It's time for another dream that took a weird turn. I wasn't planning originally to do something, but as I was writing, the ending sort of worked out perfectly. I'll explain at the end of the chapter, because I don't want to give any spoilers up here. I have to say, Blake and Jaune having fights about books is pretty entertaining to write. You should be able to tell I enjoyed writing the beginning of this chapter a lot. The dream this time is a popular troupe that was also a joy to write. Hope you all enjoy it.
Chuck B. Winanaki: You should do dream interpretation for a living.
Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.
Jaune was stirring the eggs on his plate in the cafeteria the following morning. He was exhausted. After the dream with Pyrrha, falling asleep again had been impossible. The boy was worried if he did, his Semblance might have thrown him back into that dream again. It was one thing for someone to have a sexual dream about another person, everyone did that at some point. The problem was Jaune could really experience it and he had partially manipulated that outcome. Pyrrha had been happily snuggling her pillow while the dream played out, so Jaune was sure it had been continuing.
"Jaune…?"
At least he knew his Semblance connected with people on touch. Maybe he should just avoid physical contact with everyone for a while.
"Hey, Jaune!"
Part of him still loathed the fact that if they had been with their normal equipment, he probably would have continued.
"Ow!" Jaune was cut from his stupid thoughts as a sharp pain ran through his leg.
"Seriously, Vomit Boy." Yang pointed her fork at him. "I know Blake's not the most striking conversationalist, but she was trying to get your attention for the last minute. Don't blame her for kicking you."
"Ah, sorry!" Jaune apologized, looking across the table at Blake, who's amber eyes were narrowed. "I wasn't paying attention. Just kind of tired…"
"Bad dreams again?" Blake smirked, her expression now amused.
"I just… couldn't get comfortable." Jaune lied, though he wasn't sure why he did. Bad dreams would be a perfectly reasonable excuse. True, too. "So I didn't get much sleep."
"Unlike Pyrrha," Nora giggled. "She had a good dream." Her voice was almost singing.
"Nora!" Pyrrha's face turned crimson like her hair. "Not here!"
"Oh, one of those dreams." Yang grinned. "Anything particular?" Blake had to elbow her to get her to stop.
Pyrrha's face, if possible, grew even redder. Jaune tried to ignore that, but his ears were burning up in secondhand embarrassment. It was a good thing no one noticed, being focused on his partner. Ruby, however, looked confused.
"It was a good dream?" Ruby blinked. "I've had those. Jaune and I talked about one a few days ago."
"Oh, yeah." Jaune was happy to move the topic away. "I remember that."
"Wait… what kind of good dream?" Yang's eyes narrowed as she looked between them. "Anything I should know?"
"The one where you were good at math." Jaune answered with a grin as Ruby giggled.
"That does sound like a dream," Weiss admitted and her eyes narrowed at Jaune. "You've been talking about dreams a lot lately. Blake mentioned you were looking for information on them."
Jaune immediately began to sweat as Weiss' piercing eyes zoomed in on him. Did she suspect something? How could she? What were the odds she would think Jaune was able to invade her dreams. It sounded stupid when Jaune thought about it and it was his power. Maybe she would just attribute it to the fact they talked about it a lot. Weiss knew about his conversation with Ruby now and already knew about Blake helping him with dreams. Then she had a very unusual dream with him directly involved. She was probably suspicious to some degree. Weiss was smart and might be able to connect the dots.
He will have to be careful around her. That girl would be pissed if she found out.
"Dreams can be rather interesting," Ren pointed out. "Even Nora and I talk about them occasionally long before Jaune started having his unusual ones. You can learn a lot about one's worries and troubles by dissecting them."
"I suppose so, I can't deny they can be… interesting." Weiss' eyes flickered back to Jaune, who tried to act like he didn't notice.
"Umm, hello!"
Team RWBY and JNPR turned around to see a girl with long brown hair and large rabbit ears on her head. It was Velvet Scarlatina, a Faunus who went to Beacon with them. She was a rather shy girl, but very kind and always helped people with homework if they asked. Behind her was her Team Leader, Coco Adel, a girl with short dark-brown hair and dark-brown eyes. Unlike the other girls, she wasn't wearing the blue and white top with a red skirt of the Beacon uniform, but her own black and brown designer outfit. Her clothes consisted of a long, cocoa-colored shirt with a black single strapped waist cincher, and black trousers. She also had an ornate belt, a black beret and sunglasses.
"Hey, Velvet." Blake greeted back with a slight nod. "So will you be able to attend the meeting tonight?"
"I can!" Velvet agreed and then stifled a yawn. "S-sorry, I've been really tired lately. I'm looking forward to it. Promise."
"It's fine," Jaune assured her and yawned himself. "I didn't sleep well either."
"She's been sleeping like a log," Coco huffed. "You're probably coming down with a bug, bun-bun. You probably should be resting more."
"I'm fine, Coco." Velvet rolled her eyes. "Seriously, you're way too overprotective."
"Ruby and Weiss want to join too," Blake added, pointing to her teammates. "They were interested when Jaune and I talked about it."
"The more the merrier," Velvet smiled. "It should be more fun with more people. That means more diverse views on the books."
"Just a warning…" Blake sighed. "It's Jaune's turn to choose the reading material and he's going with the first couple issues of a comic book."
"No matter how tired I am Blake, I'm prepared to continue arguing my point." Jaune warned her instead. "X-ray and Vav is a very popular series with lots of good plot points and character development."
"Oh, I know that series." Velvet clapped her hands. "It's been a while since I've read them. Do you mind if I borrow the issues?"
"Sure, just treat them well, they are originals." Jaune smiled at her. Then he looked at Blake with pure smugness oozing from his expression. The girl scowled back at him, obviously upset she was being proven wrong.
"NOT FAIR!" Ruby whined, remembering Jaune wouldn't share with her.
"Velvet's careful with her stuff." Jaune reminded her before turning back to Velvet. "Good to have you aboard." Before his brain could warn him, Jaune reached out and shook her hand. Velvet smiled at him, not noticing what happened when their hands touched.
A small spark jumped between them.
'Crap…' Jaune realized. 'Ugh… please have a normal dream Velvet.'
As much fun and interesting as normal dreams were, like Ruby's, Nora's, and Blake's, there's always a chance nightmares like Weiss or dreams that involve him, like Pyrrha's, were possible. At that point, Jaune would be seeing a lot of intimate details he should never have witnessed. Velvet was sort of a friend, since he helped her against Cardin that one time, but they weren't super close. The book club would be the first time they really hung out. Not that Jaune wouldn't like her as a friend. The more friends the better in his opinion. It was just that tonight he would be invading her dreams more as a stranger.
Maybe there was a way he could stop it. Though, he would have to push his embarrassment aside if he's right about this.
"I'll see you all tonight!" Velvet waved, heading off with Coco. "Jaune, can I stop by earlier to grab the comics? I'm free this afternoon so I should be able to read them before the meeting."
"Sure, if I'm not there, anyone on my team can lend them," Jaune looked at Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren, who all nodded, affirming they would help out.
"I have to admit, I may have to rethink some of the underlying plots about the comic books you and Ruby read," Weiss grudgingly conceded, as their book club meeting was wrapping up that evening. "It's not really my preferred reading material, but there's some depth involved I wouldn't expect dealing with superheros." She, Jaune, Ruby, Velvet, and Blake were in Team RWBY's room since half of the club lived there. Yang had gone over to Jaune's room to play video games with Nora instead of listening to 'nerd stuff' as she put it.
That blonde was not interested at all.
"Not all comic books are," Jaune assured her. "Some are childish. It all depends on the targeted audience. Like all books, they are designed to entertain and everyone has different preferences, right Blake."
His raven haired friend glared at him before putting on a false smile.
"Of course, Jaune." It was obvious even with everyone against her, she still didn't consider comics at the same level as a novel. "Regardless of our preferred genres, we can agree that reading helps broaden the mind."
"Is there something going on between them?" Velvet whispered to Ruby and Weiss.
"They have some rivalry due to shipping." Ruby whispered back with a giggle.
"Oh, that makes sense." Velvet nodded in understanding.
"It does?" Weiss blinked, utterly confused.
"I'm sure when you read a series you really like, you tend to imagine certain pairs you like to see together." Velvet pointed out, smiling. "You might think they have chemistry, complement each other, or just think they have potential. The author of course has their own plans. People's imaginations just tend to run wild and give rise to a lot of stories of popular series, especially joining unusual pairs together. Debating what would happen if they got together or if they dated while continuing the story. Even going further…" Her cheeks were tinged red like she had experience with this and then the girl let out a yawn.
"Eww, why would people want to force people together in stories over focusing on the action!" Ruby shivered. "It's so wrong to put random friends together like that. Why must they make everything filthy?"
"Because people like Yang exist." Weiss stated simply. "And others…" Her eyes darted to Blake.
"Anyways!" Blake interjected loudly over their conversation. "We'll try to meet next week sometime, maybe later depending on schedules. The question now is who will select the next book for us to read?"
"Blake and I have gone already, so any of you can go next." Jaune offered.
"I have a couple books I could suggest." Velvet raised her hand as she spoke.
"This isn't class, you don't have to raise your hand." Ruby giggled as the rabbit Faunus put it down, slightly embarrassed.
"Is everyone okay with Velvet deciding on the book?" Blake asked, looking around. No one spoke up. "Okay, Velvet. Decide what book you want and pass it along in the group chat. We'll see if the library has it, if not, we'll either have to share a book or find some copies."
"I'll try to find one everyone will enjoy," Velvet promised and then tried to stifle another yawn. "Sorry. Just tired."
"Get some sleep." Weiss encouraged. "It's not that late, but it's late enough you can get some rest if you aren't feeling well."
"How come you're so nice to everyone but me?!" Ruby demanded, crossing her arm and pouting.
"Speaking of you, you still have homework to finish tonight." The corner of Weiss' lips curled upwards slightly.
"See, that's what I'm talking about!"
Jaune chuckled to himself as he stood up and left, waving goodbye as he did so. Crossing the hallway, the boy entered his own room, to see his team hanging out with Yang. Ren and Pyrrha were working on homework, while Nora and Yang were playing video games like usual. At some point, they needed to do homework too, but they liked to procrastinate. Yang looked up from her game as Jaune entered the room.
"Is it safe to go over there?" The blonde girl asked. "Is your nerd club over?'
"It's safe, sort of." Jaune shrugged. "Weiss is going to make Ruby do homework, so if you go there now…"
"Say no more!" Yang held up a hand and stood up. "I'm going to go save Ruby from the Ice Queen's clutches!"
"That's not-...!" Jaune started to protest, but she left, slamming the door behind her. "I was going to say she would get dragged to do homework too… but it wouldn't be Yang that way."
"Nope!" Nora laughed, setting down her remote. "Did you have fun?'
"It was about what I expected, though Velvet was really insightful," Jaune mused, plopping down on his bed and putting his comics away. "Who knew she was a fan of superheroes? Even Weiss eventually got into it, though it's obvious she doesn't prefer them."
"I bet Blake wasn't too happy about that." Ren couldn't help grinning himself.
"No, but she'll learn that I'm right in the end." Jaune let out a chuckle as he closed his bedside drawer and started getting ready for bed. Honestly, after a day of moping and mentally berating himself, having a little fun at the book club helped take his mind off what could have happened last night. He glanced over at Pyrrha, who was humming softly to herself as she put away her school books. She had enjoyed the dream it seemed, and Jaune avoided anything unforgivable.
This could be an important lesson in control.
At some point, Jaune had to say no. If he and Pyrrha had been dating, maybe it wouldn't have been wrong in his eyes. Shoot, once she knew, maybe she would WANT to have dream fun. But as he told her, he still had feelings for Weiss. Love wasn't a switch that could be flipped to instantly jump from one girl to another. Maybe someday he might have feelings for Pyrrha besides as a sister. Jaune didn't know what the future would bring. She was an incredible girl and any guy would be lucky to be with her.
"Are you crashing early?" Pyrrha asked, noticing him getting into bed.
"Our training earlier wore me out," Jaune forced himself to laugh a bit. "Followed by the debates with Blake, I'm exhausted."
During class that day, Jaune had remembered something. Semblances were usually tied to Aura. His Dream Invasion power didn't start up until after he and Ren started doing Aura exercises. Maybe with all the practice lately, it had stimulated his Semblance. The idea he came up with that morning was that if he lowered his Aura reserves, maybe his Semblance wouldn't be able to trigger. After class, he asked Pyrha if they wanted to do some extra training, just the two of them. His partner agreed without a second of hesitation.
Asking her had been the toughest thing Jaune did that day, as he was still ashamed of what happened last night, but she was the best person to do so. Pyrrha not only could run laps around him, she could actually teach him combat skills. It took some encouragement to get her to push him harder than she normally did. By the time they were finished, Jaune was a sweaty, tired mess who barely had the energy to get washed up before meeting Blake and the others. The exercise did keep him distracted though.
This was the only way he could think of for now. Jaune had to try something as tonight he would be slipping into Velvet's dream whether he liked it or not. The only other option was to stay awake all night. While Jaune was pretty sure he could do that for one night, it wasn't a long term solution.
'I really need to talk to someone about this at some point. But what if they are upset that I invaded their dream?'
Jaune hoped that his plan to tire himself out would prevent his Semblance from kicking in. It took a while to relax, but eventually, darkness overtook him and he fell asleep.
The sound of breaking glass echoed around him, followed by screaming.
No longer was he safe and warm in his bed, but was now standing outside on the sidewalk near a major street in the middle of the night. While the buildings looked similar to Vale, Jaune didn't recognize the location. Being a dream, it was probably a collaboration of multiple areas. Things were rarely ever exact replicas of real locations in dreams it seemed. There were plenty of street lights illuminating the road and Jaune looked around for the source of the noise.
A couple buildings down, a black van was sitting outside a Dust Store. The large front window of the shop had been shattered, and several men in black masks were heading inside. The screaming was a pedestrian who was running off in the opposite direction. A robbery was obviously taking place and Jaune wondered what he should do. Until he felt a weight dangle from his neck. The source of the weight was a brown and gold camera. The item looked like an antique and had a golden circular flash unit on top of it.
"A camera?" Jaune muttered to himself. "I'm not going to run up and take pictures of criminals. They will come after me!" The boy was perfectly happy crouching behind a nearby bench and watching from a distance. The robbers were armed and he had nothing, so the smart thing to do was wait until the dreamer showed up. "Come on, Velvet. I know it's you."
"Halt criminals!"
The female voice came from the top of the building across the street. The robbers all froze and emerged from the store, guns raised. Jaune's eyes gazed upwards toward the sky to locate Velvet. He had recognized the voice easily enough. When he finally found her, the girl wasn't hiding in the shadows, but fully out in the open.
"Oh… my… god…" Jaune gasped in shock and awe. "Superhero Velvet and… damn! She should wear that outfit in the real world."
Like many of the traditional superheroes, Velvet's costume was composed of bright colors. Wine red, latex, long sleeve bodysuit covered her from her neck all the way down to her feet. She was also wearing red and gold boots, gloves, a belt, and had a thin mask of the same shade of red as the barely covered the skin around her eyes. Anyone who knew the girl would instantly be able to tell it was her. In a dream though? Velvet could have been wearing sunglasses only and no one would be able to see through that disguise.
"We got company!" One of the criminals yelled to the others.
"We can see that you, idiot!" The man growled. "Kill her!"
The four men opened fire, sending countless Dust bullets at Velvet. Velvet merely grinned and jumped down off the two story building, dodging the first barrage. The moment her foot hit the ground, her knees bent and she kicked off. The asphalt cracked under her foot. Jaune's eyes widened as she blasted forward at super speed. Unlike Ruby whose Semblance was speed, this was caused by pure strength of leg. The wind around Velvet roared as she darted forward. The gunmen didn't have a chance to resist as she reached them in barely a second.
"You won't be robbing any more stores under my watch!" Velvet declared, as she skidded to a stop right in front of them. Spinning around on one foot, she delivered a powerful kick that sent all of them flying. The shockwave traveled through the air and blew all the shattered glass along with them. Two men slammed into the side of the building and the other two were sent flying down the road.
This was when Jaune started to take pictures.
Part of him felt like he had to. Maybe the dream was beginning to influence him the same way he could manipulate the dream. He managed to capture Velvet as she delivered that powerful kick without even meaning to, along with a pretty impressive zoomed in shot of her standing there triumphantly.
"Run!" One shouted, as he darted down an alleyway. "We need to let the boss know!"
"Damn you, Scarlet Hopper!" The only other conscious criminal roared, firing the gun at her.
Jaune didn't know whether to laugh or not. The dark red outfit made sense for the Scarlet part, but was Hopper racist? It was Velvet's dream so the name probably came from her having rabbit traits. Either way, the name wasn't that important in a personal dream. Her sexy outfit was drawing his attention a lot more than her title. Velvet was a shy girl who dressed conservatively out in public. This Velvet here would have gotten a lot of attention from guys.
"Just give up!" Velvet, aka the superhero Scarlet Hopper, ordered, blocking the bullets with her hands. "You should know by now guns don't work on me." She hopped forward with a powerful jump and knocked the guns out of the man's hand. "Surrender."
"Monster!" The criminal turned and tried to run.
"Why do they always try to run?" Velvet sighed, dashing forward at speeds only Ruby could react to. She grabbed the man and pinned him to the ground. Reaching to her belt, she pulled out a pair of handcuffs and bound his arms. "It only makes it harder for you."
"You're a freak!" The man shouted, as the sounds of sirens were heard in the distance. "You should have never been born in this city of normal people!"
Velvet looked stunned and bit the corner of her lip. The robber's words must have gotten to her. Plenty of comics had this theme of people without powers hated and feared those with supernatural abilities. Usually it ended with violence, as there were factions that had been discriminated against for too long and finally having enough before pushing back. It was the same thing that happened between Faunus and humans with the creation of the White Fang. Jaune didn't know the full story, but through Oobleck's history class and hearing some arguments between Weiss and Blake, he had a picture.
Jaune may not have been able to change hundreds of years of discrimination, but he could cheer Velvet… no, the Scarlet Hopper up.
"Go Scarlet Hopper!" Jaune called out, taking more pictures. "You're my favorite superhero!"
The girl turned around and stared at him in surprise as her foot was planted on the man's back. Slowly, her frown turned into a smile, as she winked at him.
The world began to spin and the scenery changed. No longer was Jaune out in the middle of the street at night, but was now inside an office building with sun pouring in from the window. He was sitting across the table from some older man smoking a cigar. Velvet was in the seat next to him, wearing a cute blue suit skirt. The girl had a pair of thin rimmed glasses and her normal long hair was pulled up in a bun, similar to Glynda Goodwitch's.
"I've told you a thousand times, Velvet!" The man slammed his fist on the table. "You can't write positive stories about the Scarlet Hopper. People don't want that kind of news. They want to hear about her terrorizing businesses and assaulting people! She's a public menace!"
"No, she's not!" Velvet spluttered. Her hands were shaking. "She stopped a robbery of a Dust store. There's already a shortage, so the city would be reeling from the loss."
"She's a vigilante, putting the law into her own hands." Her boss pointed out, anger in his voice. "That makes her a criminal too. For all we know, she's taking out her competition so she can take everything for herself!"
"That's impossible!" Velvet gasped. "There's no way the Scarlet Hopper would do that!"
"How do you know?" The man leaned back in his chair, a smug smirk on his face as Velvet went silent. "See? You don't know. We're posting the worst case scenario so people can prepare."
'Bull shit.'
Everyone in the room knew that was the lie of the century. The boss just wanted his newspaper, or magazine, or whatever was made in this dream, to suit his own bias. Velvet knew it was fake since she was the one making all this up in her head. Jaune knew that was a bold face lie without even having to think about it. Part of him wanted to burst out laughing at the fact that the man couldn't tell the rabbit Faunus girl in front of him was the same superhero he was bashing. It's like in other comics where a pair of glasses can completely change someone's face.
No wonder Velvet was wearing them here.
"Look at this kid here!" The man gestured to Jaune. "First time working for the paper and he got perfect shots of the Scarlet Hopper assaulting a bunch of people."
"They technically were robbing a Dust Store." Jaune pointed out.
"SEE!" It was Velvet's turn to gesture to Jaune triumphantly. "The Scarlet Hopper is helping clean up the streets of Vale!"
"Again, that menace could be trying to remove the competition, why else would she have run away from the police." The boss pulled out a cigar and started smoking. "I know your kind wants a strong female lead, but she's not a hero. She's a criminal." Velvet gritted her teeth and the man turned to Jaune. "Kid, you're now on the payroll. Get me more pictures of the Scarlet Hopper and you'll be a wealthy man."
At that point, they were dismissed and the two left the room.
"That pompous arrogant, racist, sexist jerk! I hope he chokes on his cigar and dies!"
Jaune's eyes widened at the way Velvet was speaking. Her voice was full of venom and anger. It's not like he blamed her in the slightest. That dream boss of hers was probably a manifestation of all the discrimination she faced. Or just a dick the dream made to act as a stereotypical asshole that oversaw the heroine's normal persona. Jaune didn't try to dive too deep into the meaning. A superhero dream was a nice, fun, normal dream that he got to participate in as a sidekick… supporting actor? He wasn't sure what Velvet's subconscious had in store for him.
"Er… Velvet?" Jaune asked cautiously.
"Crap!" The girl jumped up and spun around, smiling. "Hey, sorry about that. Please say you didn't hear anything."
"Nope," Jaune shook his head. "I guess I'm supposed to take pictures for you?"
"I write articles, but the boss here demands we write biased articles to sell more copies or we're all out of a job." She sighed. "I understand some of that, but slandering people? That's wrong."
"I think the Scarlet Hopper is a good person," Jaune smiled and held up his camera. "I'm going to prove it." Velvet gave him a smile.
"Just be careful and don't get hurt."
The world began to spin around again and by this time, Jaune was completely used to it. It was just him seeing the dream swap scenes, like a page break in stories or a scene change in movies. He was proud he didn't even get dizzy anymore. Day became night and Jaune was back in the middle of the street, looking around. The buildings changed slightly and there was a large warehouse at the end of the street. It seemed to be lit up more than the others.
"I guess that's where the action is going to happen." Jaune muttered, walking towards it.
Part of him wished he knew what was happening between the skips, but only Velvet would. This was her dream and Jaune was just a character in it. Most comics would have the news reporters get a tip off of possible criminal activity somewhere or one of these reporters would be kidnapped. As Jaune was not currently tied to a chair, it was probably the first option. He wondered if other stuff happened in Velvet's dreams between the time skips or if her brain just assumed it did.
"Not going to lie, seeing her in that outfit is the best part of the dream." Jaune snickered, peeking inside through the open door. There was no way he was going to act on it, except for some unconscious reactions. Ones he hoped the dream didn't notice. "This looks like the stereotypical villains' den."
"You idiots can't do anything right!" A loud, angry voice boomed out. It was oddly familiar but the echo in the warehouse distorted it a bit. "It's one stupid animal. Just kill her."
"We tried, but bullets bounce off her and she's super strong." Another man protested.
"I didn't ask for excuses, just do what I say!"
"Yep, villains' lair." Jaune sighed, stepping in and hiding behind some boxes. "Let's see who it is…" His head moved up and spied from his hiding place. "Annnnnnddd… I'm not surprised."
Cardin Winchester, one of the biggest bullies in Beacon, bane to Jaune and Velvet, was sitting on a crate and looking murderous. He was wearing a broad brim hat and a fancy suit instead of normal clothes. Jaune figured he must have been the leader of this group. In a way, this made perfect sense. While Jaune helped stand up against Cardin when he was bullying Velvet after the incident in Forever Falls, it didn't mean he stopped completely.
"What should we do then boss?" One of the men asked, who Jaune recognized as Russel, Cardin's partner at Beacon. With a hat covering his head, he couldn't see the signature green mohawk. The other two gang members must have been Dove and Sky. Since they were also complicit in bullying Velvet, they would naturally be made the villains.
"I have a way to beat that monster," Cardin smirked. "You don't think that once those mutants started showing up, I would just sit back and watch. Look at this." He pulled out a suitcase from behind him and opened it up. Inside were vials full of a black tar like liquid. "Essence of Grimm. If we drink these, we will gain enhanced strength, durability, and regeneration."
"You want us to become monsters to fight the monsters, boss?" Dove seemed hesitant. "Isn't that risky. What if we become them?"
"Who cares, as long as we take those bastards out." Cardin huffed.
"So you WERE the one dealing with illegal Grimm substances, Cardin Winchester!"
"It's the Scarlet Hopper!" Sky yelled, pointing to the rafters.
"Now that I finally caught you red handed, it's time for you to serve a nice long prison sentence." Velvet jumped down and landed lightly on her feet before pointing to them. "Don't make this harder than it has to be."
"KILL HER YOU FOOLS!" Cardin yelled.
Gunfire broke out as the rest of his team began to fire. Velvet held up her arms and blocked the bullets. High powered Dust rifles may not have penetrated her, but they were pushing her back. It must have hurt a little, or the dream version of being hurt. Jaune couldn't remember ever being hurt in one of his normal dreams. A common fact was you couldn't die in dreams, as you would wake up. Being hurt was debatable.
"Hard way it is." Velvet sighed, jumping high into the air above the gunfire. Russel, Dove, and Sky swerved their guns to keep aiming at her. They were no longer Huntsmen-in-training in this dream though. Minions of the bosses were just fodder to fire guns that never worked against the hero and get beaten up to show the hero's strength. Velvet's dream was no different as she landed and proceeded to pummel the three of them mercilessly.
All the bottled up frustration and anger she probably felt being bullied was being released in this dream.
Jaune approved of the healthy outlet for her anger.
"Looks like you're all alone now, Cardin." Velvet cracked her knuckles as she stepped forward. "No more hiding."
"You freaks always come after us normal people!" Cardin growled, uncorking a vial. "We had to resort to all sorts of experiments to keep us normal humans from becoming extinct!"
"You're the one who was corrupting innocent people and turning them into Grimm!" Velvet accused. "Don't you blame this on me!"
"There had to be a few sacrifices for the greater good. The moment you started looking down on normal people and using your powers to control us, you made it about you." Cardin shook his head, raising a container filled with the essence of Grimm to mouth. "You forced our hand."
"I never considered anyone below… STOP!" Velvet held out a hand, but Cardin poured the dark liquid down his throat.
Well, Jaune knew what was about to happen. During their book club, he had found out Velvet did enjoy the superhero genre. Not just books and comics, but movies too. What was happening now was a classic storyline. The villain would do something to make himself stronger, in this case, drugs. Innocent people were experimented on until the formula was perfected. In Velvet's dream, it seemed the drug was designed to make people stronger using Grimm DNA or something similar. Now that the hero pushed the villain into a corner, they would take the drug themself to try to kill the hero.
One of two things will happen.
The first is the drug would work and an epic fight would begin. Jaune hoped it was this option as watching those two fight up close would be better than seeing it in a movie. Of course, Velvet would win as it was her dream. Watching Cardin get smacked around would be oh so satisfying. The second option would be that the drug goes horribly wrong. Cardin would either turn into a monster or self-destruct. A well deserved fate for him. The dream version of Cardin, not the real Cardin.
Jaune wasn't sure where that thought came from.
"You freaks forced us to do this for survival!" Cardin slammed a hand over her heart as he fell on his knees. "It… burns…" His eyes closed and his face contorted in pain.
"You idiot!" Velvet dashed forward to help. Her hand was just about to touch Cardin's shoulder when his head lifted up, eyes opening. The Indigo eyes were now red and glowing.
"AHHHHHHHHH!" Cardin roared, swinging his arm. Velvet barely managed to raise her own to block the blow, but the force behind that simple gesture sent her flying, crashing into a row of heavy crates.
"That actually hurt." Velvet shook her head and stood up. Jaune wasn't sure if she really felt pain or if Velvet just believed it hurt. That old saying that you should pinch yourself to wake up from a dream was only a rumor and not fact. "I can't believe you would do that to yourself!"
"Ha..haha….HAHAHAHA!" Cardin threw his head back as he laughed. His suit began to tear as his muscles bulged with black veins. His hair lost color as it paled, and the boy was growing taller. "I took the completed product, Scarlet Hopper. I won't lose my sanity. But you will lose your life today!"
Cardin picked up a forklift like it was a child's toy and threw it at Velvet.
"Woah!"
Velvet rolled to the side as the heavy equipment smashed through the remains of the crate and then through the wall of the warehouse. Metal tore and bricks exploded from the impact as the vehicle skidded across the street. Springing to her feet, Velvet charged and delivered a powerful kick to Cardin's chest. With her super strength, this attack would be able to shatter doors and crush cars. A normal person would not have survived a kick like that, if this was real.
"Is that all you have?"
The girl's eyes widened as Cardin grabbed her leg in midair, stopping her charge. She screamed as he spun her around his head as effortlessly as if she was a ragdoll. Whipping his arm, Cardin sent Velvet flying out the large hole the forklift had made. Being a hero, that wasn't nearly enough to stop someone like the 'Scarlet Hopper.' Velvet spun around in mid air before landing on her feet as she skidded on the parking lot asphalt from the momentum.
Her knees bent before she leaped high into the air to avoid a large metal crate full of machine parts that exploded right where she had been a moment before. The jump took her all the way up to the top of a light pole. Standing up there, her eyes narrowed as Cardin lumbered out. He was grinning, but no one else felt like laughing. It was a mocking, evil smirk.
"Not so tough when the playing field is level, eh freak?" Cardin asked her.
"You need to stop and get help!" Velvet called down to him. "That Grimm Essence… it's going to erode your mind and body! Even if you think you've solved it!"
"Fool, I can take as much of this as I want," Cardin laughed, holding up a second vial. "Every vial will increase my strength exponentially. If one vial gave me this much power, what do you think a second one will do?"
"DON'T!" Velvet dove from the light post at Cardin, trying to reach the vial before he could drink it.
"NO!" Jaune yelled at the obvious trap. No one heard him over Velvet's cry, but things could have been bad if they did. He was a civilian, but the trap was too obvious from his view. Velvet had to be warned. Because he was merely a bystander, the dream didn't fully register him it seemed, including his warning.
Cardin grabbed Velvet with his free hand and grinned, his teeth slightly pointy now.
"Stupid animal!"
The insult wasn't lost on Jaune and he gritted his teeth. Even in a dream, Cardin was still a huge asshole.
With a mighty crash, the human turned monster slammed Velvet into the ground. Velvet let out a yell as she laid there. Jaune's eyes widened in horror. Was the dream becoming a nightmare like with Goodwitch's? He really hadn't been in one with a monster. Goodwitch's was more of a fear instead of actively being attacked. A huntress like her would be used to that. Velvet had her own inner demons. The boy flinched as Cardin stepped back to admire the newly formed crater in the middle of the asphalt.
"Can you understand now?" Cardin asked, flexing his bulging muscles. "Human ingenuity will always overcome freaks and monsters."
"Can you honestly say that?" Velvet stood up slowly and shook her head. "You're the one turning into a monster. Look at yourself!"
"This is for humanity's sake!" Cardin grabbed a parked car and lifted it up. "It's time for you and your kind to vanish from this world!" He brought the car down with a resounding crash.
Velvet had already leaped to the side and avoided it though. Pushing off the ground, she bounded forward and delivered a knee kick into Cardin's jaw with a loud crack. There was enough force in that blow to actually lift the guy up into the air before flying back over ten feet. Velvet flipped in mid air to land daintily on her feet, panting angrily.
"Everyone has the right to live here!" The girl shouted. "Don't you dare say things like that! I'm going to stop you, not only for everyone else's sake, but yours as well!"
"That's telling him!" Jaune fist pumped and then took a picture of this display of strength. "Take him out, Velvet."
"You're not going to stop me even with your transformation," Velvet continued, walking slowly toward Cardin. "Just give up and we'll find a way to cure you."
"Shut up, freak!" Cardin roared, pushing himself up. "I'm not listening to your bullshit!" The drugged up guy grabbed the second vial and this time, actually opened it. Pouring it down his throat, he drank it all.
"NOOOOOOOO!" Velvet yelled, dashing forward. Her charge was interrupted as Cardin drew back his free arm and delivered a punch toward her gut. She managed to block it with both arms, but the force sent her reeling backwards. "You fool! Your body can't handle it!"
"It can… and MORE!"
A shiver ran through Jaune's body as he watched Cardin's form began to change even more. His shirt split down the middle and exploded outwards. The muscles in his legs and arms continued to bulge and grow. More black veins were spreading through as his skin turned deathly white. Black fur then began to sprout from his torso and legs, covering the bare skin. From his back, the skin not covered by fur began to bubble and churn like it was boiling. His white skin then opened up and what could only be described as four pitch black octopus tentacles erupted from his back. They flickered menacingly in the air seeming to be slowly reaching out toward Velvet.
"ARRRGHHH!" Cardin yelled, grabbing his face with his hand. A white mask was forming on there, obscuring it from view. It had red markings, resembling a Grimm one. "Why is this burning?! It should be working!"
"Grimm essence shouldn't be mixed with human DNA!" Velvet yelled, angrily. "It's turning you into one!"
"S-stop it…" Cardin gasped in a low raspy voice. "I can't… ah… AHHHH!"
Jaune shook his head as it seemed the dream moved to Cardin destroying himself with his own hubris. Though, something felt off. The air had grown colder and while it was nighttime, the sky seemed to have gotten darker. Did the stars vanish? It wasn't just a creepy setting like in Goodwitch's nightmare. There was more to this. Wind began to howl and the streets were completely deserted. Not even sirens like last time as police came to investigate.
Cardin was no longer human anymore, but a Grimm.
A thunderous roar escaped from the creature's mouth. Jaune covered his ears and flinched from the shockwave. Velvet's hair flew up as she faced the strong wind, but the girl wasn't backing up. If anything, her expression grew more determined as she stepped forward. Taking a deep breath, Velvet steps started growing faster and faster, until she was moving at a full speed run. As a hero, she was going to stop Cardin before he hurt anyone else. Jaune wanted to cheer for her, but he was busy looking around, trying to figure out why he still felt something was off.
'This is a normal super hero plot, isn't it?'
Grimm Cardin slammed a hand down where Velvet would have been if she had continued in a straight line. His punch was so powerful, it literally went through the parking lot asphalt like it was mud. With astonishing skill and agility, Velvet had zigzagged around the blow to deliver a kick into Cardin's side. The creature grimaced and then the four tentacles drilled forward like spears at her. Velvet's eyes widened as she kicked back to avoid them. Each one had enough force to bury deep within the ground.
"Grrrrr." The Grimm that had formerly been Cardin growled as the tentacles began to flex. The ground cracked as a huge slab of the parking lot was lifted up into the air, flying through the air at Velvet. The girl was forced to retreat further back as the material exploded into heavy chunks. Velvet caught one with her hand that had been flying at her face and crushed it within her hands.
"Seems like talking is completely off the table." Velvet muttered. "Okay, plan B it is…woah!" She ducked as another slab of asphalt was thrown at her. "But that strength is insane. I can't get caught."
Dashing forward again in a zigzag motion, she avoided the black tentacle from Cardin's back. A single thrust of those would turn her into swiss cheese. The Grimm swung a mighty fist, but Velvet jumped over it. Spinning in mid air above the monster, she brought her leg down in a beautiful ax kick to the collarbone. Jaune was sure he heard a loud crack at the impact. A normal person's bone would have shattered from that, but a dream monster? Not even close.
A tentacle curved and tried to grab her, but Velvet disengaged and slipped under the Grimm. Since it was now almost twice as tall as the normal Cardin, she could easily pass between the legs. One of the tentacles was a little overzealous and whipped at a spot no man would have enjoyed as it tried to follow the girl.
Jaune flinched and his hands automatically covered his own family jewels.
The creature roared in pain, but didn't go down. It was more Grimm than man now. Turning around, it tried to crush Velvet with a stomp that left a large footprint in the ground. The Grimm monster may have been stronger, but it wasn't as fast or agile. To Velvet, this was child's play. She delivered several more punches and kicks as she spun around Cardin, dodging every attack he threw at her. Several blows to the back of the knees caused Cardin to fall, but it wasn't fatal damage. The Grimm regeneration was fixing any damage Velvet had been able to do. Jaune was literally watching broken arms and legs heal up in seconds.
"How durable are you?!" Velvet demanded, grabbing The Grimm's arm to pull herself up above a swiping tentacle and kicking him in the face again.
Cardin didn't answer. Jaune wasn't even sure he could even process what Velvet was saying anymore. That guy was now a literal monster and things like talking weren't going to work anymore. From his position, Jaune was confused at how things were progressing. The scene was exactly like an action movie. Even after the main villain grew stronger, the hero was still able to fight them. It would be close in the end, but Velvet would win. So why was the uneasy feeling in his chest still there? The wind was picking up and a few decorative trees were leaning over from the force.
The temperature was dropping quickly, as if the dream was issuing a warning.
"I know something isn't right, but what is it?" The boy muttered as he watched the fight, while keeping one eye on his surroundings. "It almost feels like the dream is trying to tell me something…"
The words coming out of his mouth trailed off as he remembered Weiss' dream. The conscious dream was being stuck in the birdcage on stage, singing eternally. The subconscious part that luckily Weiss didn't remember, as Jaune did NOT want her remembering him in a dress with makeup, was her younger self's desires. Was something like this happening? Was child Velvet about to come out?
Part of him kind of wanted that as she was probably super adorable.
BANG!
A loud impact jolted Jaune back to his senses from his own imagination. To his horror, Velvet was being held by a leg while the Grimm monster was slamming her against the ground over and over. The girl wasn't giving up and was trying to pry the sausage fingers loose, but they were like steel bars. The Grimm transformation was just too powerful and with no human emotions anymore. Over and over, Velvet was smashed into the ground.
"Come on, Velvet." Jaune grimaced. "You can do it!"
No matter what she did, Cardin would just pick her up and slam her back down. If this kept up, Velvet would probably wake up in a cold sweat. She had to in this situation, right? There's no way a dream would let someone suffer physically like this? Jaune began to walk forward automatically, not sure what he was going to do, but wanting to do something, anything to help. However, it turned out Velvet did manage to get free. It wasn't her doing though.
The Grimm drew its arm back and threw her toward the middle of the city.
"AHHHHHHH!"
Velvet was thrown through the air like a missile.
The Grimm laughed and lumbered after her, tossing cars out of its way through buildings. Of course Jaune raced after it. Standing around back there where it was safe would do nothing and he had to see how things played out. Velvet needed help, but what could he do? Cardin was infused with dream power to become a monster. While Jaune could occasionally manipulate some of a dream, giving himself enough power to fight him would be pushing his luck.
"This is when another hero would show up to help the Scarlet Hopper," Jaune muttered to no one in particular, as he raced past the destruction left behind.
Did the Grimm throw Velvet far away as a display of strength or some kind of sadistic enjoyment? Logically, it should have just kept slamming her into the ground since she couldn't escape. It didn't even toss Velvet into a building, just down town where she could regain her composure and counter. That was a really stupid thing to do. Was it because the Grimm was a cliche villain or was there something else? All that would happen was the fight would be drawn out.
Did Velvet not want to win for some reason?
"How would that make sense?!" Jaune shouted, aware that even running into the middle of town, not another soul was visible. "She obviously wanted to punch his face in!" An explosion rang in the distance, indicating where the battle was taking place. "Think, Jaune. What would happen here in a normal comic?"
Two things came to mind. The first was Velvet would find inner strength to face off against the monster and pull out a surprise win. For some reason, Jaune didn't think this was likely. Why? He had no basis for that except a weird feeling in the back of his mind. The other option was another hero would show up to help. It didn't look like that was going to happen with how silent the world around them was. Who could come to Velvet's aid?
Jaune stopped as he looked into a window.
"Seriously?!" The words blurted out of him as he saw his reflection. "Unless you give me some cool power or weapons, I'm not going to be able to do anything!"
Was it his imagination or did the window get clearer. The boy stared inside to see a costume shop.
"Okay, Velvet… you have to be messing with me…" Jaune facepalmed as he looked inside. "But if this is the way you're asking for help…" Taking a deep breath, Jaune pushed the unlocked door open and stepped inside. "If there's something I can do, I will…"
The store was dark, but he wasn't going to try to make anything elaborate. Time was of the essence and he needed to get going to help Velvet. A red cape caught his eye and that was the first thing he grabbed. It sort of reminded him of Ruby's and, after all, most superheroes had a cape of some kind. It was a status symbol. Next, he found a strip of red cloth and quickly cut eye holes in it. Putting it up to his face, he tied it around his head and looked in the mirror. Besides his two new accessories, the only other clothes he had were his normal black Pumpkin Pete hoodie with a rabbit on the front and a pair of blue jeans.
"I don't have time to make a full outfit," Jaune muttered, turning around. "This will have to do." The boy paused and grimaced. "But what can I do against… that? Velvet is stronger and faster than me, and she can barely hurt that monster. I need either some kind of power or a lot of gadgets…"
A weight pulled down at his hip and he saw a yellow belt full of equipment and attachments.
"Okay… thank you?" Jaune actually smiled. "I promise to help you Velvet, no matter what."
Taking off down the street, the new superhero listened for the sound of combat. In the quiet city, it wasn't hard to locate explosions and the Grimm roaring. It was a couple streets over and the fastest way would be over the buildings. Pulling out a grappling hook from his belt, he fired the automated launcher toward the nearest roof. It wrapped around a rail and tightened, before contracting and yanking him up.
"Woooo!"
This was kind of fun, but Jaune had to focus on the important matters at hand. Dashing along the rooftops and jumping from building to building, a bright explosion going off in the distance led the way. Jaune finally reached the end of the last building and looked down into the street, and all the destruction that had been caused. Cars were flipped over and some were on fire, there were craters and a couple buildings were half destroyed in piles of rubble.
Velvet's dark red leotard was torn in several places and she was panting, but looked relatively unharmed, if a bit dirty. Grimm Cardin was even larger, a mass of muscles and black fur, with the four large black tentacles thrashing around, destroying the street, light poles, benches, anything they could reach. Velvet leaped off the ground and bounced off the side of a building to deliver a flying kick into Grimm's side. The force was enough to throw it off balance, but one of the tentacles wrapped around her body before slamming her to the ground.
"GAH!" Came the involuntary cry of pain.
The Grimm roared as it lifted her up again and Jaune knew he had to act now. Grabbing a small sharp boomerang on his hip, he pulled his arm back and let it fly. Never having thrown one of these before in his life, it was a shock that it flew straight through the air and impaled itself into the side of the thick black tentacle. The monster paused and looked up at him then its eyes fell down to the boomerang. A light lit up and it began to beep.
BOOOOOOM!
That small device packed a devastating explosion as the tentacle was severed. Velvet fell to the ground, untangled herself, and jumped to her feet, looking up at her savior. Jaune waved and then jumped down, grabbing a flag pole extending from the side of the building to slow his descent. He landed with a dull thud next to the girl, who was looking at him incredulously.
"Who are you?!" The girl demanded.
"I'm…" It occurred to Jaune he never thought of a name, so he came with the first idea that popped into his head. "...The Huntsman!" Unknown to him, the bunny picture on his hoodie turned to the letter H.
"You need to get out of here!" Velvet yelled at him, as the smoke began to clear and the Grimm lumbered out, roaring in pain. The tentacle stump was oozing dark blood on the ground. "He's fully Grimm and you won't be able to survive a bout with him!"
"I'm a hero, Scarlet Hopper." Jaune told her. "Like you. Anywhere there is trouble, I'll be there to help." A car was thrown at them and they were forced to dodge as it crashed through the building behind them.
"You… know who I am?" Velvet asked softly, her eyes widening in surprise.
"Who wouldn't know you?" Jaune replied, wanting to build her confidence back up. "The girl who works to save others, who fights for good, and even if people insult her she still does her best. If anything, you're my hero. You're the greatest superhero I know."
For a moment, it looked like her eyes were watering, but they had to cut the chat short as the Grimm charged toward them. Jaune pulled out another sharp boomerang as he and Velvet split up to flank the monster. It slammed two meaty fists into the ground, sending up chunks of road. Velvet kicked back a large chunk, hitting the Grimm in the face. That gave Jaune an opening as he tossed the weapon. It was impaled at the base of the second tentacle.
Another explosion sent the creature lurching forward as it lost half of its back tentacles.
'Wow, these are powerful. I bet Ruby would love to see these in real life.' The thought passed through Jaune's mind as he retreated to avoid being grabbed by the Grimm. The last two twisting appendages were still a threat.
"Take this!" Velvet bent her knees and lept straight up into the air. The height she reached was easily several stories. Once she reached the apex, she stretched out a leg straight down and began to spin like a top. As she descended, her speed grew faster and faster, both vertically and rotationally.
A perfect drill kick.
"Get him!" Jaune cheered as Velvet collided into the Grimm's back, blasting the last two tentacles out of the way. A shockwave from the impact blew Jaunes cloak back as he covered his face. The ground beneath Cardin gave way and collapsed under the blow. "Haha, yes!"
Velvet stood up and gave him a victory sign as she hopped off him and out of the pit.
"Got a name for that finishing move?" Jaune asked with a grin.
""I'll think of one later." Velvet brushed her hair back. "Thanks for the help. Those explosives of yours are crazy powerful."
"I have a good lab to work on them." Jaune lied, not wanting to say it was thanks to her subconscious helping out. "I don't have superpowers like you, so I work with what I have."
"Don't you have super intelligence?" Velvet blinked and gaped at him.
"Nope, I'm a regular human." Jaune assured her. "That doesn't hold me back though." He held a fist out toward her. Velvet hesitated and fist bumped him back before smiling.
"I've always tell people that." The girl admitted. "It's nice to see someone take it to heart… LOOK OUT!"
Velvet tackled him as a large chunk of the street flew right where they had been. They skidded along the ground before coming to a stop on the sidewalk. From the crater, the Grimm was rising again. Its body looked broken and damaged, arms either jutting at weird angles or bleeding from the tentacles. It took a step out of the crater, and then another step toward them.
"ROOOOOOAAAAAAARRRRRR!"
The force from the creatures' scream washed over them, freezing them in place for a moment. They smashed it with everything they had and it was still getting up. The wounds were even closing as the monster regenerated. Soon, it would be back at full health and things would get really dicey.
"Do you have any ideas?" Velvet asked, backing up. "I don't think I can hit it any harder than that last attack."
Jaune looked around the street for any ideas. Burning cars, craters, ruined buildings, nothing that would stop the creature. They had already tried so much already. What other damage could they try? Desperately, Jaune was trying to find something. Anything that might help..
Until he saw a downed powerline.
"Scarlet Hopper!" The boy yelled, pointing in the direction of the powerline. "Push it that way. I have an idea!"
"On it!"
It was amazing how fast she trusted him without any basis for his plan to succeed. Velvet was such a nice person, she probably didn't even consider Jaune could betray her. Not like he was planning to anyways. Bolting forward, Jaune raced past the Grimm and tossed a flashbang grenade at it. The sudden burst of light blinded the creature as it howled in pain, clutching its eyes. Velvet then rushed forward and proceeded to kick and punch it. Each hit forcing the Grimm back further and further.
Picking up the downed power line that was still sparking at the open end, Jaune was careful not to get electrocuted himself. Velvet kept battering the Grimm with everything she had, avoiding the counterattacks by the skin of her teeth. Her outfit was getting torn open as the sharp tips of the tentacles and claws glided across it.
"Take this you monster!" Jaune yelled, jumping up and slamming the end of the powerline into the back of the neck of the Grimm.
The smell of burnt flesh followed by a horrible, high pitched shriek overwhelmed his senses. Electricity cracked as he fell back and he could swear the Grimm's body flashed so he could see the skeleton underneath it. Jaune didn't know if that was just the dream doing it, or he imagined it. The electricity finally stopped and the Grimm fell forward, smoke wafting into the air.
It was finally down.
"You did it!" Velvet darted forward and hugged him. It was like one of Nora's hugs and Jaune felt his bones creak.
"We did it." Jaune corrected. "Don't you ever think you didn't do anything. I would never have been able to do this without you."
"It's a nice feeling to be appreciated." Velvet let go and brushed her hair back, looking shy. "After all the bad press…"
"Ignore those idiots." Jaune waved his hand dismissively. "I'll always be on your side, Scarlet Hopper. As a friend and ally."
"That… means a lot to me." Velvet's smile brightened and the entire city seemed to along with it as well. Stars came out and some of the street likes flickered on. "I guess… deep down… I was wondering if I was a freak… with so many people calling me that…"
"YOU'RE NOT!" Jaune said forcefully, grabbing her hand. "You're an amazing girl, V-Scarlet Hopper." That was close. He almost gave everything away. Superhero rule number one was to not give out other heroes' identity. "You should never listen to people who say that. You're you, no one else. We're all unique and if you're a freak, then I would want to be a freak too. I would love to be as cool and amazing as you."
"Huntsman… that… thank you…" Velvet wiped a tear from her eye and turned around to hide her embarrassment. Jaune was fine with that, as his face felt warm too. His eyes turned to the unconscious Grimm Cardin and his throat went try.
Something was emerging from Cardin's head. The mask covering its face fused into what looked like a single red eye surrounded by the white bone. As it rose up into the air, it had multiple little thorny vines trailing behind it. Velvet hadn't noticed it yet and Jaune grabbed one of his sharp boomerangs.
'Velvet's nightmare is over!' The boy roared internally, tossing the blade. It spun through the air and speared the small Grimm right in the face. Instead of exploding, the Grimm dissolved into nothing. Velvet finally turned back around and Jaune pretended nothing happened. There was no need to worry her.
"Would you like to team up as partners to protect the city?" Velvet asked, her hands held together behind her back and her foot rubbing the ground nervously.
"I couldn't think of anything better." Jaune grinned.
Velvet opened her mouth, but it was at that moment, the damage to her outfit finally reached its limit. Tearing sounds of fabric were heard a moment before her outfit just crumbled off her body from the chest down. There was a moment of silence as both teens weren't sure what happened.
Jaune got a blast of full frontal nudity.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
The world around him turned into a void once more at the sound of Velvet's scream. Nothing except darkness existed around him. Jaune was suspended in midair, but now that he knew what was about to happen, the sudden fall when gravity kicked back on didn't scare him shitless. As he fell, the last image passing through his mind was Velvet's wardrobe malfunction.
Jaune woke back up in his bed, smiling to himself.
The following morning a middle-aged man with tousled silver hair and thin brown eyes was sitting behind a desk at Beacon, sipping his morning hot chocolate. He was wearing shaded glass spectacles and a small, purple, cross-shaped pin on the cowl around his neck. His outfit mainly consisted of an unzipped black suit over a dark green, buttoned vest and green shirt. He also wore black trouser shoes and long, dark-green pants.
He was the headmaster of Beacon Academy, Professor Ozpin.
"Come in." He called out after hearing a knock on the door.
The door opened up and a young person with long silver hair and lavender eyes entered. Their unusual outfit consisted of loose light purple long sleeves with their shoulders exposed, baggy white trousers with a black sash that holds three golden keys, and high heel black boots. In addition to their attire, they wore a big light lavender mage hat with three black feathers on it and a black fabric collar with two gold rings around it. In the person's hand was a white jar with red markings.
"Shion Zaiden," Ozpin stated. "This is a surprise." His eyes fell to the jar. "Was your hunt a success?"
"Yes," Shinon replied simply. "I plan to dispose of this Nightmare Grimm shortly, but… the circumstances in catching this… were unusual."
"What do you mean?" Ozpin asked. "Normally you would notify me if a student was affected by the Nightmare, since we had to set everything up. Are you saying that wasn't needed?"
Nightmares were flying thorn-like Creatures of Grimm that could possess people and drain their Aura by infesting their dreams. People affected by them tend to get tired easily until the Nightmare completely attaches to them and locks them in an endless dream as it completely devours their Aura, killing them in the end. Since they possessed people and worked in dreams, normal Huntsmen and Huntresses couldn't deal with them. That's where Nightmare Hunters like Shinon came in.
"There were signs this Grimm infiltrated Beacon and was looking for a host, but when I caught it, it wasn't in one," Shion explained. "Not because it couldn't find one, but because it was injured."
"Injured?" Ozpin set his cup down. "Could it be someone else…"
"That's what I was thinking," Shion nodded. "There's another person here with a dream based Semblance that lets them fight Nightmares."
"Fascinating…" Ozpin leaned back in his chair. "Dream Semblances are incredibly rare and someone not only has one, but learned how to fight Grimm in the dreamscape too. I'll have to notify the other teachers in case someone comes to them for help. I'm sure Glynda will keep her eyes and ears open."
"Let me know when you find them," Shion picked up the jar again. "I'm going to dispose of this in the meantime."
Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish I ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter.
The goal wasn't to use Ice Queedom stuff in here, but after Velvet's dream, I think it adds an interesting plot layer to this. Jaune accidentally saved Velvet before the Nightmare could fully attach to her and draw her into the endless dream.