I gotta say, I love all of the theories that everyone's coming up with. Believe me, y'all are not ready for what I have planned to come. Some of you might hate it, but I plan to take this story into a far more… interesting route than what I'm sure you all are probably thinking.
Also, just so you all are aware, if you're wondering who I personally believe Tyler would sound like, it would be DIO from JJBA, specifically his Japanese voice actor. If you haven't heard his voice before, which I doubt any of you haven't, then you'd know why.
Also, Maxwell would be voiced by the person who voiced Obito from Naruto.
Anyway, onto the chapter!
[Opening Song: Kyouran Hey Kids! – By: The Oral Cigarettes]
*The sound of a guitar stringing in the background can be heard, along with drums. The scene zooms in on a man standing in a destroyed looking city, fires burning around him as he turns to look back at the camera, a smirk taking up his visage as a lone crimson red eye glows. Following along with the lyrics, he mouths the words*
"Tonight we honour the hero."
*A guitar and a set of drums begin to play wildly, alongside what sounds like a choir in the background matching the beat of the song, as a camera zooms up to a clear blue sky with white fluffy clouds, followed by the title "The Owl House - All For Luz" appears, with the Japanese Kanji " フクロウの家 - すべてはルスのために！ " Underneath it, and in smaller font.*
*The scene slams down to a forest, where in the centre of the woods, Luz stands, looking around, confused and concerned, taking a step back, bumping into a blond-haired girl wearing a white dress (Julia), who looks over at her, with a matching concerned gaze, golden eyes glimmering with worry. As they stare at one another, a large brown-skinned teen (Stanley) wraps both of his arms around them, smiling, catching both of them off guard, all the while a disembodied voice sings the lyrics to the song that's playing*
"No place for stubborn masks, broken by crazy kids"
"So full of lies and chaos are these days we live"
*The scene pans out to where Luz is looking at a large group of kids, who also look scared and confused. Luz breaks away from the hold she is in, before walking toward them, a weary smile on her face. She reaches out to them, but as she does, her hand and arm spark red, which causes her to recoil, stop what's she's doing, and look at her arms, confusion and annoyance taking up her expression. She stares at her hands, specifically the holes in the palms of her hands, before looking up at a military drone, staring at all of them, all the while the same disembodied voice sings*
"The scent of honey from the body in the air"
"So full of flavour, flavour, flavour…"
*The scene abruptly changes as the drums kick in, as does the metal guitar, to a man sitting in front of bunch of screens with a beard and slicked back hair as the lyrics "Just wanna hold your hands" can be heard in the scene, and with each time it's said, a new person takes their place along with a new location. The first time, it's a man dressed in a shirt with suspenders and black slacks, standing with his back facing the camera, the only thing noticeable being blond hair the same shade as the girls as he holds a martini. The second time, however, it changes to the man in the beginning of the opening, sitting in a throne surrounded by darkness.*
*The camera pans up to his face, red eyes gleaming as the guitar plays a little slower and suspenseful, as the man smirks, as he mouths along to the next set of lyrics "Hey people! Let's go back to zero!"*
*The Camera suddenly blasts into his eyes, as a fight scene breaks out between an orange haired boy and Luz, flames sparking off of the boys arm that barely miss her face. She ducks under a follow up punch. Anger flares in her eyes as she goes to punch the boy in the face. Just as the fist is about to connect, the scene shoots to the brown-skinned teen (Stanley) going blow for blow with a silver haired boy in a grey hoodie, who's throwing air slashes at him, that the other tanks as if they're nothing. Finally, it shows the blond girl (Julia) backed into a corner next to a cabin-like structure by another golden-haired guy, his hand having an ominous aura around it. As this entire scene is happening, the disembodied voice continues the song*
"Get crazy - Hey, Kids!"
"And ditch that ego that has held you back,"
"Why struggle pointlessly?"
"Get crazy - Hey, Kids!"
"The search for the place that you cannot return to Whoah, oh!"
*The scene abruptly changes to a solemn looking Camila, who's staring down at family photos, as the spectre of Manny lingers behind her, an almost disappointed look on his face. His spectre disappears in the wind as the front door to their house opens, revealing an old man dressed in priestly attire, looking at her with concern on his face. The scene shifts again to Luz staring out at something, a wooden wall surrounding her, a reflection of what looks to be fire and blood stains everywhere as her pupils dilate. Her brown eyes flickering from red back to brown constantly with the stringing of the guitar, and just as the rest of the scene, the disembodied voice continues the song*
"Get Crazy - Tell me"
"The times are changing as days go by,"
"Always uncomfortable!"
"Get Crazy - Hey Kids!"
"But nonetheless our future has begun to fade..!"
*The scene changes to a more frantic battle, this time between the blond-haired boy and Luz, only this time Luz has a more furious expression on her face, and her eyes are red. The blond haired boy slams the ground, creating spikes that Luz dodges, her hand sparks red, as a litany of faces belonging to several people appear behind her like ghosts, a small, venomous grin on her face, her hair raising with the red and black electricity, flames bursting across the forest, matching the same flames from the beginning of the opening, the disembodied voice continuing the song, which nears its end.*
"Get Crazy - Hey Kids!"
"And light up the doors that shut away the past"
"This urge with no release,"
"Get Crazy - Tell me,"
"Is that what you want? Then won't you call my name?"
*The opening ends with Luz, almost responding to the man in the beginning of the opening, mouthing the words "I swear, I respect the hero!" The opening ends with a final guitar riff, the camera flickering and glitching out, showing an empty forest, as it transitions to the start of the episode…*
[Search and Steal – Part 3]
When Luz awoke, she did so with a headache. She could see the rays of sunlight peaking in through the entrance of the cabin, which alerted her that it was early morning, and after having woken up, she felt amazing. Both because she was able to give that jerkass in her head a piece of her mind, and, she also no longer felt like clawing her hair out due to tiredness.
Although, there was one thing that she wasn't exactly fond of. And that was what she had done last night. As she sat up in bed, she looked down at her hands and frowned. A sight more common than not, but this time, there was a twist. Instead of staring at her palms, she looked at her fingers, which were covered in plant-like growths that began to twirl and twist, until they rose to three inches above where her fingers typically ended.
Vines. The name and ability of Julia Wittebane's Quirk. It was within her possession, and it both felt wrong and right to have. Wrong, because she had taken it from Julia—albeit willingly on Julia's part—and right because, well, she no longer had that empty feeling inside of her. She now had something to fill the void that had made her feel empty.
Well, when she awoke All For One, of course. She couldn't remember feeling like that before she had the power she now had. Though, she guessed it made sense. She was never depressed, just perpetually annoyed and filled with contempt for those who went out of their way to slight her. Oh, and of course joy and all that stuff when she was actually doing what she liked. But that was semantics.
She undid the ability, the plant-like growths disappearing back into her skin as she glanced over to her immediate right. Julia was not in bed, though Arla, who had bunked above her, was still curled up, snoring away as one would. Off in the rear of the cabin, Stanley was just waking up, and across from him was Judy, who was sprawled out on her mattress.
Above her, she could hear Carla purring like a cat would whilst she slept. It was a little surreal, but, then again, who was she to judge? The rest of the beds were empty, so that didn't matter. Stanley glanced over at her, nodding in her direction. He fished out something from his suitcase at the back—most likely his pack of cigarettes. From what she knew, he was on his last few.
He stood up, and walked over to Luz, before gesturing for her to follow him. She followed his lead, and walked out of the cabin, at the same time as the other guys from the other cabin. When she stepped out, he glanced over at her, before taking his lighter, opening his pack of cigarettes, and putting it in his mouth, before lighting it.
Luz pinched her nose, not wanting it to get into her system, something he cracked a smirk at. As he took of puff from the cancer stick, he breathed it out into the sky, before taking the cigarette out of his mouth and letting it linger next to him in his hand away from Luz. "So, you wanna explain what I heard last night?"
That actually caught Luz off guard. He had heard that? If he did, then… why didn't he say anything last night? "Oh…. Yeah, you can get Julia to explain that. She could do it b-better than me," Luz said, a hint of nervousness in her voice as Stanley shrugged.
"As long as I get an explanation before we go on that expedition, then so be it," Stanley replied as Luz blinked. Right, she had forgotten about that. She had planned with the rest of the scouting group that they, her included, would go explore the forest to see if they could pre-determine where the center of the forest was so that they could get the cache of goods before anyone else.
Of course, that was before they found out the cache had already been planned to be dropped on the day they were going to head out. So, instead, they scrapped the idea and decided to just go out like everyone else was going to. Or, at least, she thought that anyway. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe everyone else was already dead and they were the only team standing.
But, if that was the case, they would've been told that. Assuming Maxwell kept his word, which she highly doubted. Given how shady that guy was, she wouldn't be surprised if this whole thing was a big sham and was just meant to get them all rounded up and bombed by the end of the summer, assuming they didn't kill each other by the time that point came around.
Was that a little pessimistic? Maybe, but frankly, this whole situation reeked of lies, cheating, and manipulation. She wouldn't be in the least bit surprised if that was the case. If it wasn't, then she'd genuinely be shocked. And also happy. Because she kind of liked living, that was always a good thing.
Luz looked over to the unlit campfire, where Julia sat on the closest log to the cabins, she had been staring at the two, a smile on her face. "Morning, Stanley, Luz. How was your two's sleep?"
"Could be better," Stanley quipped, before sitting down on the opposite log across from Julia, whereas Luz sat next to her. Her stomach grumbled, which prompted Julia to hand her a wrapped-up moon pie from her suitcase. She also underhanded tossed one to Stanley, who caught it and ripped it open, sticking a thumbs up at Julia as a way of thanks.
"And you, Luz?" Julia asked as Luz ripped into the plastic wrapping on the chocolate treat, sparing Julia a quick glance, shrugging as she did.
"Good enough," as she said that, she finally got the wrapping off, and stuffed it into her pants pocket. Taking a large bite out of her sugary breakfast, Luz glanced up at Stanley who, and she wished she was kidding, ate the whole moon pie in a single bite. He didn't even have a hard time chewing it. He just opened his mouth, plopped the moon pie in, closed his mouth, and chewed a handful of times, before he swallowed, as if nothing had even been there at all. And then, immediately afterward, he took a few drags out of his cigarette, before putting it out and grinding it underneath his boot.
"There is no way I saw you eat that whole moon pie in one go," Julia said, disbelief painted on her face as Stanley smirked.
"I used to eat competitively. It's how I gained as much muscle as I did. Protein from Hotdog competitions. I have no gag reflex, and I'm pretty sure I'm immune to choking when eating something," Stanley said as Julia blinked a few times before shrugging. Luz believed it. Why wouldn't she? It made sense, and besides, competitive eating was considered a sport, and it was very popular in Connecticut. Maybe not in Gravesfield, but in other parts it was.
As the other boys sat around the unlit campfire, and as the rest of the girls came out of the cabin, some more groggy than others, doing the same thing as the boys, Luz was prepared to start the conversation off with an explanation of what last night's scream was about when Stanley spoke up. "Alright, so, Luz. Mind telling us what that scream was from yesterday?"
Chatter immediately began to stir up from the rest of The Alpha Squadron, putting Luz on the spot, which made her clam up, sweat beginning to form on her face as she tried to form together a sentence. "I-I—"
"It was from me," Julia interrupted, gaining stares from the others at the unlit campfire. Though, unlike Luz, Julia seemed to be perfectly fine with all the staring. Something that Luz was beginning to envy. "And, it was because I asked Luz to take away my power from me. Neither of us knew that it would have caused me pain, but, if I had known, I probably would not have asked."
"So, wait, you wanted Luz to take your power away from you?" Judy asked incredulously, balking at the notion. "Are you retarded?"
"Hey now, Judy. Enough of that," Stanley admonished, glowering at her as Judy frowned, narrowing her eyes.
"Well, am I wrong? Think of the situation we're in! What if we're attacked?! She suddenly can't defend herself! All because of what, exactly?" Judy asked, shooting a glare at Julia, who crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes back at Judy.
"None of your business. What I do with myself is what I do. I don't expect you to explain where you've been when you pop out from those little spot holes of yours, now do I? So butt out," Julia retorted as Judy went to say something, only to stop when Stanley levelled a look in her direction, causing her to keep her mouth shut.
"Well, Judy does have a point," Johnny noted as he brushed a hand through his semi-dyed hair. "Without a power, how is she going to defend herself if the worst happens? I mean, three of our heavy hitters are going out along with our healer, and the last thing we need is a weak link. No offence to you, Julia."
"None taken," Julia said, before glancing over at Luz, who sighed. She was being put on the spot, but unlike when Stanley did it, she had a chance to calm herself. Everyone was looking at her, waiting for an answer. A reasonable answer. And out of all the stares, Judy's was the worst. There was anger in her eyes and annoyance as well.
"If I feel like you're going to sabotage us…." Luz internally shuttered at the words Judy had told her before. Her threat was very real, but, if she tried something, they would be fine. She had a way to defend herself now, so it wasn't like she was in as much danger as before. And so, with that in mind, she levelled a glare at Judy as she spoke.
"I took Julia's power because she asked. End of story. She doesn't want it, and it's for personal reasons If you don't like it, then cry me a river. It was herpower, she chose what to do with it. And she chose to give it to me," Luz responded, as Judy full-on scowled at her, anger painted on her face as Luz crossed her arms. "Does anyone have a problem with that?"
"Uh, fuck yeah I do!" Judy spat, standing up from her seat in the blink of an eye, anger coating her face as she towered over Luz, who glared up at her. "Who do you think you are? What kind of bullshit did you feed her to make her "willingly" fork over her power? That'll get us killed!" As she said that, her scowl turned into a sneer.
"You remember what I said? This is what I'm talking about," Judy continued, as she reached for one of her spots. Stanley jumped to his feet, but it didn't matter. In the blink of an eye, vines found themselves wrapped around Judy's neck, lifting her off of the ground as Luz stood up.
Judy scratched at the vines, trying to break free from them, only for them to squeeze tighter, all the while Luz spoke. "Who do you think you are?" As she spoke, her eyes narrowed as sweat built up on Judy's forehead. "I'm the leader. Not you. I'm your boss. Not the other way around." The vines surged forward, slamming Judy against the furthest wall away from the unlit campfire, which was the right one.
The wall shook, as Judy hissed through her teeth. She kept trying to remove the vines from her neck, but it was to no avail. Everyone simply stared in sheer shock, awe, and horror at the scene going on before them. Judy had a panicked look in her eyes, emotions running through her like a freight train, all the while Luz began to walk toward Judy, who was being crushed up against the wall she was slammed into.
As Luz walked over in the direction where she had slammed Judy, whose face was starting to turn a shade of red, tears building up in her eyes, a sneer began to worm its way onto Luz's face. "I thought you were joking when you threatened me before because I honestly couldn't believe the audacity that you had when you said that to my face. But, apparently, I was wrong." As she closed the distance between herself and Judy, the vines beginning to coil around the rest of her body like that of a snake, slowly crushing her, Luz's eyes flashed red.
"So, let's make one thing clear, from here on out. And this applies to everyone, so pay attention," Luz began, her voice gaining an annoyed edge to it. "What I say, goes. If I tell you to run, you run. If I tell you to walk, you walk. If I tell you to smash your head against a wall, you do it. And If you have a problem with that, then you can bring it up to me. And if I think it's reasonable, I'll consider it." As she continued, Judy was slammed into the ground, the force of which caused the ground around her to shake, as Luz's vines retracted back into her fingers.
Before Judy could get up, her chest heaving up and down as she tried to catch her breath, Luz stomped down on Judy's stomach, forcing whatever air she had regained out of her body, causing her to cough. And when she spoke, it sounded as if two voices were speaking at the same time. Luz's, and someone, or something else's. "But if you threaten me, or try to touch me, hurt me, or even attempt to kill me, I will not hesitate to do the same to you in return. Does everyone understand?"
She was met with silence, but she could tell that there was a clear understanding, given how everyone was staring at her, acknowledgement written in their eyes. As for Judy, she stared up at her in horror. It was obvious she hadn't expected what she had done, but that was the point. Judy nodded, albeit slowly, as Luz stepped off of her, her eyes returning to their normal hue.
"Good," Luz turned back to everyone else, before pointing to Arla. "Heal her, then get something to eat. We're leaving in an hour from now. Stanley, you too. Get something to eat that isn't a moon pie. Judy, when you're healed, do some recon. See if you can find out anything about the other two teams and what their plans are." As she said that, she walked past everyone, Julia flashing her a concerned look, one that Luz met with an unreadable glance.
Regardless of that, Julia followed after her, as Luz stopped by the back of the girl's cabin, slumping down against the wall. Julia sat next to her, as Luz curled into a ball, her arms wrapped around her legs, her knees pressing up against her body while she lowered her head. Julia put a comforting hand on her shoulder, worry in her eyes as she spoke.
"Luz… What was that?"
"I dunno…" Luz muttered. "I just… got really angry. And I was scared… I thought Judy was actually going to…" Luz always had an explosive way of defending herself. Well, "always" was in quotation marks, because she never usually did defend herself. Again, the only time she acted on something was when she carved up Amber, and calling that "self-defence" wasn't even remotely true. It was more like an attempted assassination that only failed because someone stepped in.
"You know everyone would've pounced on her if she tried something like that," Julia said as Luz shot her a look. One that spoke of unsureness. Julia pursed her lips in thought, before sighing. "Luz, I know that we hardly know each other, but… you are our leader for a reason. Even if that soldier was the one who appointed you, you've made it clear that you're the boss. Even before that display. Remember when you broke up that argument between Johnny and Ronny?"
"That stupid thing?" Luz scoffed, rolling her eyes as she looked away. "It was over something dumb anyway. Who cares about a game of rock-paper-scissors that passionately anyway…." A small smile took up her visage. They were probably only looking for a way to distract themselves from the horribleness of the situation they found themselves in.
Still, the negativity wasn't what they needed. They needed positivity and less in-fighting. And besides, at least she was able to disable the argument quickly. It could've ended far, far worse. If she hadn't stepped in, chances were they would've gotten into a fight, and that wasn't anything anyone needed.
"Say, Luz… I have a question," Julia asked as Luz shot her another glance.
"Yeah? What is it?"
"If we get out of this mess… do you, perhaps… want to go see a movie?" Julia asked as Luz raised an eyebrow.
"Depends. What kind of movie?" Luz asked as Julia shrugged.
"Well, I heard they were making a Dresden Files Movie. It was supposed to come out last year but due to an accident with the main actor, they couldn't do it. But, they announced it to come out in September, around the end of summer. And seeing as I have no place to return to… I kind of figured we could…" Julia stopped herself, her cheeks changing to a shade of red.
It was only then that Luz picked up what she was putting down, confusing her. "Are you… asking me out?"
"M-Maybe…" Julia stammered as Luz smiled, leaning her head against the back of the cabin.
"Yeah… sure, why not?" Luz replied, though there was the underlying "if we survive this" put in there somewhere. Just not said aloud. A common understanding, but important to bring it up nonetheless. Not that Luz wanted to ruin the mood.
Still, the idea of someone asking her out…. It was strange. She didn't feel any kind of excitement, mostly because it was a major 50/50 considering the situation they're currently in. But, if Julia did survive… "I'd like that… I'd like that a lot, actually…" Luz said, a flush of pink decorating her cheeks as she lowered her head, unfurling herself as she outstretched her right leg, keeping her left arm draped over her left leg as she let her left arm rest against the grassy floor.
For the next hour, they sat in silence, just enjoying the sounds of nature. Halfway into their silent "staring off into the sky" session, Julia leaned up against Luz's right shoulder, resting her head against it. Luz snaked an arm around her back as they stared up into the clouds. It was a peaceful day, the skies were clear, and the sun was out and nearing the center of the sky, meaning it was just about the afternoon.
A part of her was worried that something bad was going to happen. She didn't know why. Maybe it was because of paranoia, or maybe it was because she was just genuinely worried. But, the point was that she felt a disturbance in the air. One that she wasn't exactly quite fond of. One that spelled out doom, and she wasn't there for it.
Her eyes narrowed, staring up at the sky, avoiding the sun like the plague so she didn't make herself go blind. Maybe it was because things had been too quiet from the other two sides, but she couldn't help but feel something big was coming.
"The only question now is, what?" Luz thought as Stanley came into her peripheral vision. He stared down at the two, a sly smirk on his face, one on his hip and the other stuffed in his pocket. "Oh, I see what's going on here. You two lovebirds enjoying the sky?"
"H-Huh!?" Julia stammered as Luz snaked her hand out from behind Julia, sitting up as she did, giggling to herself. Julia looked back to Luz who smiled back at her, easing whatever daze she had felt when Stanley said it like it was.
"Yeah, until you showed up," Luz joked as Stanley feigned being hurt, putting his free hand to his chest with a faux-offended look on his face.
"Oh, you're words wound me!"
Julia stood up, puffing out her cheeks as she looked away from the pair. "You two are rude," Julia grumbled as Stanley ruffled her hair, flustering her more. Luz tried to hold back a laugh but failed. What could she say? The whole conversation was hilarious! It got to the point where all three of them found themselves laughing, although it didn't last very long. Once Stanley sobered himself, he exhaled, an air of seriousness surrounding him.
"Come to the front, Arla's got everything prepared for our trip, and Judy's got the information you wanted," as Stanley said that, he frowned, crossing his arms. "Also, I want to apologize on behalf of Judy. She—"
"If she wants to apologize, she can say it to my face," Luz interrupted, walking past Stanley, who turned to watch her walk away. He looked a little dejected, but then again, it made sense. From what Luz knew, the two were getting close. A bit too close if one were to ask her, but, then again, she understood why. They just seemed to click. She didn't have any problems with it, not that it was any of her business.
When Luz finally made it toward the front of the camp, everyone who wasn't going out with the recon team, that being everyone outside of Luz, Stanley, Arla, and Judy, were all standing front and center just by the unlit campfire, with Arla and Judy standing backs turned to the draw bridge. The only two missing from the lineup were the two watchmen, both of whom were Giovanni and Johnny.
Luz walked up to Arla and Judy, with Stanley by her side. She cast a glance at Judy, who stiffened at her gaze. Arla on the other hand, was simply nervous. She understood why. They were about to walk into uncharted territory. Luz couldn't help but be nervous herself. Especially considering what she might see out there.
A part of her was still worried about that weird slug thing she saw in the woods a couple of days back. Was it still in the woods? What even was that thing? Frankly, she didn't know, and it weirded her out a bit. Though, strangely enough, she believed it to be friendly. If it was hostile, wouldn't have it tried to breach the wall?
"None of that now, focus on what's in front of you," Luz thought, closing her eyes briefly before speaking. "Alright, Whaddya got, Judy?"
"Foxtrot and Heavens Devils are sending out two people each to get the care package. One of them was that fire dude you mentioned being a potential threat, and the other was some guy with glasses and a pullover. I wasn't able to get much information about either of them. And for Foxtrot, I'm fairly certain one of the people who'll be there is Hilbert. He's got silver hair, hard to miss. He's also a pain in the ass. As for the other girl he was with, I don't know other than that she has orange hair," Judy explained as Luz's eyes widened.
"Orange hair…" "What else was there about her," Luz demanded as Judy shrugged.
"Aside from the fact that she's black? Dunno. But, she was wearing some kind of crop top, and she had a lot of scars on her stomach, so—"
"Amber…" Luz hissed, causing Judy to flinch.
"You… know her?"
"Do I ever. If we run into her, leave her to me, please," Luz spat, a small smile taking up her visage. "I have some unfinished business with her. I'd like to continue where we had left off…"
"Right…" Judy muttered, before clearing her throat. "Anyway, we have the number advantage. If we come to blows, I take it it's a "do unto others" policy?" Judy snarked as Luz nodded. She wasn't paying attention. She couldn't believe that Amber was here! It was almost too perfect. Yes, she was still bitter for what she did. And now, she had an excuse to finish her off once and for all.
The question was, though… What was her power? Was it even worth taking? She wouldn't know until she figured it out. Because she planned to kill her. There was no ifs, ands, or buts about it. This time, no one would stop her.
Besides, it was more than deserved.
"So, we heading out, then?" Stanley asked as Luz nodded. She looked over to Julia, who nodded. As she walked over to what appeared to be a lever. And as soon as she pulled it, the drawbridge slowly began to come down. As it lowered, Julia walked over to Luz, and, without warning, kissed her on the cheek. Luz, startled, went to say something, but didn't after looking at Julia.
She was happy. A smile was plastered across her face. A full, real smile. It caused Luz to smile, before nodding. She guessed it was official, then. "Be safe," Julia said, as Luz stuck up a thumbs up, before turning to face the now wide open door to their base. They were met with wilderness, bushes, and trees.
This was it. Finally, after four and a half days, they were finally going to leave the base. With newfound hope fluttering in her chest, and with at least one power at her disposal, Luz, along with the rest of the recon team, stepped out of The Alpha Squadron base, and began their journey to the care package.
[XXXX]
Maxwell frowned, watching the cameras with an unamused expression on his face. Finally, something was going to happen, but why did it have to take so bloody long? Frankly, it was insulting that he had to wait this long, but, at least they were going to meet. And considering what Cody was offered, there was bound to be at least one death.
Although, he had made note of the recent development regarding Luz's power. Well, should he say, powers. She now had a power under her belt. Julia Wittebane's Vines. He had to admit, it wasn't what his first choice would've been. He probably would've taken Johnny's Vibration Control power, but then again, it wasn't as if Luz took the power without having to be begged to do it first.
Still, the fact of the matter was that it happened. And now that it did, it opened an interesting possibility. But one that, after he had done some thinking on the issue, he realized was rather stupid. Originally, his idea was to give her a deal to set her free, so long as she stole everyone's power inside the camp, and killed them afterward.
That would've worked, had he not remembered that Luz was seemingly the type of person who was not only selfless but the annoying kind of goody-two-shoes that made her the absolute worst kind of goody-two-shoes. The staunch moralist. But, even a staunch moralist had points of contention. Had ways to be broken down and moulded into a fitting pawn.
But even then, given just how powerful someone like Luz Noceda could become if exposed to the correct environment, it didn't matter what you tried to stop them with. You could nuke the surrounding area, and all that would do would make things worse. Some people, once they get going, simply cannot be stopped.
And that was the trouble that Governor Rodger J. Maxwell found himself in. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place. He wanted Luz Noceda dead, especially because of her power. But, she could also later prove to be a potent tool. He was at a loss for what to do, and so as he sat there, staring down the monitors, lost in thought at what he needed to do, he felt a buzz in his back pocket.
"Huh? Who the fuck…" Maxwell muttered, reaching for his cellphone. As he pulled the iPhone 11 out of his back pocket, he stared at the screen, confusion taking over his visage. "Tyler?" As soon as he said his name, he answered the phone. "Mr. Wittebane, what can I do for you?"
"Wipe them out." His calm, soothing, yet also commanding voice came out from the other side of the phone, causing Maxwell to blink.
"I beg your pardon?"
"Our benefactor, he wants you to wipe them out. Effective immediately. You know how he is about these types of things. I had objected to his suggestion, and he threatened to pull back our two greatest wildcards if we didn't. Apparently, he has encountered a person like Luz Noceda before, and knows that it would be best to kill her and the rest of those lowly, pathetic, worthless heaps of flesh sooner rather than later."
Maxwell hummed, stroking his beard as he did. That was… unfortunate. He wanted this to last a little while longer. Just to see how far he could go without interfering too much. But, if the higher-ups wanted results… "Are you sure you can't convince him to wait a week?"
"If I could, Rodger, I would. Unfortunately, he's getting testy. And the last thing I need is for his golden boy to start chopping heads because their boss is starting to get antsy. We need his support, otherwise, we can't properly cover this up. You know what will happen if we don't."
"Fine, alright…" And with that, Maxwell hung up the phone. "Stupid interdimensional dictator. Interfering with my fun…" Maxwell grumbled as he stuffed his phone back into his pocket. His hand hovered over the button that would release the bomb drones, when he stopped, a smirk spreading across his face. "Actually… I have a better idea…!"
Maxwell decided to deploy two camera drones and led them to Foxtrots and the Heavens Devil's base of operations. As they flew, he prepared his microphone. If he couldn't continue his fun the way he wanted it, then he could at least cause a little chaos before he decided to drop the bombs. After all, what fun would there be if he didn't?
He knew it would take a while for the drones to show up there. He had purposely set them on low speeds so that he could call the Privates that he still had under his command. As his phone rang, he couldn't help but smile. This was going to go great. He just knew it. After all, it was his idea. And all of his ideas were amazing.
"Private Holden, what can I do for you, Boss?"
"You remember how we're getting sued by those parents?" Maxwell asked as Holden scoffed.
"Yeah, what about it?"
"They're all planning on meeting in Gravesfield at the town hall. I want you and your boys to dress up like thugs and kidnap all of them, and hold them for ransom. A ransom I'll pay only when all of Alpha Squadron's been wiped out. Then, all of Wittebane's assassins can kill them for all I care. The only one you cannot kidnap is that Noceda woman. She didn't sign the paper, so we can't target her. Nor can we target the priest. Alright? We'll let Tyler deal with him."
"You got it, boss! Should only take us a day or two to get there. Does That sound good to you?"
"They just have to believe it, and kids are gullible. Just make sure it's done, capiche?" Maxwell said as Holden grunted in the affirmative, cueing Maxwell to hang up. Once he did, he looked back over to the screen and watched as the drones began to fly in close to the bases surrounding "air space."
As the drones flew into the bases, eyes were immediately on them, and the leader of each team, both of which were standing around doing nothing, looked toward the drone. Both had sneers on their faces, and both seemingly were more annoyed to see it than grateful. Before either of them could speak, Maxwell spoke through his microphone.
"Hello, brats. I hope you're all hearing this because this is important. If you at all value your parents and or loved one's lives, then listen up, because I have a job for you."
[XXXX]
The sun shone down on the group of four, beating down on them with 45 degrees of pure UV rays. Sweat trickled down everyone's foreheads, sweat stains evident on their clothing. Although out of everyone there, Judy seemed to have it the worst, what with the cloak and long-sleeved shirt underneath not doing her any good.
"Ugh, how long are we going to be out here….!" Stanley grumbled, wiping the back of his neck as sweat drenched it. "I know it's summer, but for fucksake!" He grumbled, slumping as he strode forward. Judy shot him a glare, narrowing her eyes, the hood of her cloak down, revealing her long black hair tied up in a braided ponytail.
"If you don't stop complaining, I'm going to hurt you," Judy snarked. Stanley, for his part, waved her off. Luz watched the bickering pair, or was it more right to call them a couple? Either way, it didn't really matter, did it? They were bickering, and it was annoying. Surprisingly, the heat didn't bother her. Her house had no A/C, and she was what one would call a "warm-blooded person" having been born in the summer months, specifically leaning toward July more so than June.
"C'mon, we don't need to fight," Luz said, earning both of their attention. "If you guys need it, we can take a break. We've been walking for hours anyway, and the sun is an hour away from setting," Luz said, looking back over to Arla, who didn't seem bothered in the slightest. "What about you, are you okay?"
"Huh, me? I go hiking with my mother all the time. I'm used to this," Arla said a wide smile on her face. That was probably the first time that Luz had heard her speak and not stutter even once. That must've meant she was in her element. That was good.
"You didn't stutter, that's new," Stanley noted as Arla blinked, looking over to him and shrugging.
"I'm comfortable, and I'm not around a crowd. I can't handle large amounts of people. Makes me feel anxious and watched," Arla replied as sat down on the nearest rock. Stanely took to leaning against the nearest tree, whereas Judy used her Spot power to climb up to a branch in a tree. Luz used Vines to do something similar, balancing herself on a thicker branch before sighing.
The hike was nice, but she felt as if they had a lot more ground to cover. How much more ground, Luz didn't know. All she knew was that it wasn't going to be a quick back and forth. They didn't have a map, which made things even worse. They were just guessing where to go, though, the same could be said for Foxtrot and The Heavens Devil's group. So, at least there was that. And considering they were out for a similar amount of time, there was no way they could've covered more ground than them.
Though, she could have guessed that they had more mobile-related powers. So, maybe she was wrong. Maybe they were closer? For all she knew, this could've been worthless, and one of the teams already claimed the care package.
"Yo, Boss!" Stanley's voice snapped Luz out of her thoughts as she looked down at him. He was now sitting against the tree, smoking another cigarette.
"Smoking's bad for you, you know," Luz pointed out as Stanley shrugged.
"Eh, doesn't matter. I'll be fine, and if I get cancer from it, I don't really care either. You only live life once, so live it the way you want. That's what my old friend Jamol said. Then he got adopted and I haven't seen him since," Stanley said as Luz frowned. Both at the fact that he lost a friend, and to the fact that he didn't care about potentially dying one of the worst kinds of deaths imaginable.
To each their own, she supposed.
"Anyway, what is it, Stanley?" Luz asked as Stanley finished taking another drag out of his cigarette, blowing the smoke out from his mouth before tapping the cancer stick, getting rid of the build-up of ash before speaking.
"So, just a thought, but, wouldn't removing someone's powers have some kind of downside to them? Like, these didn't just appear, did they? They kind of had to have some form of evolution with them. So, when you steal someone's power, is there like, a chance that they'll die or something?" Stanley asked as Judy glanced over to Luz.
"Yeah, actually. I was wondering that. Considering you did it to one of our teammates. If what Stanley says is true, you could've possibly killed one of our own," Judy said as Luz flinched. They weren't wrong. It was deadly to remove someone's power. But, at the same time, she didn't know it till she spoke with Shigaraki.
"Well, I don't know," Luz lied, shrugging to play into the lie. "If there is a downside like that, I'll let you know when I figure it out," Luz continued as Stanley, content with the answer, leaned his head back against the tree. Judy, on the other hand, stared at her, frowning as she did.
Oh well, it didn't matter. As long as she wasn't called out, she was fine. "So, guys, how much longer do you guys think it'll take to get to the care package?" Luz asked, as Arla spoke up.
"My guess? Probably a few more hours. We could probably make it by sunset if we start now," Arla suggested as Luz went to say something. But, just as she did, as she blinked once her vision was obstructed by a fist flying toward her face. It was coated with bright, orange flames, and it belonged to an orange-haired, blue-eyed boy.
Luz had no time to react, as the fist made contact with her face, the fire blooming around the impact area, as she was sent rocketing in the opposite direction of where she was facing.
Judy, the moment she saw Luz begin to fly off in the opposite direction whilst being pursued by that orange blur that appeared a moment ago, immediately got up from her spot on the tree. Just before she could open one of the spots on her body to retrieve the gun she had stolen from that soldier she had killed days ago, astring wrapped around her neck, with two more wrapping around her wrists, hands, fingers, and arms.
"Huh—"
Before she could say a single sentence, the string was pulled backward, and she was decapitated, and her arms, fingers, and hands were also removed cleanly. As her body began to fall to the ground, a teen in a gray pullover hoodie, a pair of dark blue framed glasses, and black jeans landed where her body once was, standing on the edge of the branch.
Blood began to shower down to the ground below, as the boy in the gray pullover jutted his fingers in the direction of the body, a glimmer of something moving in the air moving with the motion, as the remnants of Judy's body were diced and turned into mince meat, leaving barely pick-up-able chunks.
"JUDY! LUZ!" Stanley all but roared, as the boy in the pullover smirked, watching as the boy with the flame power chased down Luz's disappearing form.
"What's the matter? Gonna cry about the death of that goth chick? How sad," the boy in the pullover taunted, as Stanley practically growled.
Before Stanley could do anything, however, he was flung against one of the trees by an invisible force. The sudden pressure caused Stanley to gasp, though due to his Shock Absorption, any force that would've caused bones to break did basically nothing, only making him wince at the suddenness of the change.
As he reorientated himself, an orange-haired girl came out of the brush, her hand outstretched in his direction as he struggled against the force that was holding him down. The girl was dressed in a black crop top and a pair of gray baggy pants. She had black skin, and dark brown eyes, but that wasn't what had been the most defining feature about her. No. that belonged to her exposed lower torso. Specifically, her stomach region. It was riddled with scars of various shapes and sizes, almost like penetration wounds.
"Heh, that was easy. Who knew that the big dumb meathead was just that, big and dumb!" The girl taunted, as Stanley gnashed his teeth together, trying and failing to break out from what was keeping him down.
"That is to be expected, Amber. After all, we did catch them by surprise. If not for our momentary team-up, I'm sure the other two would've killed us by now," a voice spoke out as Stanley stared in the direction where the voice came from.
Another person came out from the same brush that the girl had, though he looked far from what he looked far younger than his voice would've led on. The person in question was a silver-haired boy, with golden yellow eyes, and flawless skin, dressed in an open-faced light blue parka with a feathered collar, a white shirt, black shorts and a pair of black hiking boots.
Stanley's blood boiled at the words that the boy said. "You pieces of shit…! When I get out of this, I'll—"
"Silence, monkey," the silver-haired teen spat as Stanley's nostrils flared. "Good. You mongrels do learn, after all. Well then, I think that means we're making progress. And, by the looks of things, it would seem as if Operation Divide and Conquer is working just as planned. Cody really is a tactical genius," the silver-haired boy said, as Stanley glared at him. "Oh, but where are my manners? I'm Hilbert, and this is my partner Amber. Above you is Lucas, a temporary ally along with Cody. I'm sorry it has to come to this, but, you're going to have to die. I would feel ashamed, but, then again, why would I?"
"You… you bastard!" Stanley growled, trying to push past whatever was holding him down, but it wasn't working. Amber scoffed, placing her non-extended hand on her hip.
"That ain't gonna work, dickweed. Force Push can't be moved. Believe me, many have tried," Amber goaded as Stanley growled.
Arla, for her part, was shaking in her boots. Never in her life had something gone from zero to one hundred so quickly. And even worse… their trump card was gone, having been launched elsewhere. And with Judy dead and in pieces, there wasn't anything that could be done. Hilbert glanced over at Arla, a frown on her face. "Are you the healer?"
"H-Huh—"
The moment that word slipped out of her mouth, Hilbert waved his hand as if someone were to shoo away someone or something. And as soon as he did, Arla had enough time to blink, before she became rigid. Her mouth was slightly opened, and as she stood still, Stanley went to say something, only for blood to start spewing from the center of her body, lengthwise.
Arla fell apart, quite literally, both halves collapsing at different angles. Stanley could only stare in horror at the events unfolding before him. And the worst part? He was stuck against the tree. There was nothing he could've done to stop it.
"Arla…"
"Cleave." Hilbert began, as Stanley inhaled sharply, looking over to him with rage in his eyes. Hilbert, on the other hand, seemed bored. As if what he had just done meant nothing to him. "And yes, if you've read Jujutsu Kaisen, I did name my power off of a part of Sukuna's Cursed Technique, though, to someone like you, I doubt you understand the words coming out of my mouth. After all, you're just a filthy monkey."
With that, he turned to face Stanley, a bored expression on his face. "And now, you're next. Then, once this is over, myself, Amber, and Lucas, will follow after Cody. Then, we'll kill your precious leader, and after that, we'll decide what happens next."
Stanley blinked, and when he did, felt something wash over him. Like a wave of something. All the while Hilbert swiped the back of his hand at him. Something hit him, but it didn't do anything. Sure, it felt like a pinch, but, it didn't break his skin. Something that caused Hilbert confusion. Stanley smirked, knowing full well what just transpired. "Oh… you use Kinetic force to do your little swish thing, yeah? Well, guess what…" And with all of his might, Stanley broke out from whatever was holding him down, confusing Amber.
"WHAT?! HOW THE FUCK DID YOU DO THAT?!" Amber screamed, taking a step back as Stanley crouched down into a fighting stance. Both of his fists covered his face, and as Amber tried to apply her power again, Stanley side-stepped it. How? Because he saw the dent in the air that was made when Amber used her power.
"YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO TRY A LITTLE BIT HARDER THAN THAT, BECAUSE THAT SHIT DOESN'T WORK ON ME!" Stanley roared, as Hilbert smirked.
Maybe this would be interesting after all.
Meanwhile, Luz crashed through several trees, using Vines to soften the impacts, before she finally stopped after hitting what felt like the fifth tree, watching as several trees fell left to right. Blood trailed from her nose and her busted upper lip, a stinging sensation burning her skin as she fell to the ground, Vines stopping her an inch off the ground, allowing her to land softly.
When she did, and as the headache caused by being punched square in the face subsided, Luz slowly stood up, groaning in pain as she did. She could barely keep up with what was going on. The only thing that she knew was that she just got sucker punched in the face, and was sent flying for what felt like two straight minutes.
"Ow…" Luz grumbled, wiping the blood from her nose as the orange-haired boy who had sent her flying landed a few feet away from her, flames covering the back of his arms, legs, feet, and neck. They rose off his body in such a way that it made him appear as if he was walking out of a portal from hell. He was dressed in an orange and white striped shirt, light blue jeans, and black lace-up ankle boots.
Luz immediately got into a defensive stance—the same stance that one would take when they're being threatened, and one that she had learned after copying it from TV. It wasn't perfect, but it was good enough. She stared down the mystery boy,
"Luz Noceda, right? Leader of The Alpha Squadron?" The boy said, his voice containing an almost psychotic tinge to it.
"Who're you…" Luz spat, clenching her fists as she rose them to sit in front of her face, all the while the boy chuckled. He was definitely giving off deranged psychopath vibes. And that didn't bode well.
"Cody Johnson! Second in command of The Heavens Devil's. And I'm your assassin," Cody said, raising his hand as fire coated it. "I've heard you can take other people's powers, yeah?"
"How did he know that…?" Luz thought as Cody smiled ear to ear.
"I bet you're wondering how I know that. Well, let's just say that a little birdie told me. And because that little birdie told me and offered me such a wonderful reward, I'm going to bring them you're charred, burned, and dismembered head to them!" The fire around his body burst off his body like an erupting volcano, causing Luz to take a step back.
And it was only then that she realized the supreme disadvantage she now had to contend with. Not only was the only thing she had to beat him made of very flammable material, and considering the fact that he was on fire, that meant that touching him was essentially a no-go unless she wanted to get cooked alive.
And because of that, one single, solitary thought formed in her head.
"I'm so, unbelievably screwed, aren't I?" And as she thought that, and as she stared down Cody, fear drenched her very soul, as the crazy flame user roared.
"LET'S TURN UP THE HEAT! BECAUSE I'M READY TO HAVE ME MYSELF A MEXICAN BARBAQUE!"
And with that, the battle began.
-To Be Continued in – The Raging Flame of Battle-
[Ending Song: Life – By: Rude-a]
*The ending opens up with Luz sitting on the edge of a cliff, staring up at the sky with a twinkle in her eyes, all the while the sound of a guitar strumming peacefully, followed by drums matching the tempo, like a serene melody, as a disembodied voice begins to sing.*
"Lately I don't know to do"
"Hurry up, my mind is one the moon"
"Flying up to where the wind blew"
*The scene stays the same, as wind blows through Luz's hair, still staring up at the sky, before looking down at the palm of her hands, a curious gleam to her eyes. Suddenly, a hand places itself on Luz's shoulder, as she looks over it to see Julia, smiling, before she sits next to Luz. This is followed by Stanley, who sits on the other side of her. Luz smiles, as more people around her age start pooling around her, sitting, staring out at the sky above as the clouds rolls past. All the while the disembodied voice continues*
"Overflowin' in the palm of my hand, passion to be who I am"
"Spent my days all just wandering this world"
"But then there's only you who's shining and pure"
"A rusty knife'll never cut a thing now; I am burning like a fire gone wild."
*The scene changes slightly, as a total of 33 people stand around and sit next to Luz, staring up at the sky, pointing out things that look to be strange. Julia has an arm wrapped around Luz's shoulder, whereas Stanley is ruffling her hair. Kennedy looms behind both of them, smirking, as if pleased with himself as the disembodied voice continues.*
"Like in the moment that my heart began to open"
"And it had the chance to scream, loud and unbroken"
"Everything was different from that moment on, if I don't try, I'll never know."
*The scene begins to change, the subtle strum of an electric guitar, signifying something. The wind blows harder, as if trying to push them away. The clouds darken as the sun begins to set, and as it does, people begin to disappear, starting with a few people in the back. One or two people vanish, but that's all. Luz, however, looks upset, closing her eyes, her expression changing to a solemn one as the disembodied voice continues*
"I wonder why the flowers are blooming."
"Your voice still echoes out in my heart."
*More people begin to disappear, but this time more rapidly. They're not walking away. They're simply disappearing. Vanishing from sight. Leaving Luz all alone. It gets worse as it comes down to only three people. Kennedy, Julia, and Stanley. First, it's Julia, who gets up from where she's sitting, and wanders off into the forest. It makes Luz's eyes widen, her solemnness turning into Despair. Then it's Stanley, which makes her look to her left. He waves to her, before going into the forest. Then, it's Kennedy, who stuffs his hands in his pockets and leaves. Luz's eyes water, and she looks away, before looking back up at the sky, the moon taking the place of the sun. All the while the disembodied voice continues*
"Tell me why I just shouted to the sky?"
"But you are no, no longer here, that's right."
"Remembering the adventure we went on called life!"
"Just a fleeting moment…!"
"Call it just a dream, 'cause I don't mind it."
"I'll save you from the present, the one so torn and riddled with scars."
*As Luz is left alone on the cliff, tears in her eyes, the guitar strums a solemn tone. Her tears are wiped away by an older man–All For One–who puts a hand on her shoulder. Julia sits back down next to Luz, holding her hand, which makes her smile. Now it's All For One looming behind her, his expression one of pride. The ending finishes with a few more strums of the guitar, and near the end, All For One's eyes glow a deep shade of red.*