Chapter Text
A shot from Ember Celica point blank sent the sword from Yang’s opponent scattering across the arena. Turns out having a gun didn’t help if it wasn’t in your hand. The sheer look of terror in the man’s eyes made Jaune feel a pang of sympathy for the guy before Yang utterly destroyed him in hand to hand. Once again, Jaune was reminded that he really should practice unarmed combat a little more. As terrifying as Ruby was with her scythe, Jaune had seen her try to fight without it first hand and it was the only time he had felt on par with anyone at the school since he had joined.
Glynda called the match a moment later, shortly after Yang had thrown the guy across the arena and into the wall and Yang flashed her team and his with peace signs before flipping her hair over her shoulder and walking back to drop off her gear into her locker.
Ruby was still cheering on her sister while Blake read her book, and Weiss had clapped politely for her teammate. Honestly, Jaune was just thankful that he didn’t have to fight Yang again. Combat class was already stressful, and embarrassing enough for him without being matched up against Yang, one of the strongest fighters in their year. He hadn’t been called yet, and there was only one more round for the day. Just maybe he wouldn’t have to go up there today. He could really use the break.
Glynda went down her list before deciding on the next pairing.
“Weiss Schnee.” Weiss stood up, curtsying slightly before moving off towards the lockers. He sat back, closing his eyes. Please don’t say Jaune. Please don’t say Jaune. Please don’t say J-
“Jaune Arc.” The room went dead silent. He hated how much it sounded like they were already mourning him, even if it felt appropriate. He knew better than to argue with her. He had tried that before, but it never got anywhere and her glare scared him as bad as his mom’s did.
“You got this, just do your best!” Pyrrha tried to encourage him while Nora patted his back and Ren nodded.
“There is no need to worry. Everything can be a lesson.” At least he was honest about his chances.
Jaune went off to the guy’s lockers and when he emerged, Weiss was already standing in the arena, rapier in hand and waiting while tapping her foot.
“Let’s get this over with.” She said with a sigh.
“H-hey Weiss. Let’s take this easy, yeah? We can go grab some dinner after and revie-“
“We’re ready.” Weiss called out, narrowing her eyes at him. Jaune wasn’t sure why, but he had a feeling she was more upset now. So much for drawing her on their friendship.
He took a stance, noticing how aside from their teams, most of the room had already started packing up their stuff. No one expected a good match it seemed.
“Ready, Begin!” Glynda announced.
Weiss shot forward in a quick thrust, and Jaune was only able to block it because he knew it was coming. She tended to start most of her fights the same way, and he actually tried to pay attention to how others fought. If only to survive a little longer whenever he was forced to lose to one of them.
The heiress was only thrown of for a brief moment before she spun around, slicing him along his back before a red glyph appeared. He barely had time to raise his shield before the fire dust exploded and send him backwards. He kept a tight grip on his sword, remembering what he had seen in the previous match. If he was going to lose, he was going to lose with his weapon in hand.
He scrambled to his feet, ready for another strike but Weiss was merely watching him with a disinterested look in her eyes. It hurt. More than the smug look Cardin would have when he kicked his ass. More than the sympathetic look Yang would have when they were matched up and she tried not to embarrass him too much. It was the impression she couldn’t care less despite him doing his best. The worst part of it all was he couldn’t even blame her.
Still, his wounded pride made him grit his teeth. “Come on, snow queen. That all you got?” Her eyes narrowed.
“Is he trying to die?” Yang asked, leaning back and wincing, knowing what was about happen would be brutal.
“She’s toying with him.” Was Blake’s simple observation.
“Kick her butt!” Ruby called out with a bright smile for she leaned back. “He’s dead.” Ruby said with a wince.
Weiss was smart. He knew she wouldn’t make the same mistake again. She took her stance, preparing to dash forward again but Jaune was ready. She dashed forward, stopping just short of him before she danced to the side and shot out with another piercing stab. Jaune was ready though and his shield slammed to the side, knocking her blow off course to her surprise at being read twice.
Unfortunately, Jaune was only good at planning and defending. He tried to swipe down at her but she graceful sidestepped it as he threw himself off balance. A glyph appeared below him again, but he jumped back as he dodged the suddenly growth of ice. He looked up again, but it was too late.
He was already surrounded on all sides by glyphs. Weiss began to dash between them too fast for he could keep up. Every time she jumped he would feel another chunk of his aura be pierced away. After the third one he tried to guess with a wild swing, only for his sword to hit the ground as ice erupted from a glyph and froze it in place.
“Jaune! Guard!” Pyrrha called out desperately. He gave up on trying to pull his sword free and raised his shield again.
He braced for another hit but it never came, instead his legs were frozen in place. He staggered, unable to move but his balanced completely throw off. Another sharp blow from above lowered his shield from the force, it being frozen as well. He was completely helpless now. He looked up towards Weiss who stood back, already on a glyph as she raised her rapier, glowing for a moment before she dashed forward. She stopped mere inches in front of him, the wind from the thrust blowing his hair back, the rapier just in front of his neck.
“I surrender.” Jaune said after a moment. The ice shattered and he dropped to his knees, fighting back the tears. She didn’t just beat him. She had completely humiliated him in the fight, forcing him to surrender himself instead of getting whittled down while helpless.
She walked off with only a scoff, as he stayed there.
“Winner, Weiss Schnee.” Glynda’s tone held a barely hidden undercurrent of disappointment and he could hardly blame her.
“Good fight Jaune!” Pyrrha called out.
“Nice try!” Ruby, bless her heart, tried to encourage him still. The bell for the class rang and Jaune forced himself to his feet. Head still hanging low, he trudged off to the lockers to store his stuff, not looking forward to the inevitable pep talk that would come from his teammates.
~~~
Glynda finished tidying up her notes on her scroll, making notes on every student’s progress and shortcoming to adjust future lessons and match-ups in order to better tailor everyone for the best chance of improvement. Last on her list was Jaune Arc and she frowned.
As a teacher, it was her job to ensure every student had a chance to grow, no matter how much they may struggle. But she couldn’t understand how he managed to get into the school. He was leagues behind everyone else in his class, and even if he showed potential as a strategist and had a good eye for tactics, he didn’t possess nearly enough skill to actually make use of any idea he had. As a team, she had to admit he was pretty effective at keeping them working well and bringing out more than the sum of their parts, but when alone she almost felt guilty matching him up with someone.
If she was honest, she was also a bit concerned with how it would be affecting him mentally. She had taught many students over the years, from the cocky to the meek. She knew how a loss streak could affect them mentally and how the wrong series of events could crush an otherwise promising student. Beyond the physical training, she also wanted every student who passed through her class to emerge healthier in every way.
Leaning back in her office chair she pulled up his transcripts again, looking over them. His scores had been unremarkable. Perfectly average, almost suspiciously so. She wouldn’t expect him to be a standout like Ms. Nikos or Ms. Xiao Long, but he should be better than he was. Had something happened? Was it something at Beacon that was the cause for the drastic drop in performance?
Frowning, she sipped her coffee, pondering what to do when a thought occurred to her. If she didn’t know how best to handle him, why not ask those who had done so before? Surely they would have some insight into his learning strengths.
Pulling up the number for the academy, she finally got in contact with a secretary.
“Hello, this is Ms. Goodwitch from Beacon Academy. I’m hoping to get in contact with the student adviser for a student who recently graduated from your academy.”
“Oh, of course! We’ll be happy to help. May I get the name of your student?”
“Jaune Arc. He should have graduated the previous year.”
“Of course, just a moment.” The woman said, putting her on hold.
Leaning back in her chair with a sigh, she pinched the bridge of her nose. So much work just for him. Ozpin and herself had larger concerns than individually vetting every student who applied, but she would have to have a conversation with the staff who accepted him over other candidates. Had they taken a bribe or something? Mentally she scolded herself. As a teacher her job was to support and encourage students, not judge them for their struggles.
Even if she put up a strict front with them to maintain their respect and keep the order in the school that Ozpin sorely lacked the interest in doing, she did care for her students.
“Excuse me, can I get the name again?” The secretary returned to the call.
Pausing, Glynda had a bad feeling. “Jaune Arc. A-R-C.”
“I see. We have no student on record of ever attending with that name.”
Glynda’s coffee nearly fell to the floor before she caught it with her semblance, lifting it back to the desk.
“Are you sure?”
“Quite. I checked multiple times. Is there anything else I can help you with?”
“No. No that’s it. Thank you for your time.” She ended the call, staring at the door for a moment. She quickly pulled up the transcript again, examining every piece of it. At first glance it seemed average, and that’s because it was. It’s the transcripts of a perfectly average student. For every higher grade, there was a lower grade as well. Nothing remarkable in the comments, basic courses. Nothing that would earn a second glance.
The question is, if this was fake, how? She had seen him since he got here. He wasn’t smartest, somewhat resourceful, but nothing like this. His frustration and disappointment in himself was too genuine to be some sort of act. Plus, if he truly was trying to hide something by sneaking in here, he could have managed a more neutral record as opposed to being the bottom of the class.
Standing up, she stormed over to Ozpin’s office.
~~
Jaune finished scribbling a little snowflake on the top corner of his page, glancing over at Weiss before looking back at Professor Port. He was still rambling on about his latest story, and even Pyrrha seemed to have given up on trying to take notes and was just staring at him with a glazed over expression.
The PA sounded and everyone looked up, confused. They didn’t often get interrupted during class.
“Jaune Arc, please report to Ms. Goodwitch’s office please. I repeat, Jaune Arc please report to Ms. Goodwitch’s office.”
Jaune’s heart sank. Was this it? Was his poor performance about to get him kicked out?
“Well it was bad knowing you, Jauney-boy. Have fun getting expelled!” Cardin said with a laugh, highfiving Dove.
Pyrrha’s look switched from a glare towards the bully to a sudden fearful look towards Jaune. Nora stood up as Ren held her to try and get her to sit down again.
“What is that for?” Pyrrha asked, voice quiet.
“I-I have no idea.” Jaune tried to put on a brave face, ignoring the confused looks from team RWBY as well. He quickly stowed his stuff.
“Best not to keep her waiting.” Peter said, motioning for him to leave before going back to his story.
The long march to Glynda’s office felt like a death march. There was no possible way this ended well for him. Maybe this was actually the end of his time at Beacon. If he was honest, he was surprised he had lasted as long as he had, all things considered.
He tried not to think of how disappointed Pyrrha would be. He knew she valued him as a friend. He tried not to imagine Nora’s sad look when she realized he wouldn’t be coming back to the dorm with them anymore, or Ren’s quiet resignation. Ruby would probably try and stay in contact with him for a bit before she got busy being an amazing huntress and he would only see her on the news. He would miss Yang’s jokes and endless positivity. Weiss… probably would be happier honestly. He didn’t talk to Blake much either, though they had chatted a little more since he had learned about her secret.
Before long he was standing in front of Glynda’s door and his heart was thumping in his chest. Still, he would hold his head high and face the consequences like an Arc. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door.
“Come in.” Glynda’s voice was cold.
He opened the door, to see her seated, her icy gaze fixed at him. “Have a seat.”
Jaune slowly nodded, moving over and sitting in the chair across from her.
“Do you know why you’re here?” Her voice was patient and emotionless.
“I- uh. Because I’m struggling in combat class?”
“No.” Her answer was short and clipped. She pulled up a monitor and the transcripts flashed on them and his eyes widened. They knew. They had found out.
“Please, Mr. Arc. Tell me why when I contacted your previous school, there was no record of you?”
Jaune opened his mouth to come up with something, but nothing came out. He never figured they would actually call the school. The records looked official, and he was assured admissions never looked that deeply into a student once they saw the qualifications.
“I… I mean. They...”
“Mr. Arc. I suggest you choose your next words carefully.”
He closed his mouth, every word that came to his mind feeling like it would only make things worse. His fists clenched on his legs.
“Mr. Arc. Are these your real transcripts?”
“… no.” Jaune admitted quietly. She knew full well they weren’t. Lying now would just make things even worse for him.
Glynda sighed and leaned back in her chair, taking off her glasses to pinch the bridge of her nose.
“I can’t believe it. In all my years of teaching, we’ve never had someone sneak in with fake transcripts like this.”
Jaune started to stand up. “I… I’ll go pack my things.”
Glynda waved her crop and the door to her office locked, a dresser sliding in front of it.
“Not yet, Mr. Arc. The question at hand now is why did you fake the transcripts. This is a criminal offense, and not one we take lightly. What is your goal?”
His eyes widened as she no longer appeared to him like a teacher, but a fully fledged huntswoman staring at a potential threat.
“To be a huntsman! That’s it!”
Her eyes narrowed and his heart was pounding in his chest. No longer was he worried about just failing, he was worried about ending up in jail or worse. He knew the risks but he never thought it would come to something like this.
“I am afraid I will need something more than that. Not everyone who wants to be a huntsman has the ability to fake transcripts well enough to fool our staff. Only people with a strong reason would even dare to attempt something like that.”
“I’m honest, that was the reason! I- I wanted to attend for ages, but I was never able to attend a combat school when younger due to being sick. I improved my health, but by then I was late getting started and my family was worried about a relapse. But I’m fine! I have been for years.”
Glynda was still staring at him with the same, cold and calculating look.
“So you decide to skip basic school and attend Beacon. Putting aside how completely idiotic that is for a moment…” Jaune flinched at her harsh tone, however deserved it was. “How did you manage this? No offense Mr. Arc, but you don’t strike me as some criminal mastermind.”
Jaune squirmed in his seat. This was… dangerous territory for him. Many threats played in his memory.
“I…”
“Mr. Arc, I must impress on you again the severity of your situation. This is a serious offense, and we have the right to punish you severely for this. Whoever you may be hiding will be less of a threat, I can assure you.”
Jaune stared for a few more moments. “I… I got help.”
Glynda nodded, motioning for him to continue.
“I don’t know from who. Really. There was always a middleman. I heard about a man who could provide any service for the right fee. I was told how to get in contact with him, and every time we talked a different middleman would appear. They never spoke, but would accept the money or hand me a contract. That’s the truth. But they provided the fakes.”
Glynda stared at him for a few moments before sighing again.
“Unfortunately, your story adds up. There are a few known criminals with similar M.O.’s and it could be any one of them. At least that settles the how. You claim the why is to be a huntsman.”
“Yes.” Jaune said, figuring there was no point in hiding anything anymore. It was all out on the table.
“Did you not think about how dangerous this would be? How easily you could have died? It’s a miracle you survived initiation.” Her words were even harsher this time, but he could hear the underlying concern for his safety. He had no real rebuttal.
“I didn’t know we would be launched into the forest from a cliff… I figured it would be more normal like the other schools I attended and I would just… try and catch up.”
“I- I can’t believe this.”
Glynda looked like she wanted to bang her head on the table.
“You do realize, I’m supposed to report you to the authorities now and have you locked away right? Forget returning home, your future will be ruined by this.”
“Please- no. I… My family. My sisters. I don’t want this on their shoulders. I was supposed to live up to the Arc family name, not ruin it!”
“Then you should have thought about that before you consulted with a criminal to cheat your way into a school that could have gotten yourself killed in!” She snapped at him in return, standing up with her hands on the desk.
They stared at each other for a moment before Glynda leaned back onto her chair with a long suffering sigh.
“What am I supposed to do here, hm?” She asked him, though he knew she wasn’t actually looking for suggestions.
“Do the others know?”
That seemed to be the wrong question as she seemed to get worked up all over again.
“Just Ozpin. Who in fact, seemed to be fully aware from the start but didn’t deign it important enough to inform me of!” She snapped again, though he could tell this time her frustration was directed towards someone who was probably feeling a chill down their spine at the moment. Then her words dawned on him.
“Wait, he knew?!”
“So it would seem. I brought it to him and he just sipped his coffee and nodded.”
Jaune fell back against the chair. His charade had failed from the start. But Ozpin had still let him attend?
“Wh-what did he say you should do?”
Another sigh from the truly tortured teacher. “He said he would leave it up to me, but added that he expected ‘I would reach the same conclusion he did’. To quote him.” She sounded annoyed just saying the words.
Jaune stayed quiet, just trying to process everything he had heard. All his fears of being found out were pointless from the start. Glynda was then quiet for a few more moments.
“You really went through such lengths just to be a huntsman because of your name?”
Jaune nodded. “My family… for generations have been huntsmen and huntresses. They’ve saved people for ages, and I was raised hearing stories of their greatness. All I’ve wanted to do was live up to their legacy and continue it, helping people and making the world a better place like they did. I want to make them proud, whatever it would take. Growing up sick made it feel like a dream, but once I recovered it felt attainable, but I still wasn’t given the chance. So I made one. “
Glynda stared at him for a couple more minutes in silence. She was wrestling with something internally.
“Stupid hero complexes.” She muttered quietly to herself.
“Am I going to jail?” He asked once the silence was killing him.
“No, Mr. Arc. Against my better judgment you are not.”
“Then what will be happening?” He was almost too scared to ask.
“You have officially been granted the title of teacher’s assistant. Congratulations.” She added dryly.
His eyes widened. “What?”
“It means, I am giving you one more chance. From now on, you are my assistant. You will be aiding with grading and preparation for my classes, as well as assisting the other teachers upon need. You will also be taking remedial classes in addition to that in order to catch up on the the serious void of education you currently have.”
“I- I what?” Jaune said, still dumbfounded. “So I will still be attending Beacon?”
“Yes, Mr. Arc. You will still be improving your grades as usual, as well as using this chance to make up for the work you have skipped. That includes combat as well, though I suggest you also reach out to your classmates for assistance in that regard, though Port may be open to extra lessons as well. “
Jaune blanched at the idea of one on one lessons with Port, however skilled of huntsman he may be.
“That seems like a lot.”
Glynda’s grin turned evil. “I expect it will be quite a lot. But it will be a fitting punishment. Think of it as community service for your crimes, instead of expulsion.” Glynda added, clearly enjoying how much he was squirming.
“I… thank you. This is… kind.” It sounded like he was about to go through hell, but this was better than any alternative. He could tell despite the harsh conditions he was about to endure, this was clearly a mercy from Glynda.
Glynda nodded, her expression softening a bit. “I can’t say that I hate your ideals, or your desire to do good. That is what we look for in huntsman. Though we also usually look for honesty.”
Jaune flinched at the well deserved jab.
“So I will expect it from you from now on. No more illegal actions Jaune. In addition to that, you will begin to show a steady improvement in all of your classes, as well as quality work in your assistant role. In the accomplishment of these tasks, you will be allowed to continue on as a student here. Should you fail to meet these new standards, I will have no choice but to report your actions to the proper authorities. Consider this as probation.”
Jaune just collapsed in the chair, nodding. “I… thank you. I promise, Ms. Goodwitch, I won’t let you down. I’ll figure this out. Somehow.”
She nodded, flicking her crop and unbarring the door. “See to it. You should be getting to your next class soon, I am sorry to pull you from your previous class, but I admittedly did not expect to be returning your to them.”
A chill went down Jaune’s spine at how close he had just come to being expelled and probably arrested.
“If I might offer a suggestion though, Mr. Arc.”
Jaune froze halfway to the door and turned around.
“Do not attempt to handle this all on your own. One of the most important lessons we teach here at Beacon is that no one stands alone for long. You have some wonderful, and talented friends. I suggest you keep that in mind and make use of what they may offer. But let’s stick to the ones on the right side of the law, shall we?” With that the door swung open and Jaune nodded.
“Of course, Ms. Goodwitch.”
She waved her hand to dismiss him. “I will see you at 4 today for grading. Don’t be late.”
Jaune blanched. So much for any free time from now on.
“Ms. Goodwitch, please reconsider!” Ruby burst into the room. Pyrrha was hot on her tail. “Please, professor, give Jaune another chance!”
The rest of RWBY and JNPR were hanging outside the door, ready to burst in as well, aside from Weiss from what he could see.
“Excuse me?” Glynda asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Please don’t kick out Jaune, he’s just having a bad week!” Ruby said, shifting foot to foot.
“I believe he is coming along quite well, professor, and we recently planned to increase studying sessions as well.” Pyrrha added in.
Jaune stared at them, jaw dropped. They had come to plead his case for him? He bit his lip to keep back the tears that were threatening to spill out.
He looked to Glynda who was giving him a gentle, if not smug smile as her point was proven. As if telling him he was surrounded by the best people he could hope to be, and to not let them down.
“It seems there was a misunderstanding. Perhaps due to my poor timing for this meeting.” Glynda said standing up.
“Your leader merely has agreed to act as a teacher’s assistant to myself as well as attend some remedial classes for extra credit to help him catch up in some classes. Nothing else to be worried about. Now all of you get to your next class, I don’t want to hear that any of your were tardy.” Her voice was strict and Ruby saluted out of instinct.
“Yes ma’am!” She grabbed Jaune’s arm and pulled him out of the room in a flurry of petals.
~~~
Glynda closed the door with her semblance, laying her head back and letting out a sigh. She took another sip of her now cooling coffee, wondering if she had gotten softer as she got older.
She had been fully prepared to kick him out when he entered her office, though she hadn’t planned on actually reporting him assuming her judge of his character hadn’t been wrong. She merely didn’t want him killed for his stupid mistake, but she didn’t want to ruin his life.
But when he spoke, that look in his eyes when he spoke about his family’s name. The determination she saw, and the eagerness to help others. She could tell it was genuine, she had seen enough huntsmen during her years to tell when a huntsmen was telling the truth.
Plus, he had the same damn eyes as that certain man from when she was a student.
A certain blond haired boy who would go around bragging about he was going to be the best in all of Beacon and lead the fight against the grimm. She couldn’t stand him at the time, nor could she stand the fact he really was one of those at the top of his class and was always the the first to help someone out. His boisterous laugh was almost as annoying as how warm his smile was.
Maybe she was getting soft.
Looking over at the clock she sighed. Another 5 hours before she could give herself a stiff drink. Stupid school rules. She went back to work, coming up with a list of chores she could shove off onto Arc later on.