scotty nodded.
Richard dropped the dome and grabbed onto Scotty as the dolls fell forward. Using his Stand, he made a path over the dolls allowing him and Scotty to escape. While running off, Richard set off the Ice Balloons with one of the cards encasing the dolls in ice.
"NO! You're going to ruin them!" Yuri cried as she opened the top of her dollhouse and grabbed onto the ice.
Seeing an opportunity, Richard made a path up to the top of the dollhouse, hoping to escape. However, this was for not as Yuri knocked both him and Scotty back to the floor before slamming the top shut.
"Damn. So close." Richard cursed as he and Scotty got back up.
"You won't be getting out that easily!" Yuri shouted.
"I don't like it when my toys fight back!" Yuri screamed.
"Scotty. How much Fire Dust do you have?" Richard inquired.
"I have three," Scotty answered.
"We may try to burn this thing down as a worst-case scenario," Richard replied.
"Don't even think about it! Nothing you do inside can damage my dollhouse! Not your stands nor your Dust!" Yuri declared as she shook her dollhouse violently.
Richard and Scotty were thrown around the hall, slamming into the walls, floor, and roof as the plastic furniture flew around them. When Yuri stopped, Richard fell down and landed on a dresser knocking the wind out of him.
"Can't…*WHEEZE*….breathe…." Richard gasped.
"Good because I'm just getting started!" Yuri shouted as she opened the top.
"Oopsie!" Yuri laughed as she dropped several firecrackers into the dollhouse.
Acting quickly, Richard covered both him and Scotty in a dome to protect them from the firecrackers before they went off. The dome shook as the firecrackers exploded before going out, allowing Richard to retract his Stand.
But just as the firecrackers stopped, Yuri opened the top again and dropped a rock on the two Stand Users. Richard created a ceiling to stop it before creating an opening to allow Scotty to inflate it and cause it to float out.
"Grrrggghhh! You two are getting so annoying!" Yuri hissed.
"Look who's talking," Richard muttered.
"I want to tear you apart even more now!" Yuri growled as she opened the top and dropped her thawed-out dolls back in.
The dolls were wet but otherwise fine as they ran towards the two Stand Users. Richard put up a wall between them as they ran toward the stairs behind them. Jumping over the beetle's body, they ran down the pink stairs to the dollhouse's living room.
Richard grabbed onto as much of the plastic furniture as he could and barricaded the staircase to make sure to delay the dolls. Looking around, Richard tried to think of a plan of escape. There wasn't a front door, and much like the rooms upstairs, the windows were just stickers.
"There's got to be something we can do…." Richard murmured as he noticed that the dolls got through his wall.
"Scotty, go and hide. I'll hold the dolls off." Richard ordered.
"But you can't damage them!" Scotty argued.
"It's better than nothing. Now go!" Richard insisted as the dolls hit the plastic furniture.
"Where are the others when you need them?" Richard wondered.
Vale…
The other three of the Stars were now at their fourth restaurant as each one they had gone to was infested with bugs. Unfortunately, this one seemed no different as the three quickly exited bewildered at the bug infestation in Vale restaurants.
"How are these places open!?" Elton questioned as he stomped down the street.
"Filthy, truly filthy!" Elton muttered.
"Calm down. It's not like we're touching any of their food." Joshua sighed as Max looked back at the restaurant.
"Something doesn't add up," Max commented as he walked back to the restaurant.
"Excuse me?" Max called as he tapped on a customer's shoulder.
"Yes, can I help you?" The Customer asked.
"Do you see those bugs on the wall?" Max inquired.
"Bugs? What bugs?!" The Customer questioned, gaining several others' attention as he looked at the wall.
"There are no bugs there." The Customer murmured as Max quickly retreated.
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"What were you doing back there?" Elton asked.
"We have a problem," Max stated as a man ran after him.
"Hey, you! What's your deal spreading rumors in my restaurant?!" The Restaurant Owner questioned as he stomped up to Max.
"I've got a business to run, so what's your game here?! Did you just do it for fun or something?!" The Man questioned as he jammed his finger into Max's chest.
"Look, pal, I don't have time for this!" Max replied as he smacked the man's hand away.
Just then, the man collapsed on Max, who was about to question what his deal was until he noticed that the man was missing a leg. Blood poured from his wound as his aura flickered, struggling to fix it.
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"What the hell happened to him?!" Elton gasped as he and Joshua looked at the man.
"I don't know his leg, just…." Max began as he noticed the bugs crawling up the man.
Max quickly dropped him and jumped back, pulling Elton and Joshua back with him as the bugs began to devour the man's body. The bugs began to move on from the man and move toward the trio of Stand Users who ran off.
"That's a Stand, isn't it?" Joshua inquired.
"Most likely. The people in the restaurant couldn't see the bugs meaning we're under attack." Max answered.
"I just wish it didn't have to come at the cost of that man's life." Elton sighed.
"Yes. But there was nothing we could have done." Joshua replied.
"We didn't even know he was under attack. I didn't even foresee this." Joshua murmured.
"How does your future sight go off?" Elton questioned.
"I can't control it. It just goes off when it needs to, like if one of our lives is threatened." Joshua explained.
Suddenly the front of a building collapsed, nearly crushing them if not for Joshua pulling them back. The same bugs from before came from the rubble in front of them and swarmed towards them.
Being sandwiched from the front and back by the bugs, Elton uses his Stand to fly the three up and away from the bugs. Landing on a nearby roof, the bugs began to devour the building they were on, forcing them to continue running.
"Where the hell are they coming from?" Elton wondered.
"Who knows, perhaps they can come from anywhere," Max replied.
"To be able to control so much of those bugs at once, the Stand User must be nearby." Joshua theorized.
"Maybe. But I can't say for sure. Though the fact the user is controlling so many bugs could indicate, he has to be close." Max agreed.
"Either way, shall I suggest we take this someone with less collateral damage. I rather not have more fatalities like that restaurant owner." Elton suggested.
"While that would be nice. I can't see a place to go to." Joshua stated as the three looked out from the roof and saw the building they were on was surrounded by the bugs.
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"We can't get out of here, and eventually, they're just going to eat through the building and the people within." Max pointed out.
"No need to worry," Elton smirked as he grabbed onto Joshua and Max.
"I'll be able to get us out of here. Though I don't know if I'll be able to control our flight." Elton proclaimed as he summoned his Stand.
"I pray to the gods that you know what you're doing." Max sighed as Elton created thrusters on all of them, launching them into the air and away from the bugs.
Nearby a termite faunus grit his teeth as he watched the three rocket off away from his bugs before following after. Soon after they shot into the air, Elton lost control, forcing him to shut off the boosters, causing the three to fall down toward the ground.
But just before they hit the ground, Elton created more boosters to stop their momentum and cushion the landing. They had landed in a dirty alleyway and slowly walked out to a quiet street. Not wanting to take any chances, they decided to keep moving so the bugs couldn't catch up.
"Let's not try that again until we can land better than that." Max insisted.
"Agreed." Joshua nodded.
"Now we need to figure out how to find the Stand User," Elton murmured.
"Easier said than done. I don't even know where to start looking," Max replied.
"We better start fast," Joshua stated.
"Because the bugs are back!" Joshua informed as the bugs rounded the corner.
"Shit, they're fast," Max shouted as they ran off.
"I know this might sound like a bad idea, but we should split up," Elton suggested.
"Split up?! You better have a good explanation for why we should even do that." Max muttered.
"We already know that this Stand is far-reaching and has a lot of bugs. If we're not careful, then we'll be surrounded again." Elton began.
"There has to be some limit on how much of these bugs they can use. Meaning we can have a better chance of not being backed into a corner by thinning the herd, so to speak." Elton finished.
"He does make a point however we should get a good idea on the number of bugs that can be out at once." Joshua agreed.
"Fine, but I'm still not convinced about this plan," Max replied.
"Here's what we're going to do." Joshua began as he pulled out some Fire Dust Crystals and handed it to Max and Elton.
"We're going to use these to see the limit of what this Stand can do." Joshua continued.
"But we should also get them in an open area to see the scope of the bugs." Joshua went on.
"Only use the crystals if you need to. I only have the three." Joshua finished.
"Couldn't you buy more?" Elton inquired.
"I don't want to use too much money from my old account, or else it will draw attention to it. Plus, since I'm not a Huntsman nor one in training, I have a six crystal limit." Joshua explained.
"Nowhere near enough to deal with the bugs we saw surrounding us earlier, and half goes to Scotty," Joshua added.
The three ran to a large courtyard with a fountain at the center. Max managed to scare off everyone there by shattering lamps and windows with his knives. Setting themselves up at separate ends of the fountain, the three waited for the bugs to arrive.
They came in droves, beginning to circle around them until the three Stand Users used the Fire Dust to keep them back. But very soon, the bugs capped out, and they noticed no more were coming.
Their numbers easily reached the thousands as they began to surround the three. Giving each other a knowing look, the three darted off with Max running through the only opening while Joshua and Elton used their Stands to escape.
"This better give results," Max murmured as he ran from the bugs that chased him.
Dollhouse Rumble…
The dolls crashed down as they pushed past Richard's barricade. Thankfully they were staggered by hitting the ground, giving Richard time to encase most in a small dome. He kept a few cards on him so as to defend himself as two dolls were not in the dome.
Creating a small whip to keep the dolls back. But he was easily pushed back by the invincible dolls. He was forced into the kitchen as he kicked the table at the two dolls ran after him. The table bounced off the dolls as they swung at him.
Richard jumped on the counter to avoid their attacks before slicing at their legs to knock them down. When that didn't work, he attacked their joints, hoping he could break them apart that way, but even they were impervious to his attacks.
"Damn." Richard cursed as he jumped out of the kitchen.
"Ready to give up yet?" Yuri goaded.
"I wish she'd shut up." Richard hissed as he rolled away from the dolls.
Meanwhile, Scotty was hiding nearby in a closet that, much to his relief, did not contain a corpse. He was disappointed in himself that he couldn't do anything to help and that he was back to hiding for safety.
But he didn't know what he could do to help as his Stand isn't made for battle, nor can this dollhouse be damaged. That was when a thought occurred to him. Yuri had said that nothing inside could DAMAGE the dollhouse.
"My Stand doesn't damage things," Scotty murmured as he got up left the closet.
When he got out, he saw Richard on the ground with the dolls grabbing at him. He had retracted more of his Stand to keep them back but was now into a corner. Grabbing onto some Fire Dust, Scotty blew the dolls away before helping Richard up.
"I thought I told you to hide." Richard pointed out.
"I know, but I have an idea." Scotty replied.
"Really?" Richard questioned as the dolls got up.
"Yes, so leave things to me!" Scotty declared as he ran off.
"Wha..?! What are you doing?!" Richard asked as Scotty summoned his Stand and hit the walls, floor, and anything else he could.
"Are you stupid? There's nothing you can do to damage my Dollhouse Rumble!" Yuri stated as Scotty ran up the stairs as Richard held off the dolls.
"I really hope Scotty knows what he's doing." Richard thought.
Ignoring Yuri's words, Scotty continued hitting the dollhouse with his Stand over and over, making sure that his work wasn't too noticeable or else have Yuri stop him. His heart raced as sweat dripped down his face from the fear he was feeling.
He knew that if this didn't work, he would be in the open for anything to attack him and for Yuri to do something. But he kept pressing forward as he reached the end of the hallway and focused on hitting the wall.
"Seriously, how dumb are you? Your Stand won't wor…." Yuri began before she stopped short when she felt a lump in her dollhouse.
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"Wha…What is this?!" Yuri shouted as she noticed several more lumps in her dollhouse.
"You said that…that your dollhouse couldn't be damaged from the inside. But you never said it couldn't be modified." Scotty stated.
"My Stand inflates any and all objects like a balloon but never damages it!" Scotty added as he continued to hit the dollhouse, causing it to inflate more.
"Stop it! Stop it!" Yuri shouted as she tried to push the lumps back, but they didn't stop, and the dollhouse began to float.
"NO!" Yuri cried as she slammed onto one of the lumps causing it to pop and the dollhouse to fly off.
Yuri ran off after it as Scotty and Richard both were thrown against the walls of the dollhouse as it rocketed off, releasing all the air Scotty had inflated it with. Eventually, it ran out, and the dollhouse fell down and smashed onto the ground in several pieces causing severe damage to Yuri.
"H-H-How..?! N-N-No one has been…able to do this before!" Yuri stuttered as Richard and Scotty got up, having been returned to normal size.
"Not bad, Scotty. Plus, it saved us from having to hit a little girl. Which I really didn't want to do." Richard praised.
"That does still leave the question of what to do with you," Richard muttered as he glared at the injured Yuri.
"Please…Please don't kill me! The man with the coin made me do it!" Yuri begged as tears ran down her eyes.
"We're not monsters. But that being said, I wonder how many people begged you to do the same." Richard replied.
"But like I said, we're not monsters. We'll get you the 'help' you need." Richard smirked as he took out his scroll and dialed a number.
"In the meantime, tell us about the man who 'made' you do this." Richard insisted.
Name: Yuri.
Stand: Dollhouse Rumble.
Proposed Brand: B.
Ability: To shrink anyone to the size of a doll and trap them within her Stand. However, the victim must agree to play with her to be able to do so. Additionally, the dollhouse itself is indestructible from the inside, and the User can control any doll she places inside. If the people within are taken out or if the dollhouse is destroyed, they will return to normal size.
Status: Out Of Commission!
Vale…
Meanwhile, the other three members of the Stars were running from the bugs that chased them. They tried their best to keep out of populated areas to stop the bugs from eating more people, but sometimes their hands were forced.
But thankfully, the bugs seemed more focused on them. That didn't make it any easier for them to find where the Stand User was. Looking for any chance to get away from the bugs, each attempted several this such as breaking a hydrant, crushing them under rubble, and flat out attacking them.
However, none worked as the bugs pressed forward. The bugs actively avoided their attempts to stop them and began to cut off the three several times. At first, it just seemed like an attempt to catch them, but soon the real reason was revealed.
"You've got to be kidding me," Max muttered as he stared at Joshua and Elton.
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"Did they herd us back together?" Elton gasped.
"That can only mean the Stand User can see us," Joshua noted as he looked around.
"No time to look," Max replied as the bugs approached them, forcing them into a building.
"Great, we're back to square one!" Max complained.
"Any other ideas?" Max questioned.
"Not at the moment." Elton sighed as he got to the roof.
Once more, they were trapped surrounded by the bugs who began to eat away at the building. But it was then that something stuck out to Elton, but he couldn't put his finger exactly on it. So to confirm his suspicions, he launched himself into the air for an aerial view.
"What's he doing up there?" Max wondered.
"Maybe he figured something out," Joshua suggested as he looked back down to the street.
"Max, can you try slowing the bugs down with your knives?" Joshua inquired.
"I'll try, but they're so small and fast it's hard to hit them," Max responded.
With Elton, he flew overhead and looked at the damage to the streets below. Nearly every building had some damage, from small and insignificant to very noticeable. All save one. Making it very likely for the Stand User to be there.
Upon seeing this, he disabled his Stand, landing behind Joshua and Max before grabbing onto them both. Just as the building began to collapse, he flew them off and to the untouched building crashing into one of the windows.
"I didn't want to do that again so soon." Max coughed.
"My apologies, but we must act fast," Elton stated as he got up.
"It's very likely that the Stand User is in this building. It is the only one not touched by the bugs." Elton explained.
"Really? Well, good job." Max smirked as they heard running down below.
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"He's trying to run!" Joshua shouted as he broke the floor with his Stand.
The three jumped down and saw the Stand User round the corner and quickly chased after him. When they turned the corner, they saw the User about to jump down the stairs only to be stopped when Max threw a knife into his leg, causing him to fall down.
"Nice throw." Joshua complimented as the three approached the User and rolled him over on his back.
"No one comment on the irony of his Stand," Joshua whispered as the User was a Termite Faunus.
"Hey, don't play dead and wake up." Max insisted as he kicked the User's leg.
"OW! You already stabbed me with a knife. Was that necessary!?" The User questioned as Joshua grabbed onto his collar.
"It won't be the last thing we do to you if you don't deactivate your Stand right now." Joshua threatened.
"I'm not afraid. My Dirty Termites will devour you alive before you can do too much damage!" The User spat.
"Is that so?" Joshua asked as he turned to Elton.
"How many thrusters can you put on this guy before he blows up?" Joshua inquired.
"Ten," Elton answered as Joshua waved him over.
"My new friend Elton has a very neat Stand. You see, he can create thrusters all around your body that goes off when you move. But it sucks a lot of energy out of you." Joshua began.
"Trust me, I'm tired already." Joshua continued.
"But when you do run out of energy with them on well. You'll explode." Joshua explained.
"Isn't that right, Elton?" Joshua asked.
"That's right, JoJo, and with ten thrusters. It will only take a few movements before an average person goes boom." Elton nodded as he began creating thrusters on the User.
"W-Wait!" The User cried.
"We can also move them for you," Max smirked as the three surrounded the User.
"NONONONO! I GIVE, I GIVE! PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!" He Begged.
"Then stop your Stand," Joshua instructed.
"Okay, okay, it's gone!" The User replied as Elton looked out the window and confirmed it.
"He's telling us the truth," Elton informed as he deactivated his own Stand so Joshua and Max could move the User placing him between two doors.
"First things first. Who are you?" Max questioned.
"My name is Zeke! I'm a hitman/demoman. I use my Stand to get rid of people and businesses until some guy came to me and offered a huge amount of money to kill you guys!" Zeke explained.
"Not so confident now, are you?" Elton chuckled.
"This is the first time someone has gotten so close to me without my Stand being around to kill them. So I'm stressed." Zeke stated.
"Fair enough," Elton replied as he inspected the two rooms they had placed themselves adjacent to.
"No one is in this building. It's still under development." Zeke informed.
"Good to know. So explain everything to us. NOW!" Joshua demanded.
"Look, I didn't ask the guy's name, but he has grey hair and red eyes. He also carries around a gold coin he tends to flip a lot." Zeke explained.
"Does he have a name?" Max inquired.
"Never asked. He already paid me half in advance." Zeke responded.
"Does the name Faust ring any bells?" Joshua asked.
"No," Zeke answered as Joshua turned to Max.
"It still could be him," Joshua whispered.
"If it is, we now have a description. After all, he was coming after us. I makes sense he'd recruit others." Max agreed.
"You better get lost. If we ever see you again, we'll make sure you won't be able to come after us again." Joshua threatened as he turned to leave.
"let's go," Joshua ordered as the three Stand Users began to leave.
"Little shit," Zeke muttered.
"DID YOU THINK YOU COULD JUST WALK AWAY!" Zeke shouted as his termites poured out of his clothes and charged at the three.
"Not surprising." Max sighed.
"You can do the honors, Elton," Max said as Elton snapped his fingers.
Suddenly the two doors they had placed Zeke between shot off their hinges and slammed into Zeke, shattering on impact as the thrusters then exploded. The attack knocked Zeke out as his aura was shattered, and he collapsed on the floor.
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"Why did those thrusters explode?" Joshua asked.
"It's a little secret of mine. If two thrusters that were placed on different objects touch one another, they blow up. Well, only if the objects are inanimate." Elton explained.
"Well, good thing they do," Max replied as they left.
Name: Zeke.
Stand: Dirty Termite.
Proposed Brand: A.
Ability: To create thousands of termites that can eat through anything with frightening speed. Their strength comes from their numbers, as it makes them harder to avoid or attack. However, the User must be nearby for maximum effect to control them.
Status: Out Of Commission!
Vale Park…
Richard and Scotty watched as Yuri was taken away in an ambulance, tied in a stretcher to be taken away to a hospital. The older Stand User had called for one and for a psychologist to take care of the kid and hopefully keep her away from anyone she can hurt.
"A guy with grey hair and a golden coin," Richard murmured.
"What happened to you two?" Joshua questioned as he, Max, and Elton approached them.
"I can ask the same to you. You guys look beat." Richard commented.
"It's a wild story," Elton replied as the two groups exchanged stories.
"This couldn't be a coincidence, can it?" Max inquired.
"No, it may be that the man who sent them against us can be Faust," Joshua responded.
"We won't know until we find him." Richard pointed out.
"Either way, let's just head back to the warehouse. This whole day was a mess." Elton requested.
"Fair enough. Sorry if you got scared by this whole ordeal, Scotty." Joshua apologized.
"It's okay. You guys meant well. But to be honest, I don't really like doing much outside." Scotty replied.
"Well then, I guess we'll have to find some other things to keep you busy inside then," Max commented as the five made their way back to their home.
Later…
Beacon…
Cinder smirked as she watched the Stars enter their warehouse, not knowing of the cameras that were all around them. Now she would be able to monitor them and know of their next movements so that she can keep around them or eliminate them if able.
"You three did a good job. This will be very useful in the long run." Cinder smiled.
"Sure. But does this mean our plans are changing any further because that's going to be kind of a pain?" Mercury asked.
"No, we should be able to continue as planned. But we will have to tread carefully so as to not gain the attention of either these five or this Brando Institution." Cinder responded.
"If we do gain their attention?" Emerald inquired.
"Then leave them to me. I need more practice anyway." Cinder answered as she turned off her scroll.
"For now, we should continue to prepare for the Vytal Festival. It is only a week away." Cinder stated.
Edge of Vale…
"It's been a while since I've been to Vale. But it hasn't changed a bit." A Man smirked as he exited a bullhead.
"Enough reminiscing. The boss wants these five dead and the capture of Davion Brando." The Pilot explained.
"I get it, I get it!" The Man waved.
"I've yet to see a person to overcome my Stand Midnight Magnetic. So this should be fun." The Man chuckled.
"Besides, it'll be nice to kill the last member of the Zeppeli family." He snickered.
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===To Be Continued===
Next Time…Cupid's Arrow
Author's Note:
Well, this took me way longer than I wanted. For some reason, I've been finding it harder and harder to write this fic, but hopefully, I can get out of it. I think it's mostly because I'm writing a lot of fics at the moment, and the urge to write those can be greater than this.
But either way, here I am, and I hope to have the next chapter out sooner. I have it a lot more planned out than this one, so I think I'll be able to do it. Either way, I hope you guys liked the chapter. Originally it wasn't going to have a fight between two enemies, but I put it in to make the chapter longer.
I kinda realized that neither fight would be as long as I wanted them to be alone, so I decided to do them together, which I think was the right thing to do. It also allows me to show off both Scotty and Elton kicking ass.
Funny enough, I hadn't thought of the last scene with Elton squishing Zeke until I wrote this and thought about it and thought it would be funny and cool, so I thought screw it. Scotty's part I had planned in advance to end the fight with Yuri.
It goes to show that he doesn't need to be strong to beat his enemies. Also, I decided to stop using the intro bumper because, in the end, I felt it was dumb and unneeded, so I stopped it. Either way, that's all I've got for today. See you guys next time!