Chapter 21: Bad Luck X Bad Luck = Luck
Vale…
Beacon…
"Come on, Weiss! We don't want to be late!" Ruby called, beckoning her partner toward the rest of their team, who was waiting by a bullhead.
"Calm down. I'm coming!" Weiss shouted back before sighing.
"Sorry about her. She can be very pushy at times." Weiss apologized as she turned back toward Winter.
"Don't be. It's nice to see that you've made plenty of friends." Winter replied before embracing Weiss in a hug.
"Now. Do not disappoint and win your match." Winter insisted as the two separated.
"Of course." Weiss nodded as she turned toward Joshua and Max, who stood behind Winter.
"Good luck," Joshua said, giving Weiss a thumbs up.
"Thank you." Weiss thanked before pausing.
They had just finished their small catch-up meeting over tea after Winter interrogated Max. But there was one thing Weiss wanted to say that she had yet to. Taking a quick breath, Weiss steeled herself.
"I know that…our past may not have been all pleasant in our home, but…you don't have to leave everything behind." Weiss expressed, giving Joshua a sad expression.
Joshua was not expecting Weiss to say that, but he wasn't surprised she felt like that. He couldn't really blame her as he did attempt to avoid telling her that he was her older brother and leave their family behind. He wanted to say it was to protect them, but it was most likely it was equally due to his own selfishness.
"I'll do my best," Joshua replied, not knowing what else to say.
"Good. Because we're not letting you get away." Winter stated as she glanced over at Joshua.
"I've got nowhere else to be." Joshua sighed as Max snickered next to him before Joshua elbowed his friend in the gut.
"Come on, Ice Queen, or we're leaving without you!" Yang called, gaining Weiss's attention.
"I HATE that nickname." Weiss hissed before taking a deep breath.
"Well, I'll be off." Weiss smiled before turning around and running off to join her team.
"You okay?" Max asked, rubbing his gut.
"After hearing what Weiss said. I don't know." Joshua stated, unable to describe his own emotions.
"I see. Well, the rest of us, Stars and I, are here when you want to talk." Max offered as Joshua gave him a nod.
"Right," Joshua replied before turning to watch as Team RWBY flew off toward Amity.
"So. How you holding up after Winter's interrogation?" Joshua inquired, causing Max to flinch.
"Your sister…is really intimidating when she wants to be." Max sighed, exhausted from Winter's interrogation.
"Did you have to go through that a lot?" Max asked, getting a blank stare from Joshua.
"Right, you don't remember," Max murmured, looking away before glancing at Winter.
"Even if she was like that, I'm sure that she's changed a lot since I last knew her." Joshua pointed out as he lost sight of Team RWBY's bullhead.
"Good point. Still, the way she commands a room is kinda ho…*Grunts* It's nice." Max replied, stopping his sentence midway so as not to make Joshua uncomfortable.
"So you're like that then." Joshua chuckled, making Max gulp.
"I'm sorry, what? What is that supposed to mean? I didn't say…I didn't imply I'm anything!" Max argued as Winter approached them.
"Do I even want to know what you two were talking about?" Winter questioned, giving the two a look filled with suspicion.
"It's nothing," Joshua assured as he ran his right hand through his hair.
"So, since we're already here, shall we go over a plan for stopping any Stand Users from getting to the participants?" Joshua inquired, changing the subject.
"Yes, I believe it may be fit to keep half of your team patrolling Vale while the others stay around Beacon," Winter answered as she looked between Joshua and Max.
"So you two will be patrolling with me today while the others stay in Vale," Winter stated before the sound of laughter caught her attention.
"Sounds like you three have an exciting day ahead of you." Qrow laughed, gaining the three's attention.
"What do you need, Qrow?" Winter questioned as Qrow walked up to the three.
"I'm just here to watch my nieces fly off to Amity and couldn't help but overhear your little conversation," Qrow explained before taking a swig of his flask.
"So what's a huntsman got to do to join in on this little guard duty?" Qrow inquired as Winter quickly turned around.
"We have no need for drunks," Winter stated before grabbing onto Joshua and walking off.
"Ah, come on, there's no need for that. I just want to see what these Stands can do." Qrow whined as he followed.
"Then go off and find them." Winter insisted, hoping Qrow would just leave.
"What's the story between you two?" Joshua questioned his sister in a low whisper.
"There is no story," Winter stated, keeping her answer short.
"Then what's your problem with him? Besides the alcoholism." Joshua rephrased as he broke Winter's grip on him.
"He's unprofessional and a liability," Winter answered, clearly unhappy with Qrow being there.
"I can see that," Joshua noted, stealing a glance at Qrow, who was still following behind them.
"I guess that means you've worked with him before?" Joshua inquired as Winter sighed.
"Unfortunately, and I don't wish to do so again," Winter responded as Joshua scratched his head.
"I can understand that. He does seem a bit…impulsive." Joshua noted, remembering how the man attacked him and the rest of the Stars to test them.
"Don't be so cold, Ice Queen!" Qrow laughed, causing Winter to growl as she grabbed onto her sword, only for Joshua to stop her.
"Just to make sure. You're not going to attack us again, are you?" Max questioned, turning toward Qrow.
"Not unless I'm provoked," Qrow responded as Max sighed.
"Lovely," Max murmured, turning away from Qrow.
"So how do you find these Stand Users anyway?" Qrow inquired, raising his voice to bug Winter.
"We don't," Joshua stated, confusing both Winter and Qrow.
"They usually find us," Joshua revealed as Max nodded. Little did he know that he was being watched from afar by a man who twirled a coin between his fingers.
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Amity Colosseum…
"You going to be okay, Weiss?" Ruby inquired as she and the rest of Team RWBY exited their bullhead on Amity.
"Of course. Why do you ask?" Weiss responded, confused at why Ruby was asking.
"Well, you were pretty open back there with your brother," Ruby explained, giving Weiss a worried expression.
"And I'm worried that you're still…upset and you'll hesitate in the match," Ruby added as Weiss shook her head.
"I'm not going to throw the match just because I found out my brother is still alive. You have nothing to worry about, Ruby." Weiss assured until Ruby suddenly grabbed her hand.
"That's…not what I'm worried about," Ruby stated with a slight blush.
"Oh…well…I. Well, I won't get hurt either." Weiss replied as an odd silence fell between the two, only to be broken by the sound of snickering.
Turning around, the two saw Yang desperately trying to hold in her laughter as Blake attempted to hide her own smile. But it didn't take long before Yang's mask slipped, and she cackled with laughter as Blake hid her mouth behind her hand.
"You two suck at flirting." Yang laughed, causing Weiss and Ruby to blush.
"We are not flirting!" Weiss cried as Ruby ran up and punched her sister in the arm.
"Knock it off!" She insisted as Yang nodded, calming down.
"Sorry. Couldn't help it." Yang smirked, giving her sister a nudge.
"Still, though. You two have yet to have your talk. Maybe after the match is the perfect time." Yang pointed out as she pressed on ahead.
"I thought it was cute," Blake commented before following Yang.
"IT WASN'T…WE WEREN'T…AGGGHH!" Weiss shouted, frustrated at her two teammates.
"Let's just go in." Ruby insisted, pulling Weiss along with her as they followed their teammates inside the Colosseum.
Once inside, they found that a large crowd had already filled the stadium. No doubt, when the next set of matches began, the entire Colosseum would be full. Catching up with Blake and Yang, Team RWBY made their way to drop off Yang and Weiss at the waiting rooms.
"Alright, are you guys ready to win!" Ruby exclaimed, changing her tone from earlier.
"Heck yeah! I'm ready to kick the butt of whoever we're up against! Even if it's Pyrrha!" Yang replied as a cough to her right alerted her to a certain redhead's presence.
"Well, I'm certainly up for the challenge." Pyrrha smiled as the rest of Team JNPR stood next to her.
"Yeah, but we'll be the ones coming out on top!" Nora declared, giving Team RWBY a mischievous grin.
"Bring it on!" Yang smirked, matching Nora's energy.
"It would be interesting if our teams ended up fighting during this round," Jaune commented, rubbing the back of his head.
"Though I'd rather us not," Jaune murmured under his breath.
"By the way, will the Stand guys watch the tournament?" Nora inquired, curious if the Stars were watching the tournament.
"You mean the Stars? I don't think so. They aren't really allowed in the Colosseum." Yang answered before getting a mischievous smirk.
"But maybe JoJo will try to watch our match, right Weiss?" Yang asked, giving Weiss a playful nudge.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ren questioned as he and the rest of Team JNPR stared at Weiss and Yang.
"It means nothing." Weiss hissed, glaring at Yang.
"Weiss, it wouldn't hurt to just tell them," Blake noted as Ruby nodded.
"Plus, I doubt it would be good leaving them guessing." Ruby pointed out, making Weiss grumble in annoyance.
"Fine. I'll give the short version." Weiss stated as she explained about the revelation that Joshua Joestar was truly her older brother she had believed to be dead.
"So…Mr. Joestar…" Pyrrha began still processing what Weiss had said.
"Was your brother?!" Jaune gasped as he and the rest of Team JNPR stared at Weiss in awe.
"You know, now that I think about it, they do kinda look similar," Ren noted, comparing Weiss's and Joshua's faces.
"It's odd that he'd hide it for so long, right?" Nora wondered as Weiss sighed.
"Look, I'm not really in a mood to talk about it that much, so I'm going to wait in the locker room," Weiss stated, walking away.
"Is she okay?" Jaune inquired, curious about Weiss's reaction.
"This is still pretty fresh for her, so she's probably still adjusting," Blake explained while Ruby looked at Weiss concerned.
"I hope she'll be okay." Ruby sighed, placing her hand on her chest.
Vale…
Outskirts of Beacon…
"So, is this what you guys do every day?" Qrow questioned as Winter grunted.
"As much as I'd hate to, I have to agree. Wouldn't it make more sense for us to go looking for them?" Winter inquired, getting sick of waiting.
"Well, how else are we going to find an opponent whom we don't know what they look like or what their Stand is?" Joshua pointed out, causing Winter to sigh.
"Then, at least, we should split up, with some staying by the school while the rest keep around the edge." Winter insisted as Joshua relented.
"Fair enough," Joshua replied as Qrow quickly walked up and wrapped an arm around Joshua.
"If we're splitting up, I'm pairing up with him." Qrow snickered, causing Winter to frown.
"Absolutely not. I will be with my brother." Winter demanded, crossing her arms.
"Great." Joshua sighed as he watched the two begin to argue.
"Should we just leave them to argue?" Max inquired as Joshua shook his head.
"It is best if we didn't," Joshua murmured before walking up.
"Just leave it already. We can switch later." Joshua insisted as he pushed Qrow forward.
"Fine," Winter muttered, grabbing onto Max and pushing him before her.
"Let's go," Winter ordered, unhappy with this development.
The two pairs set off with Joshua and Qrow heading back toward Beacon while Winter and Max kept to the edge. As they walked back toward Beacon, Joshua was the first to break the small silence between himself and Qrow.
"So, did you have a bigger reason for wanting to pair with me, or were you just trying to bug my sister again?" Joshua inquired, turning toward Qrow.
"It was only to bug her a little bit. But I needed to talk to you alone for a minute." Qrow stated as Joshua raised a brow.
"About what?" Joshua asked, curious to see what Qrow was getting at.
"I just needed to deliver a message from Oz. He wants to see you before the day's over." Qrow stated, gesturing toward Ozpin's office.
"Couldn't you have just told me this earlier?" Joshua questioned, wondering why Qrow had to mess around and antagonize his sister.
"Nope. Because this pertains to someone your sister isn't in the know of." Qrow responded, confusing Joshua.
"Who?" Joshua asked, not understanding what Qrow meant.
"Oh, come on, didn't Ozpin tell you about her?" Qrow muttered, taking a swig from his flask as Joshua's eyes widened.
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"Ooohh. You mean Sal…" Joshua began before Qrow coughed into his flask and shook his head at Joshua.
"Don't say her name out loud." Qrow insisted keeping Joshua quiet.
"What is bad luck to say her name aloud?" Joshua inquired as Qrow shook his head.
"No, but it's best not to say it in public. Never know who's listening." Qrow responded, glancing around them.
"Ah. I see." Joshua replied, giving a small nod.
"Did he mention what he wanted to discuss concerning…her?" Joshua asked, trying to keep his words discreet.
"You'll see when we get there later," Qrow stated, not revealing anything more.
"I see," Joshua murmured, deciding not to push the topic any further.
Before either could change or continue the conversation, a small crack appeared just below their feet. It was so insignificant no one would have noticed or paid it any mind unless they were explicitly looking for it.
Which was why Joshua wasn't ready when it caught his foot caught him to stumble and drop down to catch himself with his Stand. Just as he caught himself, he heard something fly over his head and crash into the trees to his right.
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Looking up, Joshua saw an arrow sticking out of a nearby tree, sending a chill down his spine as he summoned his Stand out fully. But no sooner did he do so than he noticed that the arrow in the tree was not a Stand arrow but a normal one.
"I'm so sorry!" A Voice rang out as Joshua and Qrow turned to see a girl with a broken bow.
"I was practicing nearby, and my bowstring snapped, sending the arrow flying." The Girl explained as she ran up to collect the arrow before giving a small apologetic bow.
"Talk about a close call." Joshua sighed, standing back up.
"If I didn't trip on that crack, that arrow might've hit me," Joshua noted, looking back at the crack in the ground.
"But why didn't my premonition go off?" Joshua wondered before letting out a soft sigh.
"Talk about lucky," Joshua commented, making Qrow snort.
"Luck is the last thing that occurs around me, kid," Qrow muttered, going for another swig of his flask only to see that the arrow had made a hole in the bottom.
"Is that so? What, do you have some sort of bad luck streak?" Joshua inquired as Qrow put his flask away.
"Something like that." Qrow sighed, keeping his semblance to himself.
"Let's get going. Now that I have to continue this sober, I'm not looking forward to it." Qrow insisted before continuing on toward Beacon.
"Wow, you really are a drunk," Joshua commented under his breath as he followed Qrow.
"What was that?" Qrow questioned, having just barely picked up what Joshua said.
"Don't worry about it," Joshua replied, avoiding answering Qrow's question.
"Yeah, yeah," Qrow muttered, attempting to take his flask once again before remembering it was broken and empty.
Several minutes passed in silence as the two finally arrived back at Beacon. Once they arrived, all they could do was return to patrolling around the campus. The two didn't have much to discuss, so the silence remained as the patrol resumed.
As they walked around the school, Joshua took this chance to look at the architecture of the school. He never gave it much thought before, but Beacon is a very old school. Though it was built to teach, Joshua always thought it looked more like a castle than a school.
But while he looked up at the school, a glint caught his eye. Joshua stopped as he looked perplexed at the glint as it soon grew bigger, and eventually, Joshua could make out something falling down toward himself and Qrow.
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"What is it?" Qrow questioned, wondering why Joshua stopped before following his gaze up.
With his gaze up, Qrow spotted what Joshua was looking at as it fell closer and closer until both could make out what it was. Dust. Or, more specifically, a Lighting Dust Crystal that was falling quickly toward them.
Both Joshua and Qrow didn't hesitate as they jumped back just as the Dust Crystal struck the ground, exploding in a cascade of electricity. Though none of it hit them, it struck a nearby fire hydrant, causing water to shoot out, carrying the electric current toward Joshua and Qrow.
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However, before it could reach them, another Dust Crystal fell, crashing into the electrified water, causing it to explode and freeze the water stream and sealing the hydrant, preventing more water from coming out.
"Lightning and Ice Dust…" Joshua murmured, using his Stand to inspect the giant icicle and ensure it was safe.
"Where did they even come from?" Qrow questioned, looking back up and spotting a blown-out dorm window with scorch marks and frosted parts covering it.
"Looks like some students had an accident in their dorm." Qrow theorized as Joshua recalled his Stand.
"Hopefully, they're okay. It's lucky those two Dust Crystals didn't cause too much damage." Joshua commented as Qrow rolled his eyes.
"Yeah. Lucky." Qrow muttered as he pulled out his scroll.
"I'll let Oz know about this," Qrow stated as Joshua nodded.
"Good, let's go then," Joshua replied, moving on from the scene.
"Still, why didn't my premonition warn me about that?" Joshua wondered, rubbing his chin.
Nearby, unbeknownst to either Joshua or Qrow, a lone figure stood shaking in anger. This figure was the Stand User Faust, who had come to take out the Stars one by one if he could and collect the bounty placed on them by Brando.
But somehow, someway, Joshua Joestar avoided or somehow negated his Stand's effect. According to his Stand's rule, Joshua Joestar should have encountered some very bad luck, but it didn't happen!
The only thing that happened was him tripping and avoiding an arrow that would have struck him. That's not unlucky! That was lucky! Taking a deep breath, Faust continued to tail the two, ready to use his Stand once more, and hopefully, this time, it would work. It had to.
Across Beacon…
Max remained silent as he watched Winter walk in a huff, clearly irritated with the current arrangement. He was almost thankful she wasn't angry because she was paired with him…well, it was maybe half that. But she just seemed more annoyed that Joshua was with Qrow.
"So…" Max murmured, trying to think of the best way to start a conversation.
"Are you uh….are you doing alright?" Max inquired, hoping to break the tension in the air.
"Fine," Winter stated bluntly, keeping her answer short.
"Right, right." Max nodded before clearing his throat.
"Well, I'm sure JoJo will be fine. We've dealt with many Stand Users, so he'll be prepared for anything." Max assured, hoping that would calm Winter down, but it didn't seem to work.
"I'm not concerned about that," Winter replied, confusing Max.
"Then what's the problem?" Max asked, wondering what was bugging Winter.
"It doesn't matter," Winter responded, not giving Max an answer, causing the man to sigh in annoyance.
"God, why is everyone in your family so hard to work with at times," Max murmured under his breath as Winter stopped and turned toward him.
"What was that?" Winter questioned, shooting a glare at Max, who averted his gaze.
"N-Nothing…let's just keep going." Max insisted, picking up the pace, hoping not to press any further.
With their conversation done, the two continued patrolling Beacon Academy's outskirts. During this time, Max continued to see that Winter was irritated but didn't wish to say anything about it as she most likely didn't want to talk about it.
Each step they took made Max even more uncomfortable as the silence dug into him deeper than his own knives could. He just wished there was a way he could make this situation any better than it currently was.
Just then, Max noticed the power flicker in some of the lights and other electronics around them, much to his confusion. But he began to prepare himself for anything as when any oddity occurred around him, Max had to take the chance that it could be a Stand User.
"Can't take any chances. Especially after him." Max noted, remembering the man who had killed his family.
"That power fluctuation. Does that often happen here?" Winter inquired, believing Max would know more than her.
"No. It could be a Stand, but I wouldn't be surprised if someone's doing some maintenance. So stay on guard." Max explained as Winter placed a hand on her sword.
"Then again…if it is a Stand User, they might be closer to Joshua and Qrow," Max noted, causing Winter to stop in her tracks.
"Then perhaps we should meet back up with them." Winter insisted as Max raised a brow.
"It's fine. We don't know if there's anything wrong yet. They'll let us know if anything is wrong." Max pointed out as Winter let out a low growl.
"Anything can go wrong with that man around," Winter muttered as Max turned around.
"Are you really this annoyed with JoJo partnering up with Qrow? I get that he's an impulsive drunk, but he is still a professional huntsman. But what's your issue with him? Because you really don't seem to like him." Max questioned, unable to understand Winter's behavior.
"Well, besides of his overall behavior, his semblance makes him a burden to most missions," Winter commented, confusing Max.
"His semblance makes him a burden?" Max murmured, looking at Winter perplexed.
"He is a literal walking, talking bad luck charm. Wherever he goes, bad luck follows. Which is why I don't want anyone, especially my family, working with him on this." Winter explained, her tone turning sour.
"So that's why I missed during the fight," Max noted, rubbing his chin.
"I can see how that may be a problem. However, with how our lives have played out so far, I wouldn't say we're the luckiest people around. So I wouldn't worry about JoJo getting hurt or anything." Max assured, though his words didn't seem to ease Winter.
"How can I not worry? For the past twelve years, I believed he was dead, so having him suddenly show up after so long makes me not want to let him out of my sight. Especially when he's being hunted." Winter stated as Max let out a small sigh.
"Y-Yeah. I can get being protective of a younger sibling. If my family suddenly showed up alive, I'd probably feel the same." Max replied, causing Winter to look him up and down.
"Did you have younger siblings?" Winter inquired as Max nodded.
"I did. I had two younger brothers, ages five and three. If they were still around, there would be nothing I wouldn't do for them, but…they're not." Max answered as Winter gave him a sympathetic look.
"Then you should understand my concerns," Winter noted, still adamant about her beliefs.
"True, and I do. But I also know that JoJo is more than capable of taking care of himself. It might be challenging, but you don't need to watch over him." Max replied, causing Winter to avert her gaze.
"I-I know. With Weiss, it was easy because I was there when she grew up, but…with Wal…JoJo. I didn't have that time. Perhaps I'm still not used to him being back yet." Winter sighed, moving her hand away from her sword.
"I don't think anyone would be in your position," Max commented as Winter straightened out.
"Yes, I don't think they would," Winter stated before moving on.
"Come, we still have a job to do." Winter insisted, gesturing for Max to follow.
"Sounds good," Max smirked as he began to follow Winter.
"But I'd like to hear more about your family while we walk," Winter added, causing Max to tense up.
"Oh, uh…okay," Max replied, surprised by the sudden request.
Team JoJo & Qrow…
"What the hell is going on?" Joshua muttered as he and Qrow sat on a bench.
For the past several minutes, several odd events occurred one after another. First, a runaway practice Grimm charged toward the two, only for a nearby tree to collapse on top of it, killing it instantly. The second was when a bullhead flew overhead, and a panel fell off, nearly hitting the two, only for a bird to hit it off course.
Finally, the third odd occurrence was when Qrow was splashed by water from above, causing him to stop and narrowly avoid walking into a small hole in the ground where construction was being done for repair.
"I want to say this is a Stand's doing, but I've never had random things just happen. Plus, none of it has hurt us." Joshua noted, glancing at Qrow, who sniffed at his clothes.
"Yeah, speak for yourself," Qrow murmured as he wrung out his cape.
"Right." Joshua sighed, turning his gaze ahead of him.
"Still. I wonder if there's a Stand that causes bad luck." Joshua wondered, making Qrow shudder.
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"Something wrong?" Joshua questioned, noticing Qrow's behavior.
"It's…it's my semblance," Qrow muttered, crossing his arms as Joshua raised a brow.
"What is?" Joshua asked, not understanding what Qrow was saying.
"My semblance is most likely causing this. It causes bad luck to everyone and anything around me. Myself included, and before you say anything, I can't turn it off." Qrow explained as Joshua looked at him.
"Huh. It must be hard living with stuff like this always happening." Joshua commented as Qrow's gaze hardened.
"It normally isn't this bad. I honestly don't get what's going on." Qrow replied, surprising Joshua.
"The most it normally does is just stuff like have a small rock hit someone in the head to stagger them or trip someone up so they can't defend themselves. Which really doesn't help when it happens to a teammate." Qrow explained as Joshua rubbed his chin.
"Guess today's just not your day," Joshua noted as the bench they sat on broke, causing them both to fall to the ground.
"Yeah," Qrow muttered before picking himself up.
"Well, it could be worse. We haven't been injured by any of this bad luck." Joshua pointed out as Qrow raised a brow.
"You're taking this oddly optimistic," Qrow commented as Joshua shrugged.
"After how my life has played out so far. A little bit of bad luck isn't enough to faze me." Joshua replied as an acorn fell on his head.
"Though it is a little annoying." Joshua sighed, picking up the acorn and tossing it into the dirt.
"Yeah, well, you're the first with that attitude. No matter how much I try to numb the effects of my semblance, bad luck always follows." Qrow replied as Joshua nodded.
"That just means you need to make your own luck." Joshua insisted, causing Qrow to roll his eyes.
"Doesn't work like that, kid," Qrow stated, crossing his arms.
"It's probably best if I just go. I've just been making this whole mission harder anyway." Qrow sighed, surprising Joshua.
"Just going to give up?" Joshua questioned as Qrow shrugged.
"Look, I know when things just aren't going to go my way, especially with my semblance. This was your mission, anyway, not mine. I just came along to mess with your sister and see more of these Stands." Qrow explained, turning away.
"You'll have better luck without me here," Qrow added as Joshua glared at him.
"I don't believe in luck," Joshua commented, making Qrow chuckle.
"Then what do you believe in? Making your own luck?" Qrow asked as Joshua nodded.
"I was never given good luck for most of my life. If I wanted something, I had to do it myself. That includes escaping the institution and moving to take them down." Joshua responded, confusing Qrow.
"I've had to deal with a lot of bad things my whole life. First was my abusive father. Then the institution and…what I lost in there." Joshua continued looking Qrow dead in his eyes.
"Something like a little "bad luck" won't stop me." Joshua finished as Qrow remained silent before chuckling.
"You're the weirdest guy I've ever met. I honestly can't see how you're a Schnee." Qrow laughed as Joshua shrugged.
"Well, I'm not. At least I don't consider myself one." Joshua replied as Qrow nodded.
"Yeah, I get it. Sometimes I wish I didn't come from the "family" I was raised by." Qrow commented as Joshua raised a brow.
"Not a happy home life for you, too, huh?" Joshua inquired as Qrow shook his head.
"Didn't really have much of a home life. I was raised in a tribe of bandits and…wasn't the best place to raise a kid." Qrow explained, remembering his troubled youth.
"That does sound fairly bad," Joshua commented before tilting his head.
"How did that make you develop a semblance that causes bad luck?" Joshua wondered, curious about how that occurred.
"The same way all semblances develop. Well, besides your family's. Through a person's environment and personality." Qrow replied, looking at Joshua.
"It surprises me that your Stand, which operates similarly, didn't end up like your family's descendant ones," Qrow noted as Joshua nodded.
"Well, I didn't have it yet, so I must have been freed from that chain, so to speak," Joshua explained before pausing.
"But beyond that, Stands develop similarly. Which means…" Joshua murmured, looking at his surroundings.
"If someone else had a semblance like yours or grew up with a mindset where they craved any kind of luck. Then perhaps it would be possible…" Joshua continued looking back at Qrow.
"That there's a Stand that operates similar to your semblance." Joshua theorized as his eyes widened.
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"What are you getting at?" Qrow questioned, not understanding what Joshua was saying.
"You said earlier that your Stand isn't always this bad, right?" Joshua inquired as Qrow reluctantly nodded.
"Yeah, but it's not…entirely out of the realm of possibility," Qrow answered, though not confident in his own answer.
"But is it this frequent?" Joshua pushed his tone, turning more serious.
"No. It can happen often, but not this frequently." Qrow responded, looking at Joshua confused.
"So perhaps right here and right now, we're being attacked by a Stand User. One who can inflict bad luck on someone like your semblance." Joshua suggested, finally cueing Qrow into his thoughts.
"If that were true, then wouldn't they have been more active in trying to kill us?" Qrow questioned as Joshua hummed.
"Perhaps they are and…" Joshua murmured before something caught his eye.
It was a glint or, more specifically, a strong reflection from the small metal bench he and Qrow had been sitting on. Turning around, he looked up to see a bullhead falling from the sky with smoke flooding out from it.
"Shit!" Joshua cursed before he and Qrow dove out of the way as the bullhead crashed into the ground where they just stood.
"If I didn't see that glint, I might have been hit," Joshua noted, picking himself up from the ground.
"But why am I still not getting any premonitions? Whenever something dangerous like this happens, I always see it coming." Joshua thought as he moved over to the downed bullhead.
"Then again, I've always got lucky and avoided them anyway. Is that why it's not triggering?" Joshua wondered before joining Qrow and using his Stand to rip off the door to the bullhead.
"Is everyone okay?" Qrow inquired as he and Joshua stepped into the bullhead.
"Yes…" The Pilot groaned as he and the other bullhead passengers picked themselves up.
"A bird flew into the engine, and the steering locked up." The Co-Pilot explained as Joshua and Qrow helped everyone exit the bullhead.
"Get to Beacon for medical aid. We'll handle this." Qrow ordered as the passengers and pilots left the scene, not before Joshua swiped a notepad from one of them.
"So you were talking about a Stand that works like my semblance?" Qrow questioned as Joshua nodded.
"Yeah, and with how it's following us, I think the Stand User is close by," Joshua responded as Qrow drew his weapon.
"Then let's find them." Qrow insisted, only for Joshua to shake his head.
"No, I don't think they'll show themselves that easily," Joshua replied, confusing Qrow.
"What are you talking about?" Qrow inquired, not understanding what Joshua was talking about.
"Whoever this Stand User is has been following us for a while and so far made various unsuccessful attempts to kill us. If I have to fight against another Stand User, you'll most likely get in the way." Joshua stated, shocking Qrow.
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But before the huntsman could make a retort, Joshua used Crimson Destiny to punch him in the gut, causing him to keel over. As Qrow recovered from Joshua's sucker punch, he gave the Stand User a nod before running off.
"Let's hope this works." Joshua thought as the bullhead suddenly caught fire and exploded.
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The explosion sent Joshua flying off before crashing into a tree, causing it to break and fall down upon him. But before it could, Joshua used his Stand to push it away from him so as not to damage his aura any further.
"Shit didn't think it would have an immediate effect." Joshua cursed, picking himself up from the ground.
It was then that his premonitions finally returned as he was shown a vision of a sharp shard of shrapnel piercing his skull. Moving quickly, Joshua lept to the side, managing to avoid the gruesome fate he foresaw as the shrapnel flew by and embedded itself into another tree.
With a sigh of relief, Joshua clutched onto his head as the phantom pain from his vision hit him, causing him to keel over slightly. When he recovered, he picked himself up just as a loud snap caught his attention, causing him to look up.
Just above, a large rotten branch had snapped off due to the shrapnel hitting the tree and began to fall toward Joshua, who quickly used Crimson Destiny to destroy it. However, when he did, the dust and falloff of the rotten branch fell into Joshua's eyes, temporarily blinding him just as a gunshot rang off from behind.
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Moving quickly, Joshua went to stop the bullet with his Stand, but he didn't react fast enough as the bullet hit him in his shoulder, damaging his aura. Though the bullet didn't go through, the pain and impact caused Joshua to fall to the ground.
"So he's behind me," Joshua noted as he got up and turned around.
"Good to know," Joshua muttered before using Crimson Destiny to snap off several branches from the fallen tree and throwing them in the direction the bullet came from.
He didn't have anywhere specific to go on, so he threw them anywhere he could in hopes of hitting his assailant. But Joshua simply wasn't lucky as none managed to hit his unknown assailant. What it did do, though, was tell him where they were as they dodged one of the branches.
"Found you," Joshua smirked as Crimson Destiny grabbed onto the shrapnel that nearly impaled his head earlier.
"TRO!" Crimson Destiny cried as it threw the shrapnel toward where Joshua saw his assailant.
The shrapnel pierced through a tree, causing his assailant to fall down to the ground, looking a little rattled but no worse for wear. However, it didn't matter if he was unaffected by the attack as now Joshua had a line of sight of the Stand User.
"You're not getting away," Joshua muttered, dashing toward his assailant, who picked themselves up and ran not before flipping a coin in their hand.
Using his Stand to boost his speed, Joshua sped after the fleeing Stand User only to fail to notice the sturdy tree he had thrown the shrapnel into start to crack. When it did come to his attention, it was too late as he stepped right next to the tree as it broke apart and fell on top of him.
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"TRORORORORORORORORORORORORORORORORORORORORORO!" Crimson Destiny shouted, planting its fists into the falling tree, breaking it apart.
"That sounded different," Joshua noted, realizing his Stand's cry sounded different than before.
With the tree broken apart, Joshua was free to chase the Stand User, who had put some distance between them. But what made it worse was that they were running towards one of Beacon's courtyards, where a crowd stood still in shock of the bullhead crashing.
"Can't let him blend with the crowd!" Joshua noted running after the Stand User.
But he wasn't fast enough as his assailant ran into the crowd, much to Joshua's annoyance, as he used his Stand to propel himself into the air. From there, he spotted his assailant moving the crowd, even pushing people aside if needed.
Falling toward the crowd, Joshua used his Stand to move people out of the way in order to land safely before continuing his chase. In an attempt to stop his assailant from getting any further, Joshua sent out Crimson Destiny to grab onto him, only for the Stand User to be just out of reach.
"Damn." Joshua cursed, calling back Crimson Destiny.
It was then that Joshua saw a premonition. The scene he saw one of the students around him tripping and dropping a large amount of fire dust, setting it off and causing a cascade of explosions as the ammo and dust belonging to other students were blown up.
Spinning around, Joshua spotted the student about to trip and sent out his Stand to catch the student, preventing the disaster. However, one vial of fire dust slipped out of their grip, falling toward the ground, but thankfully, Joshua managed to spin Crimson Destiny around to catch it.
"Thank the gods." Joshua sighed before pain ran through his body, causing him to collapse.
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Just like earlier, the phantom pain of his premonition cascaded throughout his body, causing him to spasm on the ground until it subsided. When it did, Joshua remained on the ground to catch his breath and regain his thoughts, trying to understand what had happened.
Sure, he'd always feel slight pain after his premonitions, but lately, it's becoming increasingly more frequent, and it felt far more real as if the damage he took from his premonitions had actually happened to him.
"Hey man, are you okay?" One of the onlookers inquired as he and many others surrounded Joshua.
"F-Fine," Joshua muttered, picking himself back up and looking for the Stand User.
But they were nowhere in sight as Joshua pushed past the crowd. He looked back and forth and inside Beacon itself but couldn't see them. Stopping next to a fountain, Joshua sighed as his scroll went off.
Before he could check it, though, the ground beneath Joshua began to crack as yet another premonition hit Joshua. Just in the nick of time, Joshua jumped out of the way as the ground erupted and water shot into the air.
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It seemed that the underground pipe that fed the fountain water had burst and would have sent Joshua flying up if he hadn't moved just then. Thankfully, there was no pain to be had from this premonition as he didn't see the end result.
"They have to still be close by," Joshua noted, looking at the reflection in the fountain's water.
There, he saw his assailant hiding behind a column but still maintaining line of sight of Joshua. Which meant they had to see him to use their Stand. So they wouldn't go too far from him, giving Joshua a better chance at catching them.
So, acting quickly, Joshua summoned Crimson Destiny and used it to push against the gushing water, redirecting it toward Joshua. However, it never hit him as he leaped over the wave of water, allowing it to shoot toward his assailant.
The move was so surprising his assailant was unable to move in time as the water hit them, knocking them to the ground. With them no longer on their feet, Joshua stopped the flow of water, allowing him to land on the ground and approach his assailant.
"Got you now," Joshua muttered, standing over his assailant, who he could now see was a man.
"Don't get ahead of yourself." Faust spat, pulling out his coin and flipping it only for Crimson Destiny to catch it.
"What's this your Stand?" Joshua questioned, looking at the gold coin closely, seeing that it had the image of a reaper on it.
When Faust saw that, a smile broke on his face as the arch the column next to him was holding up began to crack. Suddenly, it fell apart, causing rock and concrete to fall down toward Joshua, who used his Stand to keep it away from him.
Thanks to this, it allowed Faust to pull out his gun and fire at Joshua. But before he could pull the trigger, the column next to him and Joshua broke some more and collapsed toward him. This forced Faust to jump back.
"What? Why is it inconveniencing me now?!" Faust questioned in shock.
Once he was clear of the falling column, he attempted to fire at Joshua once again, only for a bird made of ice to knock the gun out of his hand. Before he could question what was happening, several knives embedded themselves into his arm, making it immobile as a large sword was placed at his neck.
"Don't move," Qrow ordered as Winter and Max stood behind him.
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"Took you long enough." Joshua sighed, dusting himself off.
"Well, you moved a lot," Qrow replied, fishing out a small piece of paper from his jacket.
"By the way, you could have passed that note in a better way than punching me in the gut," Qrow noted, waving the piece of paper in the air.
"Sorry. I couldn't think of a better way at the time." Joshua apologized as Qrow dropped the paper.
"He passed him a note?!" Faust realized, looking at the paper on the ground, which read:
Go and get the others. Your semblance is most likely interfering with the Stand. I'll draw him out. You take him down.
"His semblance?!" Faust gasped, glancing at Qrow.
"At least we've got him now." Joshua sighed as Winter walked up to him.
"How bad are your injuries? Are you seriously hurt?" Winter questioned, inspecting Joshua, grabbing onto his body, and moving him around to get a proper view.
"I'm fine, Winter, so can you stop." Joshua requested as Winter simply ignored his request.
"Winter seriously just…" Joshua began before receiving a glare from his older sister.
"Yeah, I think it's best to let her do what she wants." Max pointed out as Winter nodded.
"Exactly," Winter replied with a smile as she continued to inspect Joshua as Qrow handcuffed Faust.
"So how do we stop this guy using his Stand?" Qrow questioned, pushing Faust forward.
"Because I'm not standing next to this guy forever," Qrow stated as Winter released Joshua.
"Well…" Joshua murmured, looking at the gold coin that was now in his hand.
"Can you see this?" Joshua inquired, holding up the coin.
"Yeah, it's a coin. Not that I've seen a coin like that." Qrow responded as Joshua looked at the coin, surprised.
"Guess this is a Stand everyone can see. Because when he flipped this coin, it caused more bad luck." Joshua explained, closing his grip on the coin.
"What should we do with it?" Winter inquired as Joshua shrugged.
"I'll probably flush it down a toilet," Joshua answered, infuriating Faust.
"Don't you dare!" Faust shouted, only to be hit in the gut by Qrow.
"I still don't get how it works," Qrow commented as Joshua smirked.
"Well, here," Joshua replied, tossing the coin to Qrow.
"You can test it for yourself. Maybe it might give you some needed luck." Joshua teased as Qrow held up the coin and letting out a small laugh.
"I'm not one for lucky charms, kid." Qrow chuckled before pocketing the coin.
"But I'll keep it around until I get bored. After all, it's the first time my semblance came key in winning a fight." Qrow smirked as Faust scowled.
"Anyway, since we've got his Stand away from him, that means he's depowered, right?" Qrow asked as Joshua rubbed his chin.
"Essentially, but I can't say for sure. It'd probably be best to keep an eye on him at all times." Joshua answered as Winter nodded.
"Then I'll hand him over to General Ironwood. We can lock him up in one of our ships." Winter asserted as she walked up to Qrow and took Faust from him.
"We'll interrogate him there," Winter stated, pushing Faust over toward the bullhead landing.
"I'll come with just in case." Max insisted as Joshua walked up next to him.
"Agreed, we shouldn't rule out the chance of there being another Stand User around." Joshua decided as Qrow cleared his throat.
"Actually, it's best you and I report this to Oz. He still wants to talk to you about some things." Qrow reasoned as everyone looked at Qrow.
After the sudden appearance of Faust, Joshua had almost forgotten about what Qrow said earlier, with Ozpin wanting to talk to him about Salem. Though Qrow had stated that Ozpin wanted to see him by the end of the day, it would be better to get it done now rather than later.
"Alright. I'd probably be best if he heard it from us now rather than later." Joshua nodded, walking over to Qrow before turning around to look back at Winter and Max.
"I'll meet back up with you later," Joshua stated as he and Qrow left.
"You going to be okay with that?" Max inquired, glancing at Winter.
"I'll be fine," Winter murmured, pushing Faust forward.
"Move," Winter ordered, leading Faust toward the bullhead landing.
"Yeah, JoJo's in trouble. But she's kind of cute when she's mad." Max whispered before following after Winter.
Name: Faust
Stand: Game of Chance
Brand: A
Ability: A gold coin that, once flipped, can decide whether or not the User will see good or bad luck in their upcoming actions or if the User has someone in the line of sight, can determine whether the target will experience good or bad luck depending on which face it lands on. The Normal face results in good luck. The Reaper face results in bad luck. Results can vary from mild to extreme.
Status: Captured!
Amity Colosseum…
Pyrrha walked with the rest of her team through the Colosseum, having just finished watching the match between Team RWBY and FNKI. It was a very exciting match culminating in Team RWBY's victory, though Weiss had to take a geyser of fire to do so, which seemed to scare Ruby, who rushed to the field as soon as she was allowed to.
Seeing how Ruby rushed to Weiss made Pyrrha think about the whole drama with Cupid's Arrow and how it was revealed that Ruby and Weiss liked one another. When she thought about that, she remembered Joshua telling Weiss not to wait to express her own feelings and how he lamented not doing the same with the woman he loved.
Whenever she thought about it, she couldn't help but glance over at Jaune, her own crush she had yet to confess to. The thought of telling him scared her more than any fight she'd ever been in, but each time she felt that fear, Joshua's words ran through her head.
"So Pyrrha, you excited?" Nora inquired, snapping Pyrrha out of her thoughts.
"Oh, I'm sorry. What did you say, Nora?" Pyrrha asked, having not heard the conversation up until that point.
"About the finals? Isn't it exciting to represent the best team in Beacon?" Nora replied, looking very confident in her statement.
"Oh, of course." Pyrrha nodded, embarrassed she had missed the conversation.
"You okay, Pyrrha? You looked pretty distant earlier?" Jaune questioned, looking concerned about his partner.
"I'm fine, I promise," Pyrrha assured, trying to hide her blushing face before pausing.
"S-Say…Jaune." Pyrrha spluttered nervously.
"Yeah, Pyrrha?" Jaune replied as Pyrrha took a deep breath.
"After the finals, I'd…I'd like to tell you something…alone." Pyrrha requested as Jaune raised a brow.
"Oh, okay, sure." Jaune smiled as Pyrrha breathed a sigh of relief.
"Ms. Nikos." A Voice Called, catching the four's attention.
In front of the four stood Beacon's headmistress, Glynda Goodwitch, who looked directly at Pyrrha and no one else. For whatever reason, the air around her seemed serious, and it made Pyrrha a little nervous about what she was about to say.
"If you may. I'd like for you to come with me. Professor Ozpin would like to talk to you." Glynda requested, surprising Pyrrha.
===To Be Continued===
Next Time…Maiden's Choice
Author's Note:
Whew took me a while to get this chapter right. I probably would have gotten it out sooner, but writing about a Stand that grants extreme amounts of bad luck, which is canceled out by Qrow's semblance in a more small way.
For those who might be confused, the chapter title really explains it best, as since both Qrow's semblance and Faust's Stand caused bad luck, they canceled each other out. Much like how two negatives multiplied together get a positive, two powers of bad luck will do the same as Qrow's misfortune countered most of Faust's efforts.
I also had to figure out what things bad luck can do, as I didn't want to repeat too many things, and hopefully, I managed to get that. Overall, I wanted this chapter to show how semblances can counteract with Stands, much like how Pyrrha interfered with Midnight Magnetic.
Hopefully, in the future, I can show more of the RWBY cast actually fighting and participating in Stand Battles. The only reason they haven't done so is just because of the lack of an opportunity, but once the Vytal Festival is over, I'm hoping to show more fights with them.
Speaking of in the next chapter, we'll be seeing a scene similar to that of the show, but it will happen a little differently for obvious reasons. It's definitely something I'm excited to write because of how Joshua will react to it. Then, after that chapter will be the climax of this section of the story, which I'm very excited about as it reveals a lot of important things.
I won't say much about it, but let's just say it'll help explain what happened to Joshua in this chapter and why he's feeling so much phantom pain. Either way, that's all I really have to say for now, so let's get to the reviews:
DeathlyJazzHands55 – Yep, it'll be even more interesting later on, too :).
Triscythe59 – Yeah, he does underestimate them, but while this was technically his first Stand fight, his own semblance canceled out Faust's Stand. While that being said, he did see all the damage it caused and how, without him, it could have been a lot worse.
That's all for today hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, and I'll see you next time!