Fighting Chance

Chapter 5

Shadaloo's Shadow

Glamorous lights filled the arena as the boxing champ of Vale desperately tried to hold off the mad buffalo as their exhibition match turned into a brutal slugfest that he had not been ready. The bell rung and the fighters separated, the coach of the Vale champion placed a cold towel on his forehead as the young man could only shake his head "H-he… does not feel retired"

"Forcefully retired. Don't let his status fool you kid that man right there is one of the best... only the Atlas champion Dudley is know to have put him on the ground for the count… and now is going to be you. We're almost at the end baby come on!"

From across the ring Balrog simply snorted "They are giving the chump a peptalk" a new round started, the bell almost drowned out by the roar of the crowd as the fight reached its last round. Balrog charged in like a man possessed and screamed at the top of his lungs as he brought his fist down, barely managing to jump away from the killing blow the vale champ stumbled to the side. Trying to regain his momentum the young champion tried to counter the brutal blow by striking at the sides of the giant of a man, Balrog simply grunted as he twisted his body and slammed his foot on top of his opponents. A dirty trick that Balrog would excuse as he had many times before, the champ could only watch in horror as Balrog launched a strike so powerful that the boxing glove of the mad bull let out smoke.

The crowd screamed in both exciment and fear as the champion hit the floor like a sack of potatoes for the first time in his career, Balrog screamed at the top of his lungs as he smacked his chest "I AM THE CHAAAAAAAAAMP!"

He smirked at the VIP lounge on the balcony, were Vega clapped with a look of disdain on his face "Brute"

"And yet he gets the job done Vega" a booming voice said from the side as M. Bison set down a glass of a mysterious liquid that Vega was sure was venom or something along those lines. Surrounded by dolls and Shadaloo soldiers the leader of the largest criminal empire grinned from ear to ear, his eyes almost seemed to glow in the dimly lit VIP room. The dolls all blankly stared ahead as they ignored the fight bellow their eyes on potential threats around them. Vega simply nodded not wanting to disrespect his leader, but he did let his curiosity give him the bravery to say what he wanted "It is rare for Lord Bison to make a public appearance,"

The lord of crime chuckled as purple energy surrounded him "Oh but this is not just any day, look all around you Vega"

Vega did so and he spotted a couple of famous figures across the arena, some movie stars and vain celebrities. Crime bosses and shady figures all sat at ringside, no doubt loured by the bets "I spot only rabble and lowlifes, if Junior of all people can get in then the standards of boxing are really low"

"And yet you failed to see" Bison tilted his head towards a red head that was sitting in the middle row who was staring disapprovingly at the show, Vega hummed as things began to click in his mind once he recognized who she was "The invincible champion"

The cold gaze of Bison rested on her for a couple of seconds "She is going to Beacon, your little project Vega could not have come at a better time, we need data on the strongest for the doll project and operation chains. You nephew is capable of doing a little info gathering I assume"-"He has my blood, the blood of an Arc. We are all violent by nature but most of my family use it to be fight Grimm, Jaune has tasted human combat and now his path will be different than his fathers" Bison smiled from ear to ear.

The lord of shadaloo closed his fist as psycho energy exploded at the small movement "Soon, my plans for world domination will come true and no one is going to be able to stop me. No white fang, no kingdom and not that warrior in white; this first step we take in Beacon will mark the end of an era" Vega simply smiled under the mask, but his smile turned down right feral when he spotted Satsuki briefly turn to look at them.

Did young Jaune break the doll free? No other doll so much as flinched but she had turned her head as soon as her new friend was mentioned, how deliciously human, a flower blossoming before his very eyes.

"Oh man I don't feel so good" Jaune muttered as he felt his stomach do flips inside him, Ed looked at him and shook his head "If you throw up on me boss man, I will act like I don't know you"

Jaune glared at the boy "Gee thanks for the emotional support" Ed grinned at him "I am the best what can I say" the blondes conversed as the bullhead made its way to Beacon, there was some other students around them but quite frankly Ed thought they all where nothing to write home about.

The small red girl that talked miles per-hour did catch his attention but only because of how small she was compared to the tall blonde that was currently trying her hardest to embarrass the little gal.

Kind of like his new boss was trying to do right now "Breathe man, babies travel all the time and they don't throw up" Ed said as he scoffed at the older boy, Jaune glared at him a bit but Ed found that it was nowhere near as threatening as Vega. The masked maniac as his previous boss like to call him was avoided like a plague by many members of Shadaloo, too self-centered and stuck up to serve anyone other than Lord Bison.

Compared to him Jaune was a threatening as newborn puppy, but if there was something that Ed had learned was that he shouldn't judge a book by its cover. So he simply raised his hands in mock defense "Easy there boss, only joking. But do keep it together, wouldn't want to be called vomit boy on the first day now would you?"

"Hah!" the blonde that had been eavesdropping at their conversation laughed, making Jaune grumble "Just tell me when we get there."

Jaune barely registered the voice of a woman giving what sounded like a brief speech and there at the distance he saw the school. For a minute he forgot all about his upset stomach and the means he had taken to get to this school, it was like love at first sight.

Almost everyone around them was having the same reaction of awe and eagerness to begin their new life as hunters. All but Ed who simply stared at the building, with a sad frow. Jaune might not have realized it but now that they were here they had become pawns in the ever changing game of power that plagued Remnant. A game that he had been made to play… Ed let out a long sigh as he rubbed , he missed his sister.