CHAPTER THREE: POWER PROBLEMS

Greg shuffled nervously through the clearing in the woods behind Winslow High, his sneakers scuffing the ground as he glanced over his shoulder for the hundredth time. The quiet rustle of leaves wasn't comforting. If anything, it made him even more paranoid. However, once he was sure no one had followed him, he exhaled shakily.

"Alright," he muttered, mostly to himself. "Let's figure out what the hell I can do."

"You mean 'let's wing it,' right?" Yang quipped.

"I'm trying to figure it out," Greg said through gritted teeth. "Big difference."

"Don't stress it, Greg! You're doing great!" Ruby chirped with unrelenting optimism. "Let's start with the basics! Can you summon Crescent Rose? Or maybe a glyph? Oh, oh! What about fire dust? Or wait, what if you could use all our powers at once? That would be so cool!"

Weiss sighed, and Greg could almost imagine her pinching the bridge of her nose. "Ruby, focus. Testing powers requires a structured, logical approach, not… not a scatterbrained one."

"She's right," Blake added calmly. "We need to be methodical. Start small and work your way up."

"Or," Yang interjected, obviously grinning, "we throw him in the deep end. Nothing like a little life-or-death situation to unlock your hidden potential!"

Greg groaned, rubbing his temples. "I don't think I'm cut out for this. I'm just a guy! A normal guy… well, I was until yesterday. Now I've got voices in my head and superpowers I can't control."

"You're not normal anymore," Weiss said bluntly. "Stop whining and start acting like it. If you keep dragging your feet, you'll accomplish nothing."

"Gee, thanks," Greg muttered, rolling his eyes. "Really motivational, Weiss."

"Come on, Greg, don't listen to her!" Ruby encouraged, her enthusiasm undimmed. "Let's try something simple. Close your eyes and imagine holding Crescent Rose. Maybe it'll just appear!"

Greg sighed, his shoulders slumping.

"Fine," he said, closing his eyes. "Here goes nothing."

He closed his eyes and focused, trying to picture the sleek scythe Ruby had described with such reverence. At first, nothing happened. Then, to his surprise, a faint, strange warmth spread across his palm. When he opened his eyes, a glowing, translucent version of Crescent Rose had materialised in his hand.

"Yes! It worked!" Ruby shouted, practically bouncing with excitement. "You did it, Greg!"

Greg barely had a second to bask in her praise before the scythe flickered and fizzled out, dissolving into harmless motes of light.

"That… wasn't bad for a first attempt," Blake reassured.

"It was sloppy," Weiss countered. "His form was terrible, and the construct lacked stability. He'll need far more practice."

Greg threw his hands up. "This is hopeless. I don't even know what I'm supposed to do with all of this!"

"Sounds like you need a crash course in badassery," Yang said with a smirk. "How about some hand-to-hand combat? You don't have to win, but at least you'll look cool trying."

"Yeah, no thanks," Greg replied flatly. "I think I'll pass on the looking cool part."

"Suit yourself." The shrug was evident in Yang's words. "Your loss."

"What about Weiss's glyphs?" Blake interjected, her tone thoughtful. "They're versatile and defensive. You might have better luck focusing on something less…." She trailed off, her point made.

Greg sighed. "Alright, let's try glyphs."

Ruby chimed in immediately. "Oh! Try making one big enough to launch you into the air like Weiss does!"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Weiss snapped. "He can barely make a glyph, let alone one capable of propulsion."

Ignoring the bickering, Greg stretched out his hand, focusing on the faint sensation he'd felt earlier. A small, flickering glyph appeared in the air, shimmering faintly.

"Not bad," Weiss admitted, grudgingly impressed. "Now maintain it."

The glyph wavered and flared briefly before collapsing in a burst of energy. The recoil knocked Greg onto his back with an audible oof.

"Well, that could've gone worse," Yang said, laughing.

Greg groaned, staring up at the sky. "This is impossible. You guys make it look so easy."

"That's because we've trained for years," Blake said. "You've been at this for, what, two hours?"

Before Greg could respond, a voice called out from the edge of the clearing.

"Yo, kid! You trying to start somethin' on our turf?"

Greg scrambled to his feet, his heart leaping into his throat. A group of rough-looking men in tattered jackets emerged from the treeline. Their sneers were only slightly less intimidating than the crowbars and baseball bats they carried.

"Uh… hi?" Greg managed weakly.

"Don't 'hi' us, punk," the leader growled. "We saw the light show. You think you can just come in here and play superhero? This is Merchants' territory."

"Merchants?" Ruby whispered. "They don't look like merchants. Where's their shop?"

"They're a gang, Ruby," Blake explained in a hushed tone.

"Oh. That makes more sense."

Greg's palms began to sweat. "Look, this is a misunderstanding. I'm not trying to start anything!"

"Too late for that," the leader said, cracking his knuckles. "Let's see how tough you really are, cape."

"Uh, guys?" Greg said, his voice rising in panic.

"Don't worry!" Ruby said brightly. "You've got this!"

"I don't got this!" Greg hissed.

"Think fast!" Yang said. "They're about to charge!"

And charge they did.

"Alright, Greg," Weiss said, her voice sharp and commanding. "You're about to get your first real combat test. Don't screw it up."

Greg groaned, bracing himself. "This is gonna suck."