Chapter 18: My Name Is Maximilian Zeppeli
Lower Vale…
Cinder stood in front of the window to the warehouse the White Fang was currently occupying. She was waiting for a very important partner to join her to discuss their further cooperation together, seeing as the breach was a major upset.
The Half Maiden needed to get the Fang back on her side, and to do that, she needed to offer them something big in return. Or at least a certain someone something in return because no doubt he would be interested in what she had to say.
"I hope I didn't keep you waiting." A Bull Faunus stated as he approached Cinder.
He was clearly in a bad mood as morale for the Fang was very low due to the constant failures in Vale as of late. This man was Adam Taurus, and he was the de facto leader for the White Fang in Vale and the one who was cooperating with Cinder. At least for now.
"Of course not. Please have a seat. I've made some tea." Cinder instead as she gestured to the small table next to them.
"I'll stand. After all, I don't have much confidence in this partnership as it stands, Cinder." Adam declined as he crossed his arms.
"Oh, and why is that?" Cinder inquired as she sat down at the table, pouring herself some tea.
"Because of your constant failures!" Adam shouted as he slammed his hands on the table, shaking Cinder's cup, spilling some tea but not changing her calm demeanor.
"Many of us, myself included, are questioning the benefits of continuing this partnership," Adam added as he glared at Cinder, who sipped her tea.
"If it's benefits you want. Then how about a way to grow the power of your semblance far beyond what you could ever imagine." Cinder replied, piquing Adam's interest.
"What do you mean?" Adam questioned as Cinder smiled, knowing he was taking the bait.
"Recently, I have learned of a very special arrow that grants people a power known as a Stand." Cinder began as Adam raised a brow.
"It's a power that makes most semblances look like a children's toy. It can upgrade semblances or give someone power unimaginable." Cinder continued as she cleaned up the spill.
"You really expect me to believe in such an absurd claim?" Adam asked as Cinder stood from her seat and backed away from the table, leading Adam back as well.
She then summoned her stand and created a sword of flame, cutting the table into small pieces in front of Adam's eyes. The bull faunus was at a loss for words as to his eyes. An invisible force had completely destroyed the table before him while catching Cinder's tea.
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"As you can see, I've already gained this power, and so can you and all of your followers." Cinder stated as she placed her tea down on a nearby counter.
"But only if you continue to work with us." Cinder finished as she sat back down on her chair.
"Do you have this arrow?" Adam inquired as he walked in front of Cinder.
"Not at the moment, but I know where one is." Cinder responded as she took out a scroll.
"In Beacon. Ready and waiting to be procured by us." Cinder added as she handed Adam the scroll.
"Do we have a deal?" Cinder asked as Adam took the scroll.
"Very well. But if you don't hold up on this promise, then this partnership will be over. For good." Adam answered as he left Cinder to take care of business.
"Are you really going to give them the arrow when we take it?" Emerald asked as she came out of a room behind Cinder.
"Of course not. But he'll work harder to obtain it, which works out well for us." Cinder responded as she stood up and walked past Emerald.
"Has what I asked for arrived yet?" Cinder inquired as she looked back out the window.
"Yes, the explosives you asked for arrived. But what do you need these small ones for? Don't we already have plenty for the attack?" Emerald responded as Cinder smiled.
"Oh, these are to take care of our other competitors." Cinder answered as she pulled out her scroll and opened a video feed of the Stars.
Star Warehouse…
"You're going to look at the colosseum?" Joshua questioned as he and Max planned out their finances for the next week.
"Yeah, Scotty wanted to get a closer look at it, so we're going as a group," Richard explained as he, Scotty, and Elton got prepared to leave.
"Care to join us?" Elton inquired as Joshua shook his head.
"Gotta make sure we don't spend too much, you know," Joshua responded, waving a few papers he was working on.
"You guys go have fun but try not to attract the attention of another Stand User," Max said as the others nodded.
"Alright then, you'll know where to find us. We'll call if something happens." Richard replied as the three exited the warehouse leaving Joshua and Max to work in silence.
"JoJo, I have to ask. How long do you think you'll be able to keep this up before someone in your family notices the money going missing because, as I see it, we're on thin ice with this?" Max inquired as Joshua put his papers down and sighed.
"To be honest, I have no idea. I've been thinking about taking a sum and then using it to make investments, but I don't know if I'll be able to pull it off." Joshua sighed as he rubbed his head.
"Look, I get that you're…hesitant about this. But if you just reveal yourself to still be alive, you'll have full rights to that account again." Max replied as Joshua put his head in his hands.
"I know you want to keep yourself scarce, but let's be honest. I think we both know that at this point, the institution already knows your true identity and your family." Max added as Joshua nodded.
"Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me if that was the case. But I can't tell them about me. I'm not the same man as I used to be. I can't face them as a son or a brother." Joshua sighed as he stood up.
"I'm Joshua Joestar now, and it's best I keep my life separate from them. But I'll always keep an eye on them from the shadows." Joshua added as he looked toward Beacon.
"I wouldn't even know what would happen if I saw them again. My older sister, my younger brother, my mother…I don't know how they would react." Joshua continued as he clenched his fist.
"I don't even want to think about what I'd do to my father if I saw him before me." Joshua hissed before taking a deep breath and calming himself down.
"I understand. After all, I've done since being taken into the institution, if my family were still here, I couldn't face them. But I hope to rectify my sins and be able to face them when my time comes." Max replied as he put the papers down.
"Perhaps one day you can face ALL of them as yourself," Max smirked as Joshua nodded before looking at the papers they had been working on.
"Getting back on topic, we need money, and I can't keep taking from my old bank account," Joshua murmured as he walked up to the papers.
"Perhaps we can ask Ozpin for a loan?" Max suggested as Joshua gave him a look.
"Ozpin barely trusts us enough to the point he has us stay in an abandoned warehouse far away from civilians. I doubt he'd give us a loan." Joshua pointed out as Max nodded, realizing his point.
"Right. But what if we did some freelance jobs for him?" Max replied as Joshua rubbed his chin.
"That might work. But it still might be a long shot." Joshua agreed, grabbing his jacket.
"Might as well see how he feels about this anyway. He's been wanting to hear more about the Cupid's Arrow incident anyway." Joshua murmured as he headed for the door, with Max quickly following.
"Did he not already hear from Team RWBY?" Max questioned as Joshua sighed.
"From what he's said, they're apparently dealing with some….issues," Joshua answered, confusing Max.
Beacon…
"So they're refusing to look at one another?" Richard questioned as he, Elton, and Scotty stood before Blake, Ren, and Nora.
"Yeah, ever since Cupid's Arrow, Weiss and Ruby have been…distant, to say the least, and we can't keep them in the same room with one another." Blake sighed as she looked at the dorms.
"Yang can't even get Ruby out of the room right now," Blake noted as she turned back to the Stars.
"Right now, we've split up into two groups to look for Weiss, but we can't find her," Nora added as Scotty looked confused.
"I don't get it. Are they mad at each other?" Scotty inquired, not understanding the situation.
"Oh no, they're not mad. They're just…." Nora began as she waved her hands around, trying to find the right words to contextualize for Scotty.
"Embarrassed," Ren stated, finishing Nora's sentence.
"Right embarrassed!" Nora nodded, giving Ren a thumbs up.
"You wouldn't mind helping us look, would you? Because Yang's busy with Ruby, and Pyrrha and Jaune are the only others we could ask for help at the moment?" Blake requested as Richard scratched his head.
"I guess it can't be helped. We'll help. Do you have any ideas where Weiss could have gone?" Richard inquired as Blake took out her scroll.
"She regularly goes to these cafés and stores around Vale, and these are the spots she likes to go on campus," Blake answered as she showed a map to the Stars.
"I see. We'll start looking, and I'll message JoJo and Max to see if they see her anywhere." Richard replied as Blake nodded.
"Thank you for your help." Blake thanked as the three left to continue their search for Weiss.
"Well, I guess we'll have to put the colosseum on hold for now." Richard sighed as he turned to his fellow Stars.
"Let's start around here for now before moving onto Vale. I'll message JoJo and Max." Richard insisted as he pulled out his scroll.
"I still don't understand what they're embarrassed about," Scotty noted as Elton placed a hand on his shoulder.
"They just had a very sudden realization come to them that they may have not ready to admit to themselves," Elton explained softly, trying to not be too specific.
Just as they started their search, none of them noticed a figure watching them from the shadows that seemed to be standing on the wall defying gravity. The figure seemed to be watching and waiting for the right time to strike.
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Vale…
"She's missing?" Max questioned as he and Joshua looked at the message from Richard.
"Guess their issues are worse than we thought." Max sighed as Joshua grabbed his scroll.
"We'll put the meeting with Ozpin on hold. I have an idea where she might be." Joshua stated as he pulled up directions on his scroll.
"Where are we going?" Max inquired as Joshua pocketed his scroll.
"The only place in the city that serves Atlas brand tea," Joshua answered as he walked down a new road.
"There's only one place that sells tea from Atlas? Why not ship it to other stores?" Max wondered as they walked.
"It's not that it's the only place that sells it. It's the only place that makes it and serves it. You can still buy them packaged, but from what I hear, it's not the same." Joshua explained as Max shook his head.
"I guess that's something only someone from Atlas would care about…which is why I can see how you figured she would go there now," Max replied, understanding Joshua's thought process.
"Those who grow up in Atlas have fancy habits, and it's hard to break them," Joshua commented as he kept an eye on his surroundings.
"How hard was it for you?" Max asked as Joshua sighed, shaking his head.
"With what happened to me inside Brando. It took no time at all." Joshua responded as he spotted two familiar faces out of the corner of his eye.
"Aren't they part of the other team that joined Team RWBY's training?" Joshua questioned, remembering them.
"Yeah, they were part of Team JNPR if I remember correctly." Max nodded as Pyrrha and Jaune took notice of them.
"Think they're looking for Weiss too?" Max asked as Jaune waved at them.
"It looks that way," Joshua responded as Jaune and Pyrrha approached them.
"Hey, uh…your those Stand guys, right?" Jaune asked, a little nervous.
"That's us. Which means your that Jaune guy, right?" Max answered, poking a little fun at Jaune.
"Yeah sorry, I uh kinda forgot your names." Jaune sighed, looking embarrassed.
"It's fine. We only met once." Joshua assured as Pyrrha stifled a laugh.
"You guys haven't seen Weiss anywhere, have you?" Pyrrha inquired, getting back on topic.
"No, but we've been notified about the basics of the situation, and I have an idea where she may be," Joshua answered, showing the message to Jaune and Pyrrha.
"Well, that saves explaining," Pyrrha laughed as Jaune nodded.
"Wait, how do you already have an idea of where Weiss is? We've been looking for hours?" Jaune asked as Joshua began to walk.
"You just have to think like Atlas citizen," Joshua explained, tapping his own head before continuing onward.
"He's from Atlas?" Jaune questioned as Max nodded.
"Yeah. He doesn't act like it, though." Max stated as he followed Joshua with Pyrrha, and Jaune followed closely.
"But how is he so certain Weiss will go to this place just for tea?" Pyrrha inquired as Max scratched his head.
"He's uh…got good intuition," Max answered, keeping the answer short and concise, not wanting to say more about how Joshua knows than he has to.
"Many people in Atlas have certain things they do to calm themselves. Drinking tea is the most common and easiest to do in Vale on short notice." Joshua stated, slowing down to better speak with the group.
"Weiss does like tea." Pyrrha nodded, noting how many tea parties she's held throughout the school year.
"Why didn't we think of that?" Jaune sighed as he slumped down.
"To be fair, there are a lot of places that serve tea in Vale." Pyrrha pointed out, making Jaune feel better.
"Still though, to think that Weiss and Ruby liked each other that way. They never really showed it." Pyrrha commented as Jaune sighed.
"If I knew she liked Ruby, I wouldn't have come on as strong," Jaune murmured as everyone present sweatdropped.
"Sometimes, things just happen. You can't control everything when it comes to love." Joshua assured, giving Jaune a reassuring nod.
"I guess your right. But Weiss is so perfect I thought if I poured my heart out to her, she'd at least acknowledge my feelings. Each time though, she just ignored me." Jaune sighed as Joshua cleared his throat, looking uncomfortable.
"Right, well. I'm sure you'll find the right person. Love can come very…unexpectedly. Trust me." Joshua replied, keeping his eyes forward as Pyrrha seemed to hold onto Joshua's words.
Beacon…
Team RWBY Dorm…
"Ruby, can you please open the door already? This is getting ridiculous. You and Weiss need to talk this out." Yang insisted as she knocked on their dorm room door.
"No! I can't! I…can't do it!" Ruby cried as the sound of heavy objects being moved came from behind the door
"If you won't come out, then let me in, and we can talk." Yang requested as Ruby finished pushing something against the door.
"No! You're just going to drag me out of the room the second I open the door!" Ruby declined, knowing exactly what her sister would do.
"You need to stop hiding, Ruby! I know you're embarrassed, but if you want to be a Huntress, you need to suck it up, act like an adult, and talk to Weiss." Yang replied as the sounds stopped.
"How can I face Weiss now? I mean, after Cupid's Arrow…you know…?" Ruby questioned as Yang placed her hand on the door.
"Ruby, I know this is a complicated situation, but if you keep hiding here, it'll never be resolved! Plus, we won't be able to participate in the Vytal Festival if you and Weiss can't settle this." Yang pointed out as Ruby let out a loud groan.
"Stop being right!" Ruby groaned as she moved her barricade and opened the door.
"I'm supposed to be team leader, but I can't even face my partner," Ruby murmured as she looked down at her feet.
"We'll just have to fix that by having you and Weiss talk this out like adults and figure out your feelings." Yang insisted, placing a hand on Ruby's shoulder.
"Still…I don't know what to say. I mean, I didn't even know I liked Weiss in that way!" Ruby sighed, twirling her fingers.
"I don't think Weiss realized it either," Yang commented, seeing as Weiss was also avoiding Ruby for the same reasons.
"Now, are you ready to face Weiss?" Yang inquired as Ruby avoided eye contact before taking a deep breath.
"I have to do it," Ruby murmured, looking back up.
"Good...now we just need to find Weiss," Yang smirked as Ruby gasped.
"Wait, she isn't here?" Ruby questioned as Yang shook her head.
"She ran off somewhere, most likely for the same reason you locked yourself in our room," Yang explained as Ruby sighed.
Before another word could be said, a loud THUMP came from inside their dorm. Exchanging confused looks, the sisters entered the dorm to see something they couldn't explain. It was Richard and Elton clinging for dear life to their window to stop themselves from falling.
But it wasn't exactly that which shocked the two but the direction from which Elton and Richard seemed to have fallen from. From the looks of it, Elton and Richard weren't falling down to the ground but up towards the sky!
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"Quickly pull them in!" Ruby insisted as they ran to the window pulling it open and helping the two inside.
"What happened to you two?" Yang inquired as she tried setting Elton on the ground, only for him to fly up and hit the ceiling just like Richard.
"Oh no, they turned floaty! Get them something heavy!" Ruby gasped as she looked for something heavy to hand them.
"We're not floaty!" Richard shouted as he stood up on the ceiling, somehow defying gravity.
"We fell up here," Elton stated as he stood up too as if he was on the ground.
"What happened?" Yang questioned as Richard and Elton sighed.
"A lot of things," Richard murmured as he looked out the window.
Few Minutes Earlier…
"Doesn't seem like she is here either." Elton sighed as he regrouped with Richard and Scotty.
They had just checked another part of Beacon for Weiss but came up empty-handed once more. Now finished with the list of places Weiss could be at in Beacon given to them by Blake, it seemed they would need to go look in Vale.
"Guess she must be in Vale. JoJo and Max haven't messaged back either, so it seems they haven't found her either." Richard murmured as the group made way for the bullhead landing.
"At least we have a decent view of the colosseum." Scotty smiled as he looked at the floating building that stood above them.
"I suppose that is a plus." Richard agreed as he felt a sudden change in the air.
It wasn't that feeling one would get when something was about to happen but the feeling that something literally changed in the air itself. Looking around, it seemed that Elton and Scotty noticed it, too, as the world seemed to turn upside down.
"What the hell?!" Richard gasped as he, Elton, and Scotty were flipped upside down and flew up toward the sky.
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Though flying up toward the sky wouldn't be accurate as it felt as if they were falling toward the sky. Flailing around, Richard was struggling to balance himself out as Elton grabbed hold of him and Scotty before using his Stand to send them back toward the ground.
When they got close, Scotty used his Stand to inflate everyone, allowing them to float, slowing their "descent" into the sky. Finally, Richard created a cage around them to prevent everyone from "falling" into the sky while allowing them to look out as Scotty deflated them.
"Don't tell me this is what I think it is!" Richard hissed as he scanned the area.
"This has to be a Stand attack. But where's the Stand User?" Elton noted as he looked around, unable to see anyone.
"Up there!" Scotty shouted, pointing at a woman dressed in purple who seemed to stand on the wall of one of Beacon's dorms.
"Interesting. This is the first time someone has managed to avoid being killed by my Stand. I thought for sure you'd either hit the bottom of the colosseum or out into space." Viola smirked as she looked down at the Stars.
She jumped off the wall and changed the direction of her gravity to fall to the ground before switching it last second to soften her landing. Now on solid ground, she slowly approached the Stars without a care in the world.
Richard attempted to attack her, but before his cards could hit her, Viola changed their gravity once more, causing them to hit the ground hard. This caused Richard's Stand to retract, allowing Viola to send them flying into the dorm building.
"Seriously, how many Stand Users are in Vale?" Richard questioned as he picked himself up.
"As many as we need. But don't worry. That won't matter for much longer." Viola responded as she pointed at Scotty and caused him to fall away from the wall and past Viola herself.
"SCOTTY!" Richard and Elton screamed as Richard attempted to grab him with his Stand, but he was stopped by Viola, changing his and Elton's gravity to fall back upward.
Before they could go too high, the two managed to grab onto one of the many windows to the dorm, stopping their fall. Unfortunately, their grip wasn't that good, and Richard prepared to use his Stand to catch them until two familiar faces showed themselves behind the window.
Present…
"So there's a Stand User that can make you fall…up?" Ruby questioned as Richard scratched his chin.
"I think it's a little more complicated than that. She can make us fall anywhere she points. Almost like she's changing the direction of gravity." Richard explained as he jumped a few times.
"I just hope Scotty's okay," Elton murmured as he looked out the window.
"I'm sure he can use his Stand to keep himself safe. But we need to find him." Richard nodded as laughter cut the thought short.
"You need to think about yourselves first." Viola chuckled as she stood sideways on the wall outside the window, bending over to look in.
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"Shit!" Richard cursed as he and Elton attacked Viola, only for her to straighten up and avoid the attack.
Viola then pointed up, or at least what was up for her sending Elton and Richard out the window "falling" away. Yang and Ruby attempted to help them, but Viola stopped them by changing their gravity, causing them to fall on their door.
"Now then, time to finish what I started," Viola smirked as she turned to send Richard and Elton into the sky.
But as she turned around, she was met with the sight of Richard and Elton rocketing over toward her. Thanks to Elton's Stand, they were able to stop their "fall" and fly back toward Viola. Acting quickly, just before they reached her, she changed their gravity to be pointing upward.
This caused some issues with Elton's Stand, sending them flying away. However, just before they got out of reach, Richard used his Stand to reach out and grab onto Viola. Combining their weight, Richard and Elton dragged Viola up with them, heading toward the bottom of Amity Colosseum.
"Let go!" Viola demanded as she struggled in the grip of Richard's House of Cards.
"Not a chance!" Richard shouted as he pulled her closer.
"If we're going up, then we're going to make sure you crash down!" Richard stated as Elton summoned his Stand.
When Viola came into range, Elton attacked, causing several thrusters to sprout on her body. This sent her flying back toward the ground as Richard and Elton continued to fall up to the colosseum. Elton slowed their fall with his Stand landing them safely on the bottom of the colosseum.
Meanwhile, Viola continued to fall toward the ground, unable to change her trajectory as every time she moved part of her body, the thrusters would go off stronger. Eventually, she hit the ground hard, shattering her aura.
"Do you think that worked?" Richard asked as he and Elton slowly stood up, exhausted from Elton's Stand.
"We're still up here, so no. She's probably still conscious." Elton responded as Richard sighed.
"Plus, now that we're up here and she's down there, we can't attack her," Richard noted as they looked down toward Viola.
Vale…
"Here we are," Joshua stated as the group arrived at a small shop placed at the corner of a street.
On the top of the building was a sign labeling the store as Atlas Trade. Outside were several round tables surrounded by chairs with people sitting at each one. One of which held precisely who they were looking for.
Weiss seemed to be hesitantly playing with her tea, staring absentmindedly at the spinning liquid inside her cup. She hadn't even taken a sip of her tea, even though it was her favorite. Normally a nice tea would help calm her nerves but ever since Cupid's Arrow, it didn't seem to help.
"Weiss," Pyrrha called as she and Jaune approached her, with Joshua and Max hanging back.
"Pyrrha! Jaune! How did you find me?!" Weiss questioned, shocked at the sight of her friends.
"We didn't. It was actually Mr. Joestar and Zeppeli who found you." Pyrrha answered, gesturing to the two Stand Users, who gave a small wave.
"How did they know?" Weiss wondered before turning her attention back to her friends.
"Weiss, everyone's worried about you. Come back so you and Ruby can talk this out." Pyrrha requested as Weiss turned away, avoiding eye contact.
"I…I don't think that's wise. I just…don't think I'm ready to face Ruby yet." Weiss replied as Pyrrha and Jaune sat down at the table, which shook slightly.
"Then we'll talk until you're ready." Pyrrha insisted as Weiss smiled.
"I feel like our business is done here. Or do you want to watch?" Max inquired as Joshua nodded.
"We'll wait until they're done," Joshua answered as he noticed several utensils on the tables shaking.
"So much for keeping an eye…." Max sighed before noticing some empty chairs moving slightly by themselves.
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"Something's going on." Max pointed out as he looked around, seeing more things shake.
"Yeah, stay alert." Joshua agreed as more metallic objects around them began to shake.
"We should go before this has the chance to get ugly." Max insisted as Joshua nodded. But suddenly, all the metallic objects around them shot out and flew toward them.
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"Hang on!" Joshua shouted as he grabbed onto Max and used Crimson Destiny to launch them into the sky to avoid the various objects that crashed where they once stood.
The two landed on the roof of the building that had been behind them as onlookers stared at the scene in shock. Weiss, Pyrrha, and Jaune got up, immediately calling their weapon lockers and deciding to put their conversation on hold.
"What the heck was that?" Jaune questioned as he looked at the mass of metallic objects.
"It must be a Stand User." Weiss determined as Pyrrha looked at the mass, holding out her hand.
She attempted to use her semblance to move the mass, but it barely moved an inch, indicating that her semblance wasn't strong enough to counteract the power that controlled the mass. It was the first time her own semblance was overshadowed like this.
"Damn, what kind of Stand can do that?!" Joshua wondered as he and Max looked at the mass of metal.
"If it can do that, I don't want to find out what else it can do," Max commented as a shadow loomed over them.
Looking up, they saw a large metal beam floating in the air hovering over them as a man stood upon it. As suddenly as the beam appeared did it fall to the ground threatening to crush Joshua and Max if they didn't move out of the way.
"Good! Good! I was hoping you'd put up a fight." The Man smirked as the beam stopped short of hitting the roof.
"We'll put up much more than a fight!" Max stated as the Man laughed at the statement.
"Is that so, Maximilian Zeppeli? Well, I'd very much like to see what you can do with the Stand I gave you!" The Man cackled as Max went wide-eyed.
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"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Max hissed as he glared at the Man.
"I suppose you wouldn't know who I am. After all, you never saw me when I shot you with the Arrow." The Man responded as Max grit his teeth and prepared to attack but was stopped by Joshua.
"Don't be too hasty. We don't know all he can do yet." Joshua insisted as Max took a deep breath before giving a small nod.
"I assume that you must be Joshua Joestar." The Man commented as the beam slowly floated toward them.
"My name is Gil Williams, and I will be taking great pleasure killing you two today," Gil smirked as he gave a small bow.
"We're not easy to kill," Joshua stated as Gil laughed.
"Oh, but I'm counting on it!" Gil shouted as he moved the mass of metal below and threw it at Joshua and Max.
The two split up, avoiding the initial attack, but Gil split the mass apart and had the objects follow the two Stand Users closely. Max was in a problematic situation as his knives simply bounced off everything forcing him to run away.
He hated to run, but he had to, as his mind was too preoccupied with processing what he had just learned to think of a plan of action. This man was claiming to be the one who had shot him and his family, meaning he was the one who killed his family.
For years he had wondered about who had done it, but he came to accept that he may never find out who had done it. Taking down Brando for him was the next best thing to getting revenge on his family's killer.
But there he was here and now, trying to finish what he had started. Now that he was there and now that Max knew who he was, Max was going to take him down. In his eyes, one could say a fire had been lit.
Meanwhile, Joshua summoned his Crimson Destiny to knock the metal items away. Some were easy to knock away, such as chairs and tables, but smaller things like forks and spoons weren't as easy. He either caught them or dodged them.
However, Gil came flying in with the metal beam slamming into Joshua's chest, knocking him off the roof and severely damaging his aura. Weiss and Jaune ran to help Joshua up as Pyrrha grabbed her weapons from her locker and shot at Gil.
The Stand User quickly blocked them with a manhole cover he ripped from the ground before throwing a lamp post at the redhead. Pyrrha jumped out of the way as the lamp post hit the ground, cracking it.
"Get the civilians out of here!" Joshua ordered as Weiss and Jaune picked him up.
Nodding, Jaune and Pyrrha did just that as Weiss grabbed onto her Myrtenaster and changed it to use an Ice Dust. She then slammed it into the ground creating a line of ice that ran up the building and encased Gil.
Weiss then switched to fire dust and created a glyph above the ice before setting it off, causing a small explosion. The attack caused all the metallic objects Gil controlled to halt their movement and stay in place.
"Did that get him?" Jaune asked as he and Pyrrha returned.
"Not a chance," Joshua answered as the metallic objects turned and shot toward them.
They all dispersed, avoiding the attack as the smoke cleared above, showing that Gil had shielded himself from the explosion with a small dome. Before Weiss had set off the explosion, Gil made several pieces of metal break through the back of the ice to shield himself.
"Nice try. But this has nothing to do with you!" Gil shouted as he ripped more metal from the ground and even various buildings and threw it at Weiss, Pyrrha, and Jaune.
"Vattene! Vattene!" Max yelled as two knives dug into Gil's back, distracting him enough to stop his attack.
"Don't get too distracted. Because I will kill you." Max hissed as he glared at Gil.
"Interesting," Gil smirked as Pins and Needles threw more knives at Gil.
"Tell me, does the knowledge that I am responsible for the death of your family anger you?" Gil goaded, doing his best to get under Max's skin.
"What do you think?!" Max shouted as he jumped off a table Gil threw at him as Pins and Needles threw more knives.
Gil waved his hand, attempting to take control of Max's knives but was taken aback when nothing happened. Just before they hit him, Gil managed to defend himself with a table that blocked the knives as they bounced off the table.
Landing on the table, Max kicked off it and pushed toward Gil, who knocked him away with several chairs. The attack hit Max to the roof, and before he could get back up, Gil pinned him down with several metallic objects.
"Doesn't surprise me that you'd be angry. Honestly, I'm quite happy with how things turned out. You ended up with an A brand Stand. Not bad." Gil smirked, hovering over Max.
"Though I was hoping for more, but I guess one good egg from a bad of dead chicks still works!" Gil laughed as Max grit his teeth and balled his fists.
"It's only right that I take you out of this world now that you've turned traitor." Gil snickered as Max attempted to push against the metal objects that surrounded him.
"I won't let that happen!" Max hissed as Gil sighed.
"You obviously don't have a choice," Gil smirked as he proceeded to crush Max with the metal damaging his aura.
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With his back turned, Joshua used Crimson Destiny to jump up, readying to attack, but Gil noticed as he ripped another metal beam from the building below and threw it at Joshua. Joshua used his Crimson Destiny to block the attack softening the blow he would have taken as Gil turned back to Max.
"We need to get up there!" Jaune insisted as he ran to the ladder, only for it to be ripped off before he could even touch it.
"Uh…do you two have any ideas?" Jaune asked as Weiss created several Glyphs on the wall.
"We'll use those," Weiss smirked as she and Pyrrha ran up the wall.
"Right, well, I'll just…run up then," Jaune murmured as he slowly stepped on the glyphs, nervous that he might fall.
As Jaune struggled to climb up the wall, Weiss and Pyrrha landed on the roof and attacked Gil, hoping to free Max. Weiss used a time dilation glyph to speed up Pyrrha, who rushed in, slicing at Gil with her Milo in Xiphos mode while she fired spikes of ice.
Gil was forced to turn his attention to Pyrrha and Weiss as he blocked her attacks with various objects, but thanks to the effect of Weiss's Glyph, Pyrrha managed to get a few hits in, knocking Gil off the metal beam he stood on.
Before Gil had enough time to counter-attack, a shadow appeared above him as Joshua was falling down, holding onto the beam Gil hit him with. Joshua threw the beam down, hoping the speed at which he threw it could circumvent Gil's Stand.
But Gil easily stopped it with his Stand and threw it at Pyrrha and Weiss just as Jaune got on the roof. As the metal approached them, Pyrrha swung her hands, pushing against the wave of metal with her semblance with all her might.
Though Gil's control over magnetism was far stronger than her own, she managed to change the flow of the metal just enough for them to avoid the attack. Since he was distracted, Max was able to free himself from his bindings as Joshua landed next to him.
"We're not getting anywhere with this," Joshua noted as Max nodded.
"I know, and I have an idea. But I need a clean shot." Max stated as he stared at Gil's back.
Beacon…
Scotty held onto a tree as he slowly inflated his body. He had just managed to catch himself when Viola changed his gravity to send him "falling" away. Now he was just trying to keep himself still as his body bobbed up and down. Or perhaps for him, it was side to side.
Earlier, he had seen what he could only assume was Elton and Richard fighting the Stand User before hitting the bottom of the colosseum. The boy wanted to do something to help, but he had no way of moving toward them.
Well, that wasn't particularly true. If he popped himself, he would fly off uncontrollably "upward," but that wouldn't help him that much. Plus, he'd be too sluggish to inflate himself once more if he didn't grab hold of anything, meaning he'd "fall" to his death.
He could inflate himself more, but he only just reached buoyancy, and inflating himself anymore would be too much and cause him to burst. It was something that happened to everything he inflated. If he put too much in something, it would burst.
Most small things, he could float easily, but with larger things and people, he needed to be more mindful. He can only make something float so high at a time. Right now, he was as "high" as he could go. Additionally, the effects of Viola's Stand may be messing with his own as there is no ground "below" him.
"Scotty?" Blake called as she, Nora, and Ren approached him, much to his relief.
"Uh, why are you floating like that?" Nora questioned as Scotty gave them the quick version of what happened.
"So she's able to make you "fall" wherever she wants?" Ren asked, feeling like that was too simple.
"Yeah. Elton and Richard are stuck on the bottom of the colosseum, and I just managed to catch myself here and float." Scotty nodded as he pointed to the colosseum.
"Wow!" Nora gasped as she and the others looked to see two people standing on the bottom of the colosseum.
"Where is she now?" Blake asked as Scotty pointed over to the area below Amity.
"Somewhere over there," Scotty answered as Blake nodded before calling her weapon and wrapping the ribbon of her Gambol Shroud around Scotty's wrist.
"Let's go take care of her then," Blake stated as Scotty went wide-eyed.
"But if she gets you with her Stand, you might die!" Scotty argued as the three looked at him, not standing down.
"We can't sit back and do nothing," Ren replied as Scotty sighed and grabbed onto some Dust crystals.
"I'm going to need to inflate the ground beneath the colosseum before her Stand is deactivated," Scotty added, knowing Elton and Richard would fall from the colosseum.
"How does her power work?" Nora inquired as the three readied their weapons.
"As far as I can tell, she just needs to look at you and point in some direction, and you'll fall there." Scotty explained as they began to trek over as Scotty was pulled along like a balloon.
"Are you okay being pulled like this?" Nora asked as she looked at Scotty, who was being pulled behind them.
"It's fine. I can't really move anyway." Scotty answered as they continued on their way.
Moving fast, they made their way over to just below the colosseum, keeping to the shadows so as to not be spotted by Viola. When they arrived, all they found was the crater Viola had made when she crashed into the ground but not Viola herself.
"Should we be concerned about the Stand User not being here?" Ren inquired as Scotty looked around.
"I uh...don't know," Scotty murmured as he saw a small pool of blood but no trail.
"She's injured, meaning her aura's either damaged or gone. This should even the odds a little." Blake commented as he grabbed hold of the ribbon attached to Scotty.
Since Viola was gone and seeing an opportunity, Blake lowered Scotty to the ground so he could inflate the ground so Elton and Richard could land safely when they fell while Ren and Nora stood guard. But it seemed they were expected.
"I knew you'd show up eventually." Viola chuckled as she turned around the corner of the dorms just behind them.
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Viola was worse for wear as her left arm was broken and was bleeding profusely in several places. She seemed to be barely standing straight, having to lean on the dorm wall just to stay up as she breathed heavily.
"I was going to find you to finish you off along with your friends, but I had a feeling you'd make your way here. Since I'm not in any condition to move much, it works out for me." Viola smirked as she pointed at the group.
"Time to go up." Viola snickered as she pointed up, causing everyone to flip over and begin to fall.
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Before they could fall far, Blake grabbed onto her Gambol Shroud and threw the blade into the ground. Everyone grabbed hold as Scotty was still tied to the other end of the ribbon. Not amused, Viola went to throw them back down but was stopped when Nora and Ren began to shoot at her.
This forced Viola to back up, nearly tripping over herself before the explosion of Nora's grenades knocked her down. The sudden shock and her already tired state caused Viola to lose control of her Stand, causing the group to fall down.
Blake landed daintily on her feet, with Ren following suit while Nora crashed down and Scotty slowly floated to the ground. When Scotty landed, he realized that Elton and Richard were now falling to the ground, meaning he needed to act fast.
As Scotty got to work, Viola got up, shaking off her concussion. Ripping her Gambol Shroud from the ground, Blake swung it at Viola, who pointed behind the faunus, causing her to "fall" backward and miss her attack.
Viola then pointed to her left to stop Nora and Ren from attacking her as well. Before the three could "fall" too far, several cards flew out and embedded themselves into the ground to catch them. Turning around, Viola saw Richard, Elton, and Scotty standing in front of the inflated ground.
"Good work Scotty," Richard smirked as he and Elton stepped forward.
"Round two," Elton muttered as Viola pointed behind them.
But as she did so, Richard threw several cards in front of them, growing them out to block Viola's view. Scotty prepared to inflate them again but was surprised to see that nothing happened, and they remained where they were.
"We had a little while to figure out how your Stand works while we were stuck up there, and we figured that we need to be in direct eyesight for it to work," Richard stated as Elton summoned his Stand.
"With that knowledge and your condition. Beating you shouldn't be a problem." Elton added as his Rocketman created thrusters on Richard's cards, sending them speeding out.
With the cards coming in fast, leaving no time to use her Stand on the cards and in no condition to move, Viola was unable to stop the attack as it slammed into her and knocked her into the dorm building. Retracting his Stand, Richard slowly approached Viola, confirming that she was unconscious.
"That takes care of that," Richard smirked as Viola slumped to the ground.
Name: Viola
Stand: Zero-G
Brand: Star
Ability: To change the gravitational direction of anyone or anything she chooses to. All she has to do is look at them and point. Additionally, she can change her own gravitational direction whenever she chooses without pointing.
Status: Out Of Commission!
"Should we tie her up?" Scotty asked as Richard nudged Viola.
"I don't think she'll be going anywhere anytime soon," Richard responded as Blake, Ren, and Nora walked up.
"Well, just to make sure we should…." Nora began until she was interrupted by Ren covering her mouth.
"Do not say break her legs." Ren insisted as Nora slumped down.
"No fun," Nora murmured as Blake took out her scroll.
"I'll call security to have her taken in," Blake stated as Richard nodded.
"We'll uh…have to explain this to Ozpin, and once you're done, please check on Ruby and Yang. They were hit by her Stand too, and I don't know if they attempted to move." Richard replied as Blake nodded and ran off while making the call.
Vale…
Gil hopped back onto the metal beam and lifted himself up into the air with his Stand avoiding Pyrrha's gunfire and Wiess's ice. Meanwhile, Jaune placed the defense using his shield and sword to knock away and deflect any metal Gil threw at them.
"This is getting annoying! So buzz off!" Gil demanded as he used his Stand to rip the weapons out of their hands.
With their weapons gone, they were unable to defend themselves from the metal, forcing them to dodge as Joshua ran in, knocking many pieces away with his Stand. Since he couldn't get close, Joshua was keeping the metal at bay to the best of his ability.
"I hope this plan of yours works, Max." Joshua thought as he peaked at his friend from the corner of his eye.
Max crouched down with his Pins and Needles holding a single knife ready and waiting for his opportunity. He had explained that he needed to hit a specific point on Gil's back that may just disable his Stand.
For a while now, Max had been studying up on chakra theory, something his father was going to study before he was killed by Gil. Max believed that if one of his knives hit one of those chakra points, it could disable Gil's Stand temporarily.
But he needed a clean shot, and that wasn't going to be easily gained. With all this metal flying around, that was easier said than done. So, for now, he was stuck waiting out of Gil's view for his chance to attack.
"You guys need to retreat. Without your weapons, you're just a moving target for him." Joshua insisted as he landed next to Weiss, Jaune, and Pyrrha.
"No way we can't just leave! I can still use my glyphs!" Weiss argued as she created one to shield them from oncoming projectiles.
"I can also use my semblance to divert his attacks," Pyrrha added, catching Joshua's attention.
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"To what degree?" Joshua inquired as Weiss's glyph broke, and they moved out of the way of the incoming metal.
"I can only change the direction or flow of where they're going," Pyrrha explained as Joshua rubbed his chin.
"Then I'm going to need you two to make as many openings on Gil for Max as you can." Joshua requested as Jaune raised his hand.
"Um…what about me?" Jaune asked as Joshua gave him a smirk.
"If you want to stay, then you're going to aid me in being bait to divide his attention," Joshua smirked as Jaune deadpanned.
"Is that really all I can be used for here?" Jaune sighed as Joshua patted his shoulder.
"It's not because you're lacking anything. It's because neither you nor I can do much right now." Joshua assured as the group split up.
As Joshua and Jaune ran around, trying their best to keep Gil's attention by throwing rocks and other nonmetallic items that were dragged up while Pyrrha and Weiss used their semblances to further throw him off.
But even with all four of them serving as a distraction, Gil was still wary of Max, who he knew was still around. After a quick look, he found Max behind him and attempted to attack him, only to have the metal move in the opposite direction.
This shocked the Stand User as his Stand had never failed before in such a way, and he couldn't tell what had happened until he spotted Pyrrha. He could tell just by looking at her that she was able to manipulate magnetism just like him but clearly not at his level.
Gil had initially dismissed her along with Weiss and Jaune because they weren't Stand User's nor his mark, but now he saw that they, or more specifically Pyrrha, were more trouble than he had thought.
"Little shit!" Gil hissed as he threw more metal at Pyrrha, who managed to change the path once more as Weiss protected her from the ones she couldn't move.
Taking this opportunity, Jaune grabbed onto his shield that he picked out of the floating mass, allowing himself to be picked up and float with it. Struggling to keep a hold on it, Jaune waited until he was close before letting go, definitely not slipping and falling toward Gil.
"Ahhh!" Jaune screamed as he fell toward Gil, only for Gil to take control of his armor and throw him away.
"Get lost." Gil spat as Jaune was thrown away while Pyrrha ran after using her semblance to land him safely on the ground.
"Thanks, Pyrrha!" Jaune waved as Pyrrha gave him a smile.
"Look out behind you!" Jaune warned as Gil attacked Pyrrha from behind, but thanks to Jaune's warning, she managed to move out of the way.
With his back turned, Joshua lept up and swung at Gil with his Crimson Destiny. But Gil was ready by blocking Crimson Destiny's blows with a door. However, landing a hit was never Joshua's plan, as now Gil was wide open to Max.
"For my family," Max murmured as Pins and Needles reared its hand back.
"VATTENE!" Pins and Needles shouted as it threw the knife. Having heard the attack, Gil spun around to dodge it, causing the blade to miss its mark, grazing Gil's shoulder.
"Nice try, Zeppeli! But you'll have to do better than that if you wish to…." Gil began before he was interrupted by a sharp pain in his back.
"TRO!" Crimson Destiny yelled as it broke through the door to grab Pins and Needles' knife before proceeding to hit Gil in the back, right where Max had wanted.
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"W-W-WHAT?!" Gil gasped as the knife dug into his back, ignoring his aura and causing him extreme pain.
What happened to him next, he couldn't even begin to explain. It felt like all the energy in his body was sealed away as his aura flickered off, and all the metallic objects he had been carrying fell from the sky back onto the ground.
"Wha…w-w-what…d-did y-you…do to…me?!" Gil questioned as he fell to his hands and knees, unable to use his full strength.
"Don't you remember? My family deeply studied pressure points, and I've had a theory on how to improve the techniques with chakra theory." Max explained as he slowly walked up to Gil.
"My theory was that they can even interfere with the use of Stands, and it looks like I was right." Max continued as he crouched down to Gil's level and stared into Gil's eyes.
"Do you remember their names? My father? My mother? My brothers? Or were they just bad eggs?" Max asked as he grabbed onto Gil's hair and pulled his head up.
"What does it matter? They weren't worthy of the gift. Look at you and the power you hold. Isn't it all worth it?" Gil laughed, feeling no remorse for what he had done.
"I would throw away this power any day for my family back." Max hissed as he summoned his Stand.
"You sure about this?" Joshua asked as Max looked him in the eye.
"I won't be able to rest knowing that it was him that killed my family. All this time, I put the blame on Brando. But now I have a face to place the blame." Max responded as Joshua nodded.
"I understand. Do what you need to do." Joshua replied as he grabbed onto Gil and held him in place.
"What are you doing?!" Gil questioned as Max stood over him, grabbing the man's collar.
"My name is Maximilian Zeppeli! You killed my family and ruined my life! Prepare to die." Max stated as his Pins and Needles created several knives.
"VATTENE VATTENE VATTENE VATTENE VATTENE VATTENE VATTENE VATTENE VATTENE VATTENE VATTENE VATTENE VATTENE VATTENE VATTENE VATTENE VATTENE VATTENE!" Pins and Needles yelled as it continuously slammed knives all over Gil's body.
Each knife was placed in a pressure point that kept Gil in place and made the pain he felt far greater than it would have been normally. He continued this assault taking out all of his anger and grief that Gil brought up with the revelation that he had killed his family.
"For my mother!" Max shouted as he placed a knife in Gil's left shoulder.
"For my father!" Max continued as he placed a knife in Gil's right shoulder.
"For my brothers!" Max went on as he placed a knife in Gil's chest.
"AND FOR ME!" Max finished as he slammed one into Gil's head, finishing the man off.
Name: Gil Williams
Stand: Midnight Magnetic
Brand: A
Ability: Absolute control of magnetism. The User is able to move any metallic object they want with ease with no limit to how many they can control.
Status: Deceased!
Gil fell to the ground dead as Max breathed heavily as small tears dripped down his face. Looking up at the sky, a look of relief fell onto Max as the weight of his family's death lifted. Perhaps now he could face them again when his time came.
"You okay?" Joshua asked as Max looked back down.
"I will be. I just need some time." Max answered as Joshua gave him a smile.
"We should get out of here before the cops show up." Joshua pointed out as Max nodded.
"Good idea." Max agreed as Weiss, Pyrrha, and Jaune searched for their weapons in the mass of metal.
"So, are you ready to head back to Beacon?" Pyrrha inquired as she picked up Milo.
"I…" Weiss murmured as she stopped looking for her weapon.
"I don't know. After what happened, I don't know if I can face Ruby." Weiss sighed, looking down at the ground.
"I didn't even know I liked her that way, and now that it's out, I feel conflicted." Weiss began as she pulled herself into a fetal position.
"I mean, it feels like all this was dropped out of nowhere with no time for me to just process it all." Weiss continued as she looked up into the sky.
"I just need time." Weiss finished as Joshua walked up behind her.
"Weiss. I get that you're confused but let me tell you that sometimes life doesn't give you the time you may want." Joshua stated, gaining Weiss's attention.
"You don't have to talk about these feelings now, but don't wait to talk to Ruby. Waiting will just make it harder to face her." Joshua explained as Weiss looked at Lailah's bracelet on Joshua's arm.
"When we were fighting against Cupid's Arrow. It turned into that woman in front of you. Max said she was the woman you loved. Who was she?" Weiss inquired, feeling as if Joshua was speaking from experience.
"Her name was Lailah Pendleton. She was my cellmate back when I was in Brando." Joshua began as he took off her bracelet.
"Being around her alone for so long, it didn't take long for me to fall for her. But I kept it to myself because I was embarrassed, and I didn't think she'd like me back because of…." Joshua continued before stopping himself.
"Well, let's just say my family doesn't have a good reputation. For two years, I didn't tell her until eventually, we both couldn't hold it in." Joshua smiled, remembering his time with Lailah.
"But not a day goes by that I don't regret not telling her sooner. So that we could have spent more time together before…before she was killed." Joshua went on as his smile disappeared.
"So you don't have to talk about each other's feelings if you don't want to. But don't wait to settle this issue." Joshua finished as he picked up her Myrtenaster and handed it to her.
"Okay," Weiss replied as she held onto her weapon and stood back up.
Ozpin's Office…
"These Stand attacks are getting too numerous," Ironwood complained as he paced around Ozpin's office.
"I know, but we don't have any control over it," Richard replied as Ironwood rubbed his head.
"I understand, and I can't blame you for that. I do wish you try to cause less damage, but sometimes things are out of our control." Ironwood sighed as he looked out the window.
"We would like to ask that from now on, you notify us if you engage in a fight so we can react accordingly." Ozpin requested as Richard nodded.
"That's fine with us," Richard replied as Ozpin smiled.
"Good now, James. I hope we can count on you to double the security of the Vytal Festival just in case." Ozpin insisted, turning to his old friend.
"Of course, I have the knights deployed in more populated pockets." Ironwood nodded as the elevator opened, revealing Joshua and Max.
"What happened here?" Joshua inquired as Richard sighed.
"Long story," Richard answered as Ozpin stood up from his desk.
"Don't tell me something happened with you two?" Ozpin asked as Joshua and Max exchanged looks.
"We're going to have to disappoint you," Max responded as Ozpin shook his head and sipped his coffee.
"Please start from the beginning." Ozpin insisted as Joshua and Max explained what had happened to them.
"I see," Ozpin murmured as he and Ironwood exchanged worried looks.
"I don't want to do this, but I would like to ask that you avoid going to Amity Colosseum or the festival grounds when the Vytal Festival begins." Ozpin requested as the Stars seemed unfazed.
"That's not really surprising to you, is it?" Ozpin asked as Joshua shook his head.
"A lot of people are going to be around them. Can't risk them getting in the middle of a Stand battle." Joshua responded as Ozpin sat down.
"Thank you for your cooperation. Though you can't go to the colosseum or the festival grounds, Beacon will still be open for you to come and go. As long as it's to come here." Ozpin explained as the Stars nodded.
"I'm glad we could come to an understanding." Ozpin smiled as he sipped his coffee.
"Actually, there's something else we'd like to talk about," Joshua said as he scratched his head.
Team RWBY Dorms…
"No running away this time, you two," Yang stated as he and Blake blocked the exit to their dorm as Weiss and Ruby sat across from one another.
"You're talking through your issues here and now." Blake insisted as Ruby and Weiss nodded.
"Ruby. I'm…sorry for avoiding you. But I'm ready to…talk this out." Weiss apologized as Ruby shook her head.
"No, I should be sorry for just hiding from you. This is kinda my fault anyway since I was…you know…with Cupid's Arrow." Ruby said with a slight blush.
"It's not your fault that happened, and I know that…there are things between us that we really need to talk about. But I think that's something we should…let happen more naturally." Weiss replied, avoiding Ruby's eye contact.
"Okay." Ruby nodded as she placed her hand on Weiss's.
"So, does that mean you guys are going to stop avoiding each other?" Yang asked as Weiss and Ruby nodded.
"Yeah, let's get back to practice!" Ruby smiled as she stood up, still holding Weiss's hand.
"Yes. Let's." Weiss smiled as she stood up too.
===To Be Continued===
Next Time…The Real Face Of Joshua Joestar
Author's Note:
Man, I'm finally done with this chapter! It took me longer than I wanted to get out, but thankfully I'm done. Honestly, I couldn't figure out how to start it at first before I put in the bit of Cinder revealing Stands to Adam, who I had yet to show in this series.
Can't wait to show what their story will turn into, but that will have to wait for a little while later in the story. Funny enough, I wasn't originally going to have Viola's fight in here as I was going to have it happen next chapter, but I decided against it.
Thank god I did because writing about her Stand was rough, at least when it came to the directions everyone was facing. Those took me the longest to write because I wanted them to be as clear as they could be. Overall I think I did pretty good with it.
Of course, the bigger fight for this chapter, at least in my opinion, was our other Stand battle where Max learns the identity of his family's killer. Looking back on it, I kinda wish I built up to this a little more with Max wondering who it was that killed his family, but I felt the impact still works.
He's a man who wants to repent for his past actions and get his revenge on the Brando Institution for killing his family because he doesn't know who else to blame. But now that he has the face to blame, he will go in for the kill.
There was also the subplot of Ruby and Weiss avoiding each other, which I brought in because I feel like there needed to be more repercussions from Cupid's Arrow. Since neither had any idea of their feelings toward one another, they just couldn't take the awkwardness, and I'm glad to add it because I got good character scenes from it.
Though I admit it's not perfect because I'm not the best at writing this kind of drama, I think I did pretty well. Anyway, before I forget, since we had a Star Brand this chapter, aka Viola, I'm going to talk about how her Stand was considered to be able to kill Salem as I do with all Star Brands.
This one is pretty obvious as she could literally just send Salem into orbit if she wanted to, but since no one could confirm it could kill her or just turn her into an ice cube like Kars, she never had to try since Kage wants a Stand that could guarantee him Salem's death.
Either way, that's all I have to say, and next chapter begins Volume 3 and the reveal of who Joshua Joestar really is! So I hope you guys enjoyed and I'll see you all next time!