Chapter 35: A Battle for Power

Scarlet, Neo and Emerald had infiltrated Amity Tower. Vest, SODA, Penny and Krystal were buying Pietro time to get the connection set for Ruby to send out the signal. However, Scarlet had changed.

"Now then...where were we?" Scarlet asked with a sinister grin on her face.

Vest gulped. "She's a monster." She clinched her fist as her hands were shaking. "We need to stop her."

"Read you loud and clear." Krystal said. "Pepper, you and you team try to keep Neo and Emerald away from Maria and Pietro."

"Understood Krystal! Let's do it to!" Pepper smirked. He and his teammates dashed over in between Maria and Pietro and Neo and Emerald.

"Tch, get in our way." Emerald said.

Neo smirked a little as she jumps back. Penny glanced at Scarlet, she was trying to calculate when and where she was going to attack. The readings were going off the scale however, Scarlet flew towards Penny and grabbed her with her Nevermore claw.

"You're just pigs in human clothing. And I'm the alpha predator, the wolf in sheep's clothing." Scarlet said as she tossed Penny down.

"How about you? You two walk away and take a hike! And drop dead!" Sprite threatened as she twirled her bust sword.

"Not this time Ice cream!" Pepper shot a bottle filled with fire dust then pulled the trigger as soon as it got close to Neo.

"Penny!" Vest shouts as she ran over to catch her. "Are you hurt?" She glared up at Scarlet with anger in her eyes. "You'll pay!"

Emerald smirked as she uses her semblance to make it seem like Black Rose was getting Bigger. Scarlet laughed as she flies down and swings Black Rose at Vest. "Suffer!"

Neo took her sword out of her umbrella as she deflected the bottle away from her.

Vest caught the Black Rose as she swings Scarlet down to the floor. "What happened to those Maiden powers of yours you stole? Aren't you going to use them?"

Fanta ran over at Emerald shotgun blasting her. "Not on our watch!"

"Hmm, that little miss ice cream likes to not get hit huh?" Pepper tilted his head at Aquafina.

"Right, let's do it dude!" Aquafina shot out water all around Neo then Pepper followed up with many shots of ice dust freezing the water and Neo herself.

Emerald got hit as she stumbled back. "Damn it."

Scarlet grins widely as her eyes glowed. "You mean these powers?" She flew towards Vest as she blasted her in the chest with a flaming ball sending her back. "Ara ara, now were is Winter?"

Penny flew over Scarlet as she came flying down. "Right here!"

Vest crashed into the ice that had surrounded Neo as it started to break. "Gahh...she's strong."

Krystal backed up Penny as she started to fire at Scarlet. "Don't hold it against me, I just want the bounty."

"Vest be careful! We just put the ice cream in the freezer, no time for a party!" Pepper ran over to Vest helping her up.

Aquafina ran over to help as well. "Yeah for real!"

Sprite used her semblance to ride her sword smacking Emerald as she stumbled with the handle. She then spun the sword around hitting Emerald with it.

Penny kicked Scarlet as she used her Maiden powers to try and freeze her legs in place. Scarlet snickered as she fired dust bullets at Penny from Black Rose.

"You little." Emerald said grabbing Sprite and headbutts her.

Vest got up. "Cover me, I need to try and trap her."

"Righto! We will cover ya! Just tell us what you need us to do." Pepper nodded.

Sprite stumbled back a little but shook it off. "Coming from the street rat!" she then swung her sword at Emerald.

~~~

Scarlet grabbed Krystal by the throat and slammed her down, before taking flight into the air. She glanced down at Krystal as she kneed her in the gut several times before dropping her. "Pathetic, and you call yourself a bounty hunter." She laughed as she flew down and went towards Vest.

"She's coming." Vest said as her eyes glowed.

"Aquafina!" Pepper stood in a fighting stance guard up.

"Right!" Aqaufina readied his staff.

Scarlet snickered as she blasted the two with her Maiden powers. "Get out of my sight!"

Krystal slowly stood up as she spits blood. She grits her teeth as she had both double barrel shotguns aimed at Scarlet. "So how do you measure a thing's worth? Nostalgia and memories don't mean shit. Value is determined by a universally accepted unit. Money. Any other measures of value ain't nothing more than sentimental bullshit." She started to fire the dust bullets at Scarlet.

Pepper absorbed both of the blasts then fired back with a laser. "Ladies first!"

Aquafina shot out water dust at Scarlet.

Scarlet laughed as she grabs them with her Nevermore claws, bashing their heads against the ice cracking it more. "What was that? A handicap?"

Aquafina and Pepper screamed as the hit the ice.

"I said ladies first!" Pepper shot out a laser slicing off her Nevermore claws.

Fanta slammed with a bone made of aura into Scarlet knocking her away with the Help of Aquafina quickly switching to wind dust blowing away Scarlet.

Scarlet scoffs, but grins as Neo grabbed Aquafina. Vest was focusing on Scarlet as she was thinking of a way to trap her, she knew she didn't have much time to waste. Or else they'd be dead.

"Out of the way." Maria said running over. "I may be old, but I can still kick butt." She swung her cane at Neo hitting her.

Aquafina elbowed Neo to help out Maria, to get away.

"Thanks for the assist, kick her behind old timer!" Pepper encouraged Maria.

"Be careful!" Fanta warned her.

Scarlet's Nevermore claws grew back as she flew towards Krystal headbutting her knocking her back. "My turn cupcake." She grabbed Krystal by the hair and slammed her down on the floor before tossing her at Maria.

"I've got it." Vest said as she smirks. "Now if I can just get it right." She held her arms in front of her locking onto Scarlet.

Pepper flew in front of Maria catching Krystal quickly. He then quick landed placing down Krystal on her feet. "Don't go getting soft on me Krystal."

"Everyone get out of the way!" Vest barked loudly.

"You heard the woman!" Sprite and others got out of the way.

Pepper quickly grabbed Krystal and Maria and flew out of the way.

~~~

Vest fired a massive wall of flames at Scarlet as the maiden waited for it to make impact. "You're no god, you're just a pawn."

The flame wall hit Scarlet as Vest soon closed it around Scarlet, sealing her inside the wall of flames.

"Did we win?" Penny asked.

"I think so? We better be EXTRA careful, we have her little pawns to deal with." Pepper answered.

Scarlet laughs insanely as she flew out of the flames. "The weak are destined to lie beneath the boots of the strong. If that angers you, overcome your deficits... Was that really all you had? Such a shame I overestimated you." She quickly dashes towards Vest as she grabs her by the face throwing her into the air, and flew upward stabbing her in the eye with her fingernail.

Vest screams as she felt Scarlet stab her in the eye, she was free falling now. Her vision was getting blurry.

"Vest!" Krystal shouted.

Pepper gasped" VEST!" he then flew off after Vest quickly.

Scarlet had a smug look on her face as she puts Vest's eye she had taken and stabbed out of her head and pops it into her mouth and swallows. "Oops, did I go too far?" She started to laugh as she glared at them all. "Emerald, Neo. We're leaving, I'm going to blow this tower sky high."

"No! We need to do something!" Sprite yelled.

Pepper caught Vest from falling and landed back on the tower. "I got you Vest, not on my watch you ain't falling."

Emerald and Neo got into the airship and was ready to take off, Penny had flew out of the Amity Tower to boost the tower up. But Watts was hacking into her, which was giving the three time to flee. Scarlet snickered as she licked her lips. "Until we meet again."

Krystal scoffed as she used her semblance on a dust bullet and created a crystalized bullet and fired it at Scarlet. "You won't live long to see the day light."

"What the heck is that bullet?!" Pepper asked.

"Crap! Can't let her get away!" Sprite said.

Scarlet and the other two had gotten away, Krystal smirked as she turned her double barrel shotguns back into katana's. "That bullet was crystallized from my semblance, it'll be like a virus. When my semblance comes into contact with anyone or anything. They turn into a crystalized version."

"Meaning?" Pietro asked looking at her.

"Meaning it will slowly spread in Scarlet's body. Soon engulfing her body slowly and turn her into a crystal statue." Krystal said. "She won't be able to escape her fate."

"Heck yeah! But they will still have Scarlet in their party though, count our blessings I suppose." Pepper commented.

Penny had boosted enough to get Amity into the air as she started to slow down. "I'm sorry, something's going on with me, I...I need to."

"Penny?" Pietro asked. "Penny!"

Penny let go as she started to fall from the bottom of Amity Tower and down into the atmosphere. Ruby's signal eventually went through about the warning of Salem and her lackeys, but at several risk in the process. Watts had hijacked Penny's systems as he snickered, his job was done for now. Ironwood had made a huge mistake in trusting Watts.

A/N: [I can't take credit for Pepper and his team or for Vest. Credit goes to my friends on Discord.]