Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

- Hah, the X-ray and Vav edition is simply brilliant! - Said a small blond boy, wearing blue denim shorts, black All Stars and a black T-shirt with a rabbit symbol. He was riding a Bull Head along with a girl with glasses and long hair who was wearing an orange dress and a tall blond man with short hair, wearing black knight armor with a large sword on his back.

- You really love these comics, don't you, Jaune? - Asked the girl, leaning over to read with the boy.

- Of course I love Saphron! There's nothing cooler in this world than heroes! One day I'm going to be a great hero that people will love and be inspired by me! - Said the boy named Jaune, punching the air with determination, giving his sister a bright smile.

- You're going to need to train for this, kid. When you manage to unlock your aura like your sister, I'll be able to train you personally. - Said the man, smiling at the little boy.

- And then I'll be as strong as you, daddy?! – Jaune asks with dreamy eyes looking at his father.

- Of course Jaune, the Arc family is known for being a lineage of heroes! You have it in your blood. – Says the boy's father, ruffling his hair.

- Dad, where are we going?

- It's just an escort mission, there's a White Fang protest about the rights of the faunus and I'm one of the hunters hired to provide security, so that the protest doesn't get out of control. – Says Jaune's father, some faunus in that Bull head looked at the man.

- Protesting for rights? What do you mean? – Asks Jaune confused.

- Well, let's just say that even today many fauns suffer discrimination and don't live with dignity or equality, some companies even enslave them. – Says Jaune's father, making the boy frown.

- THAT'S NOT COOL! Why does this happen? Faunus are really cool! I wish I had ears or a tail from some animal. - Jaune says, his innocent but noble behavior draws a few smiles from the Faunus who were there, realizing that perhaps the next generation will be better than the current one.

Arriving in the city of Vale, Jaune, along with his sister and father, got off alongside the rest of the crew, heading towards where the protest would take place in front of Vale's city hall.

- Ok, I'll leave Jaune with you, Saphron. You two play here in this playground while I'm at work. If anything happens, call me and I'll be here in the blink of an eye using my semblance. - Says the father of the two brothers, leaving the two children in that playground.

- Don't worry, dad! I always take care of Jaune, so you don't have to worry about that! - Saphron says, the man nods positively, trusting his daughter.

- Ok, I'll be here in a little while. - Jaune's father says, suddenly he enters a shadow as if it were water, disappearing from there. Sephron and Jaune played together for an hour, playing superheroes like Jaune always liked to play.

- Jaune, I have to go to the bathroom, okay? Stay here. - Saphron said, getting up from the sandbox.

- Okay, sister! - Jaune said, waving to his sister and continuing to pretend to fight a villain. However, he noticed in the background a little girl running with a large sign in her hands. She was wearing a black skirt and boots, as well as a white shirt. She was a faunus girl because of the cat ears on her head, but what interested Jaune the most was the worried expression on her face.

- My father says that faunus are not treated well... so I'm going to be her friend! - Jaune said, running towards the girl, trying to catch up with her.

- Damn, I'm going to be late! - The cat girl thought, stopping running for a moment because she was tired. She then felt someone touching her shoulder and quickly reacted by hitting that person in the face with the sign.

- OUCH! - Jaune screams, falling to the ground, the cat girl seems to become less tense seeing that he is a child like her.

- Why did you touch my shoulder? I could have hurt you. - Says the faunus girl.

- Sorry, you hit really hard! I just wanted to get your attention. - Says Jaune, standing up, with his hand on his cheek.

- Why?

- Ahm? Well, we could be friends! Like... your expression is really worried and I think that well, you know, we could be friends? You can play superhero with me. - Says Jaune, a little awkwardly scratching the back of his head. The faunus girl stares at him with her golden eyes, she was clearly suspicious of him.

- Now I can't, I have to go to the protest.

- Ah... well, we can go together!

- Really? A human at a protest for faunus rights? - Asks the girl, clearly with slight doubt about the boy.

- Well... I don't know much about things, I grew up on a farm in a village a little far from Vale, but if people are being mean to the fauns I don't want to let it continue like this! - The boy says with innocent determination, the faunus girl was a little surprised by the younger boy's behavior, she was going to say something but was interrupted by the sound of chains.

- Well, well, if it isn't the princess of Menagerie! - A man says, it was a group of seven adult men, who stared at the child in front of them with a smile, the girl tries to run away but they had surrounded her with a wall.

- G-get away from me! If you know who I am, you know my parents are very powerful! - The faunus girl says trying to show strength, but she was clearly scared.

- Yes, we do know, and we know how important you are to them and to White Fang. - The man says, hitting the ground with his stick, as a way of threatening the girl who flinched at the blow.

- Imagine what will happen if you disappear? Die? Or maybe do something better with you fufufuf. - Said the other man with a sick smile, the faunus girl leaned closer to the wall feeling the imminent danger, she then grabbed her sign that said “equal rights” as a weapon to defend herself.

- Back off! I'm going to attack!

- How cute~ but it's always better when you resist, disgusting and disgusting animals! - Said a man approaching but then someone stepped in front of the girl with open arms, it was Jaune, using his body as a shield for the girl.

- HOW CAN YOU TREAT A CHILD THIS WAY?! - Jaune shouted.

- WHAT?! Get out of here, kid, we don't want to hurt a human but to end these animals that take our jobs! They eat our food and share the same air! - Shouted the one who seemed to be the leader of this gang.

- THEY'RE NOT ANIMALS! AND THEY HAVE THE RIGHT TO LIVE JUST LIKE YOU AND ME! THEY HAVE FEELINGS AND THEY HAVE A LIFE! IF THEY WANT TO ATTACK HER THEY WILL HAVE TO GO THROUGH ME! - Jaune screams, he was shaking with fear but his eyes didn't waver in staring at the adult.

- Heh with pleasure then. - The man kicks Jaune in his stomach, making him gasp for air and fall to his knees on the ground, he then grabs Jaune's face by the hair and punches him in the middle, making Jaune fall backwards.

- Uhg... I'M NOT GOING TO FALL WITH JUST THIS! - The blond screams, advancing towards the man, but the other one who was armed with the chain attacks Jaune, hitting the chain and his face, knocking him down again, but even so, Jaune gets up and runs towards them again only to be hit, repeating this cycle again, again and again.

- STOP IT! YOU'RE GOING TO KILL HIM! – Screams the faunus girl, running to Jaune who was lying on the ground, his face completely bloody with several cuts and bruises from the blows.

- It's even better that he dies! That's what happens to humans who think they can help the fauns! - Said the man, about to attack the girl, but Jaune got up again, putting himself in front of the attack and falling backwards, but luckily the girl managed to hold him.

- Arf... it's okay... it's okay... I won't let... I won't let them hurt you. - The blond boy was staggering, he almost fell to the ground again but stayed standing.

- If it's to... protect someone, I won't fall! Never! - Jaune raised his head, even though he was injured, even though he was crying because of the pain and fear, he raised his head and gave the best smile he could, he read in the comics that heroes smiled to calm people down and he wanted to calm that girl down.

- You'll see now, kid! - A man shouts, pulling out his staff, but he then falls to the ground unconscious. The others had been defeated one by one by a strong presence. It was a woman wearing a white cape and had red hair. She was easily defeating them one by one with one blow and she wasn't even using a weapon.

- Heh... I did it. - Jaune says, falling to the ground, losing consciousness. He only remembers that woman running to him in concern and the faunus girl screaming in concern.

...

- Ugh... my head hurts like hell. - Jaune says. He starts to open his eyes and sees that he was in a room, but not in his own room. He was in a hospital room. He starts to remember everything little by little and understands why he was here.

- You woke up then. - Says a voice familiar to Jaune, the boy's father sitting next to him.

- d-dad?!

- Son... you did the most idiotic, reckless thing possible today! You could have died! How do you think me, your mother and your sisters would feel if you died?! You made me worried! - Jaune's father shouts, the blond boy lowers his head knowing he made a mistake, he hated leaving his father like this.

- However... you did the right thing.

- What?

- As much as I hate that you put yourself in danger, you did the right thing, if it weren't for you that girl would have died, or something worse could have happened to her, you were a hero today son and I'm proud of you. - Jaune's father says, placing a hand on his son's shoulder.

- Heh... I'm going to be like you dad, one day I'll be... just like that woman in the white cape.

...

- I don't believe it! That's why I say you shouldn't go to the protests! - Says a strong and tall man with black hair and beard, he was in a hotel room with another woman with short black hair, a cat-like fauna woman like the little girl who was sitting on the bed.

- Honey, it's important for our people to have the right to fight for our rights, just... next time come with us Blake, and don't come hiding. - Says the girl's mother, kneeling down to be at the height of the girl named Blake.

- Okay mom... dad, I'm sorry about that, just... I just wanted to be like you guys. - Says the child.

- Look Blake, it's okay, just don't do it hiding anymore, okay? We also need to thank the human boy who saved you, do you know who he is? - Asks Blake's father.

- Yes! Who would have thought that a human child would be so noble and heroic, much more than most adults. - Says the mother with a smile.

- I don't know his name, but he wanted to be my friend... I hope I can see him again one day. - Says Blake, still sad for not knowing who the boy is, and probably for never being able to see his hero again and have the chance to thank him for saving his life.

Chapter Text

- Mr. Ozpin, these two scriptures are fake. - Says a blonde woman with glasses and an incredibly sexy body entering the office of a white-haired man, young in appearance but who emanated a knowing presence.

- Let me take a look at both of them. - Says Ozpin taking one of the scriptures, one of them being from Blake Belladonna, he gives a slight smile seeing this and leaves her scripture aside, but the other scripture caught his attention.

- Uhm interesting, why would an Arc have to forge his own scriptures to enter Beacon? - Says Ozpin.

- Maybe he wasn't trained to be a hunter, the fact is that we can't let these things go. - Says the woman, but she notices Ozpin's gaze.

- I'm going to go for a walk, Glynda. - Says Ozpin getting up, grabbing his cane, leaving the room.

- Ugh... he always does that. - Says the woman with a sigh, looking tired. 

...

- Damn... will this work? I hope so... - Says a tall blond boy with blue eyes, he was wearing jeans with Allstar-style sneakers and a sweatshirt with a rabbit symbol, he was walking with a backpack on his back looking thoughtful, this was Jaune Arc, already 17 years old.

- I'm starting to regret... forging this thing to get into Beacon? If they find out I could be in trouble! - Says Jaune sitting on a bench, he stares at the blue sky thoughtfully.

- I still haven't unlocked my aura... if my father... if my father had trained me I might feel better even without aura... - Says Jaune looking at his hands, with memories running through his mind.

"YOU'RE GOING TO DIE! AN ARC WHO CAN'T UNLOCK HIS AURA IS NOT MADE TO BE A WARRIOR"!

Jaune shakes his head, slaps himself in the face and stands up.

- No! I've already come this far, I ran away from home, I did the scriptures... I-I'm not going back without trying! Even without aura, I've trained my physique and my sword fighting for the past few years... I should be able to do something, right? - Jaune says, he looks at the sword on his waist.

- I even stole our family's treasure... I can't go back on this, I'm going to become a hero. - Jaune says to himself.

- But first I need to buy some armor! Since I don't have aura to protect me, armor will be essential! - The blond says, jumping up, walking through the streets of Vale to try to find a store with armor at an acceptable price, until he starts to hear a commotion on the street, curious he goes there to see what was happening.

- But what is this?! – Jaune said, running to the front of the crowd. Everyone was staring at what appeared to be a child on top of the building. Standing on the edge, the child had a distressed expression. Her clothes showed that she was probably in a precarious situation.

- DON'T DO IT, KID!

- DON'T JUMP! HELP IS COMING!

- What's going on?! – Jaune asked a man next to him. He had long black hair tied in a ponytail and a purple streak. His eyes were purple and he wore green clothes with white pants similar to a Chinese martial artist's outfit.

- That child has been threatening to jump off that building for a few minutes now! We've been trying to convince her not to do it. – Said the boy in Jaune's age.

- BUT WHY WOULD A CHILD DO THAT?! HE'S GOING TO DIE! – Jaune asked, confused. 

- Many people, even children, go through terrible situations... by the looks of her, she probably thinks that killing herself is better than continuing to live like this. - Says the man.

- AAAAAAAAH NOBODY COMES SOON?! We need to do something, Ren! - Says a red-haired girl with short hair and blue, almost green eyes.

- I don't think so- - Ren would answer the girl, but he notices the blond running towards the building, practically breaking down the front door with a kick, scaring the people at the reception.

- WHERE ARE THE STAIRCASES?! - Jaune shouts, the woman at the reception points scaredly to the hallway that Jaune quickly follows, finding the door to the stairs and climbing them at a surprisingly high speed for someone who doesn't have his aura unlocked.

- Come on! Come on Jaune! You need to be faster! Faster!

Jaune manages to reach the top floor, completely ignoring the tiredness in his legs, he kicks the door hard, scaring the boy who was at the end of the building.

- D-DON'T COME CLOSE! WHO ARE YOU?! - The scared child shouts.

- Calm down! I'm not the enemy, I-I just want to help you. - Jaune says approaching.

- DON'T COME CLOSE OR I'LL JUMP! – The child says threateningly, with his foot out of the building.

- OK! OK! I-I'm not going to get any closer than this, okay?! I'm going to stay at this distance. – Jaune says, standing a good four meters away from the child, also standing at the edge of the building.

- What is he doing? – Nora asks curiously.

- This blond... is he really going to do this? If he does something wrong, the child could... - Ren was thoughtful and impressed that Jaune had reached the ceiling in such a short time.

- What happened? Why are you trying to do this? You know that if you fall from there, you'll die, right? I tell you that when I fell off the swing as a child, my head hurt a lot! Falling from the fifteenth floor must be horrible. – Jaune says, trying to give the child a friendly smile, but, in truth, he was terrified of the situation, he had a life in his hands now, he had a huge responsibility at the moment, but he won't back down, even if he's scared.

- IT'S BETTER TO DIE! My life... my life is garbage! I can't stand being beaten by my mother and father anymore! - Says the child with tears in his eyes.

- Don't your mother and father treat you well? - Asks Jaune, he sits on the edge of the building, he wanted to show understanding to the child, getting on her level and showing that he was just here to talk.

- They... are horrible to me... they always hit me and insult me ​​for being born... they say I wasn't planned and because of me we're poor... - Says the boy, sitting down and hugging his feet.

- Hey, that's not true, even though they're your parents, not all parents are good... unfortunately some end up doing more harm than good to their children...

- How do you know that's not true?! You don't even know me! 

- I may not know you, but one thing I'm sure of is that no person in the world deserves to be treated like they shouldn't exist. You're here, you're alive, you're like me and everyone down there, worried about your well-being. Everyone here wants to save you because they know that a life is worth it! - Jaune says with conviction. The boy seems to be starting to think about his decision.

- But I don't want to go back home... it hurts when they hit me... it hurts when they call me names... I... I-I-I.

- It's okay, we'll get you a new house. You have friends, right? We can talk to them about it. - Jaune says.

- No... I don't have any friends... - The boy says with a sad voice.

- If that's the case... I'll be your first friend!

- What? Really? - The boy asks, lifting his face and wiping his tears.

- Yes! We can exchange our numbers and even if you don't have a scroll, I'll buy one for you! This way we can keep in touch and if anyone tries to hurt you, good old Jaune will come to save you! - The blond says with a confident smile, pointing to himself.

- Jaune?

- Yes, that's my name! W-why? - Jaune asks a little nervously.

- My name is Kai... well t-thanks Jaune, I'll go, I guess I didn't want to throw myself out of here... - The boy gets up, smiling at Jaune, but he ends up slipping before finishing his sentence and his body falls from the building.

- NO! - Jaune screams, everything went into slow motion, he didn't even think, his body moved on its own, he threw himself towards the child, grabbing him in his arms, turning so that his back hits the ground and that, at least, the child has a chance to survive.

- SHIT! NORA! - Ren screams, running.

- YES SIR RENNY! – Nora says, pulling a war hammer from her back. Ren jumps back on Nora's hammer and the girl easily throws her friend towards Jaune, who catches him in his arms. Ren then gives a push to the side using one of his weapons, a green submachine gun, making him go to the building, using the protrusions of the windows as platforms to jump and land on the ground safely.

- D-DUDE! THAT GIRL IS STRONG AS HELL! – Jaune says, impressed.

- Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Blonde Hero! Nora does her best to crush as many legs as she can! – The red-haired girl says with a cute smile, if what she said wasn't psychotic.

- T-thank you for saving us, without you two I would have definitely died. – Jaune says.

- No need to thank me, I think we all have to thank you for really saving this child, I'm Lie Ren and this is my friend Nora Valkyrie. – Ren says, introducing Nora, who waves eagerly at Jaune.

- Well, I'm Jaune Arc, and this is my new friend Kai! – Jaune says, releasing the child from his arms.

- I-I'm sorry for all this fuss. – Kai says, now shy after everything that happened.

The police had arrived, Kai explained why he did all this and with the marks all over his body it was enough evidence to start the process of arresting his parents. During all the confusion there was a white-haired person staring at the scene with a satisfied smile, drinking coffee that he had just bought at a kiosk.

- Ignore this scripture too, Glynda, we need Jaune Arc in Beacon. – Ozpin says on his scroll, hanging up before the woman could object to his decision. As a way of rewarding himself, Jaune spent the day with Kai, along with Ren and Nora. They bought food and had fun with the child at arcades and other activities. As Jaune promised, he bought a Scroll for Kai, so they could communicate whenever they wanted.

- Now you have to go with the social agents. They'll find you a nice place to stay, and you'll definitely have new parents who'll take good care of you in no time. - Jaune says, kneeling in front of Kai.

- I just... can't stay with you? - Asks the child, really hoping that she could go with Jaune.

- Hah, sorry Kai, but I'm still practically a teenager. I can't have custody of you, but I'll come visit you whenever I can, okay? I trust you because I know you're stronger than you think. - Jaune says, giving Kai a fist, who punches his fist along with Jaune's.

- Bye guys! – Kai says, waving to the three young people until he goes with the social workers.

- AHWWWW I wanted to adopt him, Ren! We could be his mother and father! – Nora says.

- Nora, we're still too young to be parents. – Ren comments, walking towards Jaune.

- Geez, what a day… - The blond says, getting up from the ground and cracking his back.

- Jaune, I wanted to say thank you for saving that child. I know my question may seem silly, but… why did you do all that? – Ren asks. Jaune looks at him confused.

- What do you mean? It was a child in danger.

- Yes, but no one did what you did. I must say with shame that I didn't act as I should have either. I was afraid, afraid that I could make the situation worse and Kai would throw himself off the building if I got close, but… how can you just ignore all of this? You would be responsible for his life or death. – Says Ren, Jaune looks a little thoughtful.

- Yeah, I thought about that while I was talking to him. I was actually terrified. It seemed like talking was taking all my strength... but my body acted on its own. I just... he seemed scared and lonely... a child should feel safe and not be alone. - Jaune says. These words seem to catch Ren and Nora off guard, staring at Jaune without saying a word.

- D-Did I say something strange? S-sorry! I'm not good with words! - Jaune says, starting to get nervous, waving his arms and trying to gesture with his hands.

- No, I think you actually said something right. It was nice to meet you, Jaune, but Nora and I have to continue our journey. - Ren says.

- Oh, okay, I have to continue mine too! See you around, guys! - Jaune says, waving to Ren and Nora. They both wave back to him.

- It would be so cool if we met someone like him first, don't you think, Ren? - Nora asks. 

- Yes, it would be good.

…

- Damn… with the money I had left I could only buy a pair of old plates and some combat gloves… but I think it's fine like this, I don't regret buying the scroll for Kai. – Jaune says thinking to himself, he looks at the big Bull head in front of him with a smile.

- Beacon, here I come!

Chapter Text

- Oh my god... when did I develop travel sickness?! I don't remember having it as a kid... - Jaune says to himself, sitting in a corner of the ship trying to completely ignore the bullhead flight. Jaune had the theory that since he hadn't used one in a long time since he traveled to Vale for the protest with his father, he ended up completely losing the habit.

- Uh... it seems like there's been a wave of robberies all over Vale... - Jaune says, raising his head a little, watching the news on TV that talked about a dust theft by a thief named Roman Torchwick. Jaune wouldn't lie, he doesn't watch much TV and doesn't really know what's going on in the world, but seeing that smug face he knew that guy was dangerous.

- OH SHIT IT'S COMING! - Jaune screams, feeling his stomach churn, he puts his hands over his mouth, avoiding vomiting as much as he can, running past two girls. One was wearing a black and red gothic style dress, had short red hair and silver eyes, and another girl was wearing a tank top and combat shorts with an open yellow jacket, she had long blonde hair and lilac eyes.

Jaune threw his head out and ended up vomiting, he really hoped that it didn't fall on someone's head, but he had to think fast before vomiting in the middle of Bull Head and causing the worst first impression of all.

Jaune then returned to his own seat, not realizing that a bit of vomit had accidentally fallen on the blonde girl's boots, who started making a fuss chasing the redhead girl to clean her boots and the smaller girl ran away disgusted by the situation.

Upon arriving at Beacon, Jaune unfortunately ran out in front of everyone and luckily he found a trash can to throw the rest of his lunch, he fell to his knees almost fainting from nausea.

- Ugh... l-reminder... whenever you travel from Bull Head buy medicine for nausea. – Jaune says to himself, hugging the trash can for a while until he recovers. This wasn't how he thought he would start at Beacon.

The aspiring Huntsman gets up and continues on his way, realizing that everyone had disappeared, except for the girl with the gothic dress and red cape, who looked sad as she lay in a crater on the ground.

- Ha... welcome to Beacon... - The red-haired girl says depressedly, closing her eyes. She then notices a shadow growing above her. She opens her eyes and looks at the blond boy, offering him a hand.

- Hey... I'm Jaune. – The blond says.

- ... Ruby. – The girl says a little shyly, accepting the hand of the knight in front of her and standing up.

- Aren't you the guy who threw up on the ship? – Ruby asks, coughing lightly.

...

Jaune and the girl with silver eyes named Ruby were walking through the streets of Beacon, looking for where the initiation would begin. 

- I'm just saying that motion sickness is a lot more common than people think it is! - Jaune says defensively.

- Sorry, but Vomit Boy was the first thing that came to my mind. - Ruby says with an amused smile, thanking her for having a conversation with someone after her sister abandoned her.

- Oh yeah? How about I call you Crater Face?! - Jaune asks with a slightly irritated look.

- Hey, that explosion was an accident! - Ruby says, stomping her foot.

- The name's Jaune, Jaune Arc! short, sweet, rolls off the tongue. The girls love it. - Jaune says, trying to give Ruby a flirtatious smile.

- Do they? - Ruby asks, with a monotonous voice, disbelieving the knight's words.

- They will! Well... I hope they will, my mother always says... I mean, never mind. – Jaune says, realizing that he was getting all tangled up and decides to let this matter drop, until there is an uncomfortable silence between the two.

- Well... I have this thing! - Ruby says, removing her weapon from her back and transforming it into a scythe that slams its blade into the ground, scaring Jaune.

- WOW! THAT'S A SCYTHE?!

- And it's also a customizable high-impact sniper rifle. - Ruby says proudly, holding the scythe against her shoulder.

- It's... what? - Jaune asks confused.

- It's also a gun. - Ruby replies.

- That's cool! Where did you buy that weapon?! And how do you manage to carry it?! You must be really strong! - Jaune says excitedly, looking Ruby's weapon up and down, the girl seemed to feel more at ease with Jaune's excitement about her weapon.

- We at Signal Academy make our own weapons! I don't like to brag, but the Crescent Rose is my masterpiece! And despite its appearance, it's made of a super-resistant metal alloy but also very light! It was SO HARD! Finding parts that didn't make a terrible counterweight! but was worth it! - Ruby says, hugging her own scythe affectionately.

- HOW COOL! Are you like a super-intelligent weapons engineer then?! If I didn't already have a weapon, I would definitely want you to make one for me. - Jaune says.

- You can always count on me to make improvements to your weapon, my dear Jaune! By the way, what's yours? - Ruby asks, unable to contain her excitement to know what weapon her new friend uses.

- Oh, here it is, the Crocea Mors! It's a long sword. - Jaune says, unsheathing his blade, showing it to Ruby.

- Oooooh, it's a very well-kept blade! I think I could even cut steel with it, but what does it do?

- Well... its sheath turns into a shield. - Jaune says, showing it to Ruby, but the shield began to transform and detransform in Jaune's hand, making it bounce in the blonde's hand until he managed to counter his own weapon.

- The shield gets smaller, so... if I'm tired of carrying it...

- But... isn't the weight the same? - Ruby asks with one of her eyebrows raised.

- Well... yes. - Jaune says a little awkwardly.

- Well... I-I'm kind of an idiot when it comes to weapons, and I may have exaggerated a little when designing mine, but you did a great job on yours! The blade is great and I bet the shield protects well too. - Ruby says.

- I didn't actually make mine.

- No?

- No, it's a heirloom, my great-grandfather used it to fight in the war... I'm using it because I want to become a hero like him, like my father. - Jaune says, looking at his own reflection in the blade.

- Sounds like a family heirloom to me! I liked it, people nowadays don't appreciate the classics anymore. - Ruby says. 

- Heh, of course the classics, but I wouldn't trade this blade for anything... it's something that's been calling me since I was training, that's why I trained to use a sword and shield. - Jaune says, putting his weapon away.

- It may be a silly belief, but I believe that our weapons as Huntress and Huntsmen are an extension of who we are, so if you feel that way about the Crocea Mors, it's because it's the perfect weapon for you! And if you want, I can always help you improve it. - Ruby says with her hand on Jaune's shoulder.

- Nah, I don't want to change anything about the Crocea Mors, Ruby.

- BUT A GUN!

- No guns! Nothing against it, but I'm not the type to use guns... firearms, you know. - Jaune says.

- Awwwwwww, well... why did you help me back there? - Ruby asks, changing the subject. 

- Nothing much really, my mother always told me that strangers are just friends we haven't met yet, and well... you seemed lonely and in need of a friend. - Jaune says.

- S-so we're friends? - Ruby asks hopefully.

- You're calling me Vomit Boy, and I'm calling you Crater Face, nicknames are for friends, Ruby. - Jaune says with a smile. Ruby can't help but be happy. She had found a friend who didn't think she was a weird weapon nerd.

- Well... where are we going? - Asks the reaper.

- I was actually following you. - Jaune answers. The two stop in place and stare at each other until they realize they were walking in circles.

...

Jaune and Ruby finally arrived at the ballroom, where all the people who would try to take the test to enter Beacon Academy were.

- Ruby! I saved a seat for you! - Says the blonde girl.

- That's my sister! Let's go! - Says Ruby, grabbing Jaune's hand and pulling him.

- WAIT, RUBY! - Jaune shouts, not giving the imperious girl time. She quickly pulls him to where her sister was. 

- W-wow, you're fast, p-please don't do that anymore... - Jaune says, feeling Bull Head's nausea coming back.

- Hey, you're Vomit Boy, aren't you? - Asks the blonde girl.

- D-damn, is that nickname really going to stick? - Jaune says pleadingly.

- He's Jaune Yang! And he was nice enough to be my friend while you abandoned me and I exploded! - Ruby says, looking angrily at her sister.

- Geez, meltdown already? - Yang asks.

- No! I literally exploded! There was fire and... and some ice? - Ruby says, thoughtfully trying to remember the event clearly.

- Are you being sarcastic? - Yang asks, bringing her face closer to her sister's face, to analyze her.

- Look, I found her lying in a crater, at least the explosion part is true. - Jaune comments.

- So you're Ruby's new friend, right? I'm Yang, and the first warning is that if you do anything bad to my sister, you can kiss your head goodbye! - Yang says threateningly, Jaune could be sure he saw the girl's eyes turn red.

- Y-YES MA'AM! W-well the name's Jaune, Jaune Arc! short, sweet, rolls off the tongue. The girls love it. - Jaune says trying to recover from the intimidation, trying to be confident and flirtatious.

- … Do they? - Yang says with a disbelieving expression.

- … I think I'll stop introducing myself like that. - Jaune says lowering his head, admitting defeat.

- It's the best you can do for yourself Jaune, AND I'M NOT DONE WITH YOU YANG! I tripped over some grumpy girl's luggage and she yelled at me! Then I exploded and she yelled again! – Ruby was talking about how a white-haired girl was annoying her without realizing that the exact girl with the description was behind her, Jaune tried to warn her with hand signals pointing behind her but Ruby just ignored her while opening up to her sister.

- YOU! – The white-haired girl says, scaring Ruby, making her jump into her sister's lap, even Jaune moves away a little despite having found the girl pretty.

- OH MY GOD IT'S HAPPENING AGAIN! – Ruby says, closing her eyes, expecting more insults.

- You're lucky we weren't thrown off the cliff! – The white-haired girl says, her hands on her hips.

- Damn... you really exploded. – Yang says with a blank expression.

- H-hey, I don't know what happened but it was an accident, right? I-if you need me to pay for anything, you can leave it to me, I mean, I don't have any money but I can get something, maybe if I sell my scroll... damn it, I can't or I can't talk to Kai. – Jaune says, getting in the middle of the two's fight to try to break it up, the white-haired girl just looks at Jaune indifferently and then shows a card to Ruby.

- What is this?

- The Schnee Dust Company is not responsible for any damages caused by the use of the dust… - As the girl spoke, Ruby stopped listening at the beginning of the sentence, barely able to understand what she said.

- Ahm… what? – Ruby said, confused.

- Do you really want to make up with me? – Asked the girl.

- Absolutely? – Said Ruby reluctantly.

- Then read this and never talk to me again. – Said the girl, practically putting that pamphlet in Ruby's face.

- Okay… you two really seem to have started off on the wrong foot, why don't you try starting over? – Asked Yang.

- Good idea, sister! Hi Weiss, I'm Ruby, do you want to go out? We can go shopping for school supplies…

- YEAH! We can paint our nails, try on clothes and talk about cute boys like… this tall, blond and scraggly guy you're with. – Said Weiss, pointing at Jaune.

- W-wait, seriously? – Said Jaune hopefully. 

- No man, she's being ironic. - Yang says.

- Ouh... - Jaune looks at the ground, defeated again for the second time that day.

- SERIOUSLY? - Ruby asks hopefully, not realizing the irony, only for Weiss to stare at her for a few seconds.

- No. - Weiss answers, now Ruby joins Jaune in the group of defeated heads bowed.

Then everyone hears the sound of a microphone being calibrated, they look up the stairs and notice none other than Ozpin.

- I'll...keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge--to hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It's up to you to take the first step. - Ozpin says, giving his speech. Jaune stares hard at the man's words. He had to get stronger. Beacon was going to give him the opportunity he hadn't had in his life. He just hopes he can unlock his aura somehow.

- Your initiation starts tomorrow. Make yourself comfortable and make sure you're rested and ready. - Glynda says into the microphone, then leaves with Ozpin.

Chapter Text

It was already night all over Vale, as well as in Beacon. The students organized themselves in their sleeping bags, having put on their pajamas so they could be comfortable and rested for the big day that would be the next day.

- It's like a big slumber party! - Yang said, lying down next to her sister, who was writing what seemed to be a letter.

- I don't think Dad would approve of all these boys. - Ruby said with a monotonous expression, not seeming to have any interest in her surroundings.

- I know I do. - Yang said, staring with an expression at several boys who were standing and showing off their muscles to other girls in that "dorm", only for her to be graced for the presence of Jaune wearing pajamas that were a bunny onesie with bunny slippers, walking as if it were the most casual thing in the world.

- Ugh. - Yang said, giving a disgusted expression to Jaune who didn't quite understand but waved amicably at the two. 

- Hey Jaune... but what's this? - Ruby asks, taking her face off what she was writing to greet her friend, but she makes a strange face at Jaune.

- What? - Asks the confused blond.

- Your outfit, man! It's ridiculous. - Yang says, without any scruples.

- Hey! This jumpsuit is my pajamas and it's super comfortable! - Jaune says defensively.

- And it makes you look like a fool. - Yang comments.

- YANG! - Ruby shouts, clearly disapproving of how her sister referred to Jaune.

- WHAT?! It's true! He's the only one with this! - Yang says, looking indignant at being treated like a villain.

- After you live with seven sisters you stop being ashamed of most things and just accept being happy. - Jaune says.

- YOU HAVE SEVEN SISTERS?! - Ruby and Yang shout at the same time. 

- Y-yes? Is it that bad? - Asks the confused blond boy, even stepping back a little.

- You're a country bumpkin, aren't you? Your parents shouldn't have a television, by the looks of it. - Comments Yang, moving her eyebrows quickly at Jaune in a suggestive way, making him roll his eyes.

- I didn't understand anything, but I'm going to assume it's something dirty! - Says Ruby, suspicious of her sister and going back to writing her letter.

- What are you doing, Ruby? - Asks Jaune, sitting cross-legged next to the girl.

- I'm writing to my friends from Signal, I promised them to tell me everything about Beacon and how things are going. - Says Ruby with a slight smile.

- Ahwwww that's so cute!! - Says Yang, only to be shut up by a Ruby who threw a pillow in her face.

- Wait, this is Signal's address, haven't your friends graduated yet? - Asks Jaune, confused, looking at Ruby's letter.

- Actually... I kind of skipped two years? – Says the red-haired girl, not knowing if she should brag about it or not.

- SERIOUSLY?! RUBY THIS IS AMAZING! – Jaune says, dumbfounded.

- Isn't it? My little sister here stopped a robbery by Roman Torchwick all by herself! And she got permission from the headmaster himself to come in early! – Yang says, standing up from the pillow attack with pride.

- Wow... Ruby must be really strong... while she skipped two years which makes her the youngest student at Beacon, I got in here because I forged documents... she's a talented huntress with a future while I'm the total opposite of her... - Jaune thinks, a somewhat sad thought, which made Yang and Ruby seem to notice the change in the clumsy but kind boy's expression to someone quiet.

- Jaune you... - Before Ruby could challenge Jaune about his condition, the three hear the noise of something being nodded. The three's attention goes to a girl not far from them, leaning against the isolated wall, reading a book next to a lamp.

- This girl…

- Do you know her? - Yang asks Ruby.

- More or less, she was there when I literally exploded. - Ruby says, still looking angrily at her sister.

- Well, now's your chance! - Yang says, pulling Ruby.

- W-wait! What are you doing?! - Ruby says, protesting scared.

- Man, this doesn't seem like it's going to end well. - Jaune says, standing up, following the two. As they got closer to the girl, Jaune began to feel something strange, like a feeling of deja vu.

- Have I... seen this person before? - Jaune asks himself.

The girl with black hair and amber eyes noticed the two figures approaching, a blonde girl with a silly smile and a red-haired girl who seemed too young to be in Beacon and who clearly didn't want to be pulled by the blonde girl, but there was also a boy with them, a short-haired, very tall blond boy... she had a strange feeling looking at him, but decided to ignore it.

- Hello! I believe you two know each other! – Yang says excitedly, Ruby just turns back with her arms crossed, with Jaune turning the girl's body back to the front like a statue.

- It's rude to turn your back on people. – Jaune whispers.

- You were supposed to save me from this! – Ruby whispers back.

- You... aren't you the girl who exploded? – Asks the black-haired girl.

- Uh, yeah! My name is Ruby! – Says the girl with the black eyes, extending her hand, but the other girl doesn't take it, making the situation awkward.

- … but you can call me Crater... uhmm, actually you can just call me Ruby. – Says Ruby, realizing that the girl in front of her continued to read the book without seeming interested in her.

- Okay. – Says the girl, uninterested.

- What are you doing?! – Asks Yang, incredulous at her sister's social skills.

- I don't know! Help me! – Replies Ruby.

- So... what's your name? I'm Jaune Arc! Sho... I mean, Jaune Arc! - Jaune says, he wouldn't let Ruby embarrass herself alone, as a professional in embarrassing herself he would do it next to her!

- ... Blake. - The girl answers, she looks at Jaune, seeming uncomfortable with his presence, making Jaune take a step back.

- S-she's scary! - Jaune thinks.

- Well Blake, I'm Yang! Ruby's older sister! I like your bow. - Yang says, pointing to the black bow on Blake's head.

- Thank you.

- Does it match your... pajamas?

- Right.

- A-a great night, don't you think? - Jaune asks, scratching the back of his head trying to break the ice.

- Yes, it's lovely! Almost as lovely as this book, which I'm going to continue reading as soon as you leave. - Blake says, slowly to see if she can make the trio understand that she wanted to be alone. 

- I think she wants to be alone, guys... we should leave, we're bothering her and she scares me. - Jaune says, whispering to the two girls.

- This girl is a lost cause. - Yang says.

- What's it about?

Blake looks up at Ruby's question.

- Your book, does it have a name?

- Well, it's about a man who has two souls that fight each other to try to control his body. - Blake answers, this time looking at Ruby as she answers.

- I can't deal with my own head sometimes, imagining having two souls, that must be terrible. - Jaune comments, having his observation about the book.

- It seems... really lovely. - Yang says, I don't really understand why she's reading this.

- I love books! - Ruby says, taking a step forward, Blake listened to her attentively.

- Yang used to read to me before going to sleep, stories about heroes and monsters, they're one of the reasons I wanted to be a huntress. - Ruby says, with a confidence that came out of nowhere.

- Heh why is that? Hoping you live happily ever after? - Blake asks with an amused tone, seeming interested in the conversation.

- Well I hope we can, as a girl I'd like to be like the heroes in the books! Who fight for what's right and protect people who can't protect themselves. - Ruby says, Jaune looks at her impressed, it was, it was exactly the same reason he wanted to be a hunter, he wanted to be a hero. 

- Maybe we're not that different after all. - Jaune thinks, with a smile on his face.

- That's pretty ambitious for a kid, it's a shame the real world isn't like a fairy tale. - Blake says, in a way that showed sadness.

- That's why we're here, to make things better. - Ruby answers naturally, as if it were the right thing to do, she believed that was the right thing to do.

- Ahwwww I'm so proud of you! - Yang says, giving Ruby a bear hug.

- H-HEY! PUT ME DOWN! - Ruby says, counterattacking, starting a catfight with her own sister, Jaune jumps away.

- W-what's going on? - Blake asks.

- Calm down, this is a sibling fight, I'm an expert on how to defuse the situation... wish me luck. – Jaune says giving Blake a thumbs up, with a masculine tear falling from his left eye, as if he were a soldier going to war and then he jumps in the middle of the two's fight.

- CAN YOU STOP?! SOME OF US ARE TRYING TO SLEEP! – Weiss screams appearing in the situation. Ruby was trying to twist Yang's foot while the blonde girl was armbarring Jaune who had passed out after so many blows from both of them at the same time.

- Oh not you again! – Ruby screams terrified upon seeing Weiss' presence, the three girls begin to argue among themselves, with Jaune falling unconscious to the floor, Blake just rolls her eyes and decides to turn off her lamp to try to sleep.

…

Jaune woke up early, he didn't really know how to feel at the moment. He remembered yesterday's confusion and Ruby's words were still echoing in his head, could he really be a hero? Ruby certainly seemed to be a better version of him, in terms of convictions and what that Blake girl had, he has a very strong feeling that he knows her but can't remember.

Jaune just decided to leave all of this in the back of his mind, today was his day, the day of initiation, he got up, had a strong coffee in the Beacon cafeteria and went straight to the locker room to get his weapons, he didn't want to be late for initiation.

- 639! It must be around here! Damn... how the hell did I manage to lose my damn locker?! - Jaune says to himself looking around, looking for his locker number, he then realizes that his number was among Weiss's conversation with a red-haired girl who dressed like a gladiator.

- If we both are part of the same team we'll be a perfect pair. - Weiss comments to the red-haired girl.

- Yeah I guess... I'll think about it. - Says the red-haired gladiator looking a little uncomfortable. 

- Excuse me, Weiss and… - Jaune stepped between the two, looking doubtfully at the gladiator girl.

- Pyrrha Niko. – The gladiator said, nodding politely to Jaune.

- Well Pyrrha, I'm Jaune Arc, nice to meet you. - Says the knight, going to his locker, trying to remember his code.

- Wait a minute! Jaune, right? Do you have any idea who you're talking to? - Asks Weiss, this time getting in front of the two.

- Ahm... should I know? - Asks Jaune, slightly confused and afraid that Weiss will start yelling at him like she did with Ruby.

- This is Pyrrha, and she graduated at the top of her class in Sanctum. - Says Weiss.

- Hello again! - Says the gladiator, waving to Jaune again.

- Never heard of her. - Answers the blond in a monotone voice.

- Ahm?! She won the Mistral regional tournaments for four years in a row! A new record! - Says Weiss.

- What? – Jaune says, still confused, he knew he was a country bumpkin with no knowledge of the world but he wouldn't lie that he knows things.

- SHE'S ON THE COVER OF ALL PUMPKIN PETE'S CEREAL! – Weiss shouts, waving her arms like an angry penguin.

- OOOOOOH IS THAT YOU?! THEY ONLY DO THAT WITH STAR ATHLETES AND CARTOON CHARACTERS! – Jaune says, finally recognizing who it is.

- Yeah, it was pretty cool, sadly the cereal wasn't good for your health. – Pyrrha comments.

- A-are you kidding me that you recognize her because of that?! You even know who I am, right?! – Weiss asks, looking like her face was turning red with irritation.

- Ahm… you… are you the girl who blew up Ruby? – Jaune asks.

- SCHNEE! WEISS SCHENEE! FROM THE MOST FAMOUS DUST  COMPANY IN ALL OF REMNANT! H-HOW DO YOU NOT KNOW ME?! HOW DO YOU NOT KNOW US?! – Okay, Weiss was really red with anger.

- S-s-sorry okay?! I-I-I'm from the far north of a small village! I-I-I don't know much about the world and I don't even use dust! My weapons are very simple, just a sword and a shield. – Jaune said, taking his weapons from the closet, showing them to Weiss, hoping she would leave him alone with this.

- Ugh... honestly get out of my way Jaune. – Weiss said, like a wish coming true, Jaune was hit by a spear that came out of nowhere, the surprised and shrill scream of the blond was only heard moving away until he hit a wall.

- I'm sorry! – Pyrrha said, embarrassed for having accidentally hit him while checking her weapon. 

Jaune was now with the other Huntsman hopefuls on the cliff of Beacon, for some reason he didn't know they were on top of a platform with springs underneath, but he wouldn't question it, if everyone was doing it he would do it too.

- For years you have trained to become warriors, now your skills will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest. - Director Ozpin said, with a cup of coffee in the open air.

- I know many of you have heard rumors about the formation of the teams, well let us put an end to this confusion. Each of you will have teammates today. - Glynda said with a clipboard in her hand.

- What? How? - Ruby asked, looking scared about who she might end up with on the team.

- These teammates will be with you during your years here at Beacon, so it is in your best interest to be with people who get along and can work together. - Ozpin said, Ruby seemed to get even more nervous with the conversation. 

- That said, the first person you make eye contact with in the forest will be your partner for the next four years. - Ozpin says, sipping his cup of coffee.

- EYE CONTACT?! Damn it, I need to find Ruby! Or even Yang in the middle of all this. - Jaune thinks.

- After finding your partners, head north of the forest, don't hesitate to destroy everything in your path... or you will die. - Ozpin says, causing a slight tension in the air.

- You will be monitored and evaluated throughout the initiation, your evaluations will decide which grade of Huntsman or Huntress you will be, with these grades going from grade 4 to grade 0, you will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path counting some relics, each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff, any other questions?

- Yes, sir...

- Good, now take your positions. - Ozpin says, ignoring Jaune.

 - Uhm sir I have a QUESTI- - Jaune didn't have any time to even ask anything, being the first to be thrown off that platform towards the forest.

Chapter Text

- WAAAAAAAAH! DAMN I DIDN'T KNOW I WAS GOING TO BE THROWN OFF THE CLIFF! - Jaune screams desperately, struggling in the air, he looks back and sees other students, they seemed very calm and were using several strategies to land safely, using their semblances or their weapons.

- SO I SHOULD KNOW THIS?! THEY DIDN'T TELL ME THIS AT SCHOOL! Oh, I've never been to a school... AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! - Jaune could only scream and hope that he could land on a tree, and that its branches would cushion his fall, however, when he thought he was going to fall, a spear hits him and pins him to a tree, trapping him by his hood in the sweatshirt he was wearing under his armor.

- Wait... that's Pyrrha's spear, does she really not know how to use her own weapon? – Jaune asks himself, he then hears the bush rustle and none other than Weiss comes out of there, he looks at her with a hopeful smile only to receive an icy look from her and see her going back on the path.

- HEY WAIT! COME BACK HERE! WHO'S GOING TO GET ME OUT OF HERE! – Jaune shouts struggling until he hears someone else approaching.

- Jaune… - The blond looks down to see Pyrrha in front of him, with an amused expression on her face.

- Do you have any spots left on your team?

- Very funny. – Jaune says rolling his eyes but smiling at Pyrrha who smiles back, she then pulls her spear somehow like magic, back to her hand making Jaune fall, however he manages to land on the ground without any problems.

- You have good aim, I was the first to be thrown and you still managed to hit me. – Jaune says, shaking the dirt off his suit. 

- Hah, a little practice and everyone can do it, shall we go? Partner? - Pyrrha asks, saying the last sentence a little uncertainly, not knowing if Jaune would like her as a partner.

- Heh, you can bet we're going for it. - Jaune says, giving Pyrrha a fist, the girl looks confused.

- That's a compliment, you just hit my fist too. - Jaune says, Pyrrha nods excitedly and punches Jaune's fist, but punches REALLY hard, making Jaune roll on the ground a few meters away.

- I'm sorry! - Pyrrha says.

- Argh... YOU PUNCH WEAKLY! LIKE THAT! - Jaune shouts, returning to where the redhead was, punching his own fist showing how it's done.

- Aaaaah... you're okay, right?

- Yeah haha, just a scratch on your face. - Jaune says, with a small scratch on his cheek. 

- Why don't you use your aura to heal yourself? - Pyrrha asks, the question made Jaune tense up, standing completely erect.

- W-well... y-you see...

- Jaune... you unlocked your aura, right?

- Ha... no, I didn't unlock my aura... - Jaune says, lowering his head. Pyrrha's eyes widen. How did someone without an aura manage to be accepted into Beacon? Maybe Jaune has other unusual abilities. She heard that a 15-year-old girl had managed to get in this year, but she wouldn't leave him like that.

- I'm going to help you unlock your aura. Close your eyes and concentrate, okay? - Pyrrha says. Jaune is surprised. He didn't even know that you could have someone's help to unlock your aura. His father would have to explain a lot to him after four years at Beacon.

Jaune does what Pyrrha says. He closes his eyes and tries to concentrate as much as possible on whatever his gladiator friend does. The girl touches Jaune's cheek and then begins to emanate her own Aura, her eyes widen but soon close them.

- For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee. – Pyrrha says, suddenly she falls to her knees in front of Jaune which scares him.

- Pyrrha?! Are you okay?! – Jaune asks, kneeling beside her, worried.

- It's okay... I used my aura to unlock yours, the energy that protects you is your own aura. – Pyrrha says, she looks at Jaune, impressed, seeing the amount of energy emanating from Jaune.

- Wow... I feel incredible. – Jaune says, with the wound on his cheek being healed.

- You have an absurd amount of aura, Jaune! You're the person with the most aura I've ever seen in my entire life! – Pyrrha says, impressed.

- Seriously? Is it that much?

- Of course, I estimate... that you have 5x more aura than I do, and I was considered a person with an above-average amount of aura. – Pyrrha comments, Jaune then stops emanating his aura.

- I don't understand... I thought aura was something that people unlocked naturally.

- It is, but some people have trouble unlocking their aura, either because of a very powerful or complicated semblance, or because of the amount of aura, the more aura a person has, the more difficult it is for the body to unlock it alone, that's why you hadn't unlocked it until now. - Says the gladiator.

- That makes sense... damn now it all makes sense. - Says Jaune, hitting the tree next to him angrily, because of his unlocked aura he manages to split the trunk with his strength, he looks slightly impressed.

- Jaune... - Pyrrha looks at him worriedly, he clearly had a history with this, but they weren't close enough for her to ask that. She sees Jaune taking a deep breath and then smiling.

- Let's go, partner! We have relics to rescue! - Says the blond knight, removing his sword from its sheath and arming his shield.

…

- our last pair was formed. - Says Glynda, going to where Ozpin was, using a larger Scroll to be able to see the initiation situation. 

- Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren, poor boy, I can't imagine these two getting along... - Says the blonde woman, looking through the screen at Nora upside down in the tree, scaring Ren.

- He's still better than Miss Nikos. - Says Glynda, she seems to attract Ozpin's attention by showing an image of Pyrrha and Jaune walking together.

- I know you want him here, but this Jaune is clearly not prepared for this level of combat.

- People of our combat level are in this school for a reason, Glynda, because we believe in the future. If I don't believe that this boy can be a Huntsman, I'll be going against Beacon's fundamental ideals. - Says Ozpin.

- You know that you could be sending a child to suicide, don't you? He just unlocked his aura. - Says Glynda, looking Ozpin in the eyes, but the director didn't seem to waver in his decision. 

- I trust that Jaune has something special about him, he may not be as talented as his peers but he has something in him. – Ozpin says, remembering how Jaune acted in Kai's suicide attempt.

…

- Do you… think it's here? – Jaune asks, he was with Pyrrha in front of a cave, a cave that had engravings of people fighting a giant scorpion.

- I don't know, can we take a look? – Pyrrha asks uncertainly, Jaune picks up a twig from the ground and wraps a cloth that was in his pocket in it, placing the twig on the ground he hits his sword on his shield quickly several times, until the sparks are enough to light the torch.

- Wow, that was impressive. – Pyrrha says.

- Us country bumpkins can do some things heh. – Jaune says, picking up the torch and then entering the cave taking the lead with Pyrrha protecting his rear.

- I think... this isn't a ruin, Jaune. - Pyrrha comments.

- Look, there are old engravings here, this seems to be an old place, right? I think we can check it out, maybe it's a shortcut? - Jaune says, thinking logically, but he ends up tripping and falling to the ground, his torch goes out.

- Did you... feel that? - Pyrrha asks, the two of them in the dark.

- Soul crushing regret? - Jaune asks, thankful that she can't see his face now.

- No, it's... warm.

The two of them kept going, getting closer to whatever was warm there, until Jaune finds something golden shining in the air.

- THAT'S IT! THE RELIC! - Jaune says excitedly, trying to grab it, but the golden thing moves from side to side.

- I got you! - Jaune says, finally managing to grab onto it. 

- Ahm… Jaune… - Pyrrha says, the boy looks at her noticing her scared face and then looks down, he notices red marks starting to glow and then a bestial scream appears, it was a Grimm, a Death Stalker.

- PYRRHA! RUN! - Jaune screams.

Pyrrha does exactly what her partner says and runs away, with the Death Stalker chasing her until they leave the cave, the Death Stalker roars and was about to raise its claws in Pyrrha's direction.

- DON'T ATTACK HER! - Jaune screams jumping off the stinger and attacking the exposed part of the monster's claws with Crocea Mors, the Grimm screams in pain and shakes its body throwing Jaune against the tree.

- JAUNE! - Pyrrha screams worriedly.

- I'M FINE! - Jaune says getting up, arming himself with his shield and standing next to Pyrrha, a little further in front of the girl. The monster advances like a speeding car towards the two, with Jaune and Pyrrha dodging by rolling to each side, Pyrrha quickly transforms Milo into his rifle form and shoots towards the Death Stalker, but her bullets were not piercing his body armor.

- This Death Stalker is not normal... by the drawings on the wall and the state of his armor he is a very old Grimm... we have no chance of defeating him. - Pyrrha thinks, seeing that the Death Stalker turned towards her and advanced towards her so fast that she almost did not react, dodging his stinger by doing a backflip.

- ORYAAAH! - Jaune screams appearing next to the Death Stalker, attacking him but his sword does not pierce his armor, it was then that Jaune remembered the only blow that seemed to work.

- Pyrrha! We have- Jaune tries to talk to the girl, but is hit by a blow from the Grimm's tail, spitting out some blood with the impact on his stomach, the attack was so strong that Jaune hit his back against a tree, breaking it.

- JAUNE! - Pyrrha screams, she shoots a fire dust bullet at the Death Stalker's head, which stuns him long enough for the gladiator girl to run until her knight friend helps him get up.

- We have to run away, we don't stand a chance against him! He's an ancient Grimm and probably an alpha! - Pyrrha says.

- I arf... I approve this plan! You go ahead, I'll follow right behind! - Jaune says pushing Pyrrha forward, she didn't have time to protest because the two had to literally run for their lives.

- Damn, he's getting closer! - Pyrrha says looking back at the Death Stalker.

- FOLLOW MY DIRECTION! – Jaune shouts, grabbing Pyrrha's hand and suddenly running much faster.

Jaune starts to follow a strange path, running in a zigzag pattern, but somehow it was working, leaving the Death Stalker further and further behind until he was no longer in sight.

- How... how did you do that? - Pyrrha asks.

- He's a giant Grimm, he has difficulty moving in this forest, what I did was go through the densest parts with more tapered trees to be able to delay him even more, I told you, us country bumpkins can do some things that they don't teach you in the arena. - Jaune comments with a provocative smile at Pyrrha, what Jaune didn't know is that she was loving this, being a partner of someone who can see her as an equal, it was something she didn't expect to happen.

- Jaune... I think we've reached the ruins. – Comments Pyrrha, stopping running, pointing to some stone ruins in the distance, with some of the initiation participants already there, Jaune and Pyrrha see chess pieces in the distance, which were probably the relics that Ozpin spoke of.

Chapter Text

- Knight, that's right! Strong like me... oh, Hey Vomit Boy! - Yang says, with Blake at her side, waving to Jaune.

- Don't call me that Yang! Hi Blake. - Jaune says, waving to the girl with the books, who waves back to him.

- WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! - Everyone looks up to see Ruby falling, but she manages to grab her scythe and use the bullets as a recoil to fall slowly and then land on the ground.

- Ruby! I'm glad you got there safely! Wait... where's your partner? - Jaune asks, Ruby points up and everyone looks at Weiss descending, using the glyphs on her face as platforms until she lands on the ground.

- DID YOU REALLY MAKE ME HIT A RIDE ON A NEVERMORE?! ARE YOU CRAZY?! - Weiss shouts at Ruby, who flinches. 

- Wait, did you two really hitch a ride on a Nevermore? - Pyrrha asks, looking surprised.

Everyone looks at a roaring bear approaching the temple, the initiation participants grab their weapons but then hear a girl scream as if she were in a rodeo, until they see the bear falling dead on the ground, revealing herself to be Nora.

- Ahwww, it's broken. - Nora says, getting off the bear, Ren comes out from behind staggering.

- Nora... do me a favor... and never do that again. - Ren says, he looks at the bear looking for his friend but she had disappeared.

- Ooooh, I'm queen of the castle! I'm queen of the castle! - Nora says humming as she picks up the relic from the tower, she stops until she notices a familiar person, a blond boy standing between Ruby and Weiss, trying to calm the ice girl down.

- JAUNE! – Nora shouts, running to the blond and hugging him like a baby koala hugs its mother. Pyrrha seems to look at Nora with a slight twinge of jealousy.

- OUCH! N-NORA?! – Jaune falls to the ground because of Nora's weight, looking and notices the red-haired girl, who smiles showing her teeth at him.

- Jaune? I should have known you were one of those who was coming to Beacon. – Ren says, walking to Nora, taking her off Jaune by the collar of his shirt, like a mother cat picking up a kitten.

- HEY, LET ME HUG THE BLOND HERO REN! I THOUGHT IT WOULD TAKE LONGER TO SEE HIM! – Nora says, struggling in the air.

- Blonde hero? – Blake asks, looking interested.

- When we were getting ready to come to Beacon, a child named Kai tried to commit suicide by jumping off a building, Jaune managed to save this child. – Ren comments, looking at Jaune with pride. -

 WHAT?! This clumsy, idiotic and stupid Jaune did this?! - Asks Weiss, pointing to the taller one as if she couldn't believe it, Jaune just raises his hands in surrender.

- C-calm down! T-they're exaggerating okay? I-if it weren't for Ren and Nora I'd be lying on the ground right now, they're the ones who really saved the day. - Jaune says, scratching the back of his head.

Everyone stopped talking when they saw the Death Stalker who was chasing Pyrrha and Jaune appearing destroying several trees.

- Great! The whole gang is here, now we can die together! - Says Yang with a joking tone despite the situation.

- Not if I can help it! - Says Ruby advancing alone towards the Death Stalker, even with her sister asking her to wait. The red-haired goth girl arms her scythe and fires a shot with it to gain momentum, flying towards the Death Stalker, but before she can land a blow with her scythe, the Grimm was faster and hits the reaper with a blow from its claw, throwing Ruby to the ground.

- I-I'm s- - Ruby looks back and notices the Grimm's stinger heading towards her. She prepares to take the fatal blow, but someone gets in front of her.

- ARGH! R-RUN RUBY! – Jaune screams, holding the stinger with his own hands, but clearly the Grimm was gradually overcoming him in strength, with the stinger approaching his face.

Ruby does as he says and runs away, but she looks back worried about Jaune, seeing that the Grimm's two free claws would cut him in half, but two people step forward and deflect the Grimm's attack, Ren and Nora.

- You can count on us, Jaune. – Says Ren.

- Let's end this thing, blond hero! – Says Nora, strangely excited about the situation. Their defense gave Pyrrha time to appear, running and flying towards the Death Stalker's tail, giving a two-footed flying kick to its tail, allowing Jaune to roll back and let go of the thing's stinger.

- And I thought things couldn't get worse... - Jaune thinks, until he hears a bird noise above, it was a Nevermore. 

- Great, me and my mouth. - Jaune thinks.

While Ruby was thinking about joining Jaune and his group, she was caught by the feathers that the Nevermore threw at her, pinning her to the ground by her cape.

- RUBY! - Yang shouts, running to the girl. Blake follows Yang.

- Get rid of those feathers, Ruby! - Yang shouts.

- I'm trying! - Ruby says, trying to pull off her cape. She looks up and notices the Nevermore flying towards her, as if it were going to catch her like a seagull catching a fish. She is then defended by none other than Weiss, who makes an ice wall in front of her, preventing the Nevermore from getting close. Yang and Blake use this ice wall as a platform to land a combined blow on the Grimm, destabilizing it in its flight and making it fall to the ground.

- You can be annoying and childish! But you're still my partner! If we're going to work together, you need to stop trying to show off! You'll end up killing yourself! - Weiss says angrily.

- I'm not trying to show off! I just... I want to show you that I can be capable. - Ruby says a little sadly, this seemed to soften Weiss.

- Look, I know... that I can be a little difficult to deal with, but if you promise to work as a team, I promise to be someone more... understanding, you're strong Ruby, you don't need to prove anything to me. - Weiss says with her hand on the girl's shoulder and then heading towards Nevermore with Yang and Blake.

Ruby tries to process this information but Weiss's ice is broken by Jaune who was thrown by the Death Stalker. The knight falls rolling on the ground with a little blood running down his forehead.

- JAUNE! - Ruby shouts worriedly.

- RUBY! Go with the others to deal with Nevermore! Leave the Death Stalker to us! - Jaune says, ignoring the pain, even though he managed to heal himself he was still a novice in using aura, his use was not efficient.

- But Jaune...

- I trust you Ruby, you can do it. – Jaune says, giving Ruby a confident smile. Despite being much more injured than her, Ruby has a great impression of Jaune. She nods and continues the battle with Weiss, Yang, and Blake.

Jaune looks around for anything that could help them in the battle. He notices that there was a stone path from the ruins, a bridge that was broken and led to the other side.

- GUYS! LURE HIM HERE! – Jaune shouts, waving to his three friends. They follow his order and run to the broken stone bridge. The Death Stalker follows them to this bridge, but he takes an action that the four do not expect. He attacks with his stinger at the end of the stone bridge, causing it to gradually collapse.

I planned to knock him off the cliff somehow... but he's smarter, I need another plan! - Jaune thinks, biting his lips.

- We have to get out of here! - Says Pyrrha, the four run towards the Grimm who attacks with the stinger Pyrrha who manages to defend herself with her shield, Ren advances using the Grimm's own face as a platform shooting at him until he realizes that his stinger was exposed and cuts it with his blade, but when the stinger would fall on the Grimm's own head to pierce it he hits Nora with one of his claws, with so much force that it throws the red-haired girl to the other side of the bridge. This small movement caused the stinger to fall into a part of the armor that did not pierce it.

- NO! Damn it... using the stinger as something to pierce the armor was our only chance... - Jaune thinks, he then realizes that the armor on the Grimm's face was a little cracked, he was an old Grimm as Pyrrha said so it makes sense, but this made Jaune think of a strategy.

- Ren, Pyrrha I need you to distract him, make him keep his head open. - Jaune says to his two companions.

- Leave it to me. - Pyrrha says confidently advancing.

- Understood. - Says Ren following Pyrrha.

- NORA! WHEN THE TIME IS UP I WILL NEED YOU TO THROW A GRENADE IN THE GRIMM'S FACE!

- WHEN?! - Asks Nora from the other side of the bridge.

- YOU WILL KNOW! - Jaune shouts, he then arms himself with his shield and takes a deep breath, realizing that the bridge was slowly falling.

- Let's go Jaune! 

Jaune runs straight towards Grimm, pulls out his fist and punches the Grimm in the head with the tip of his shield, making him scream in anger and hit Jaune with one of his claws, sending him rolling to the end of the bridge, but he managed to recover despite having more injuries.

- JAUNE! - Ren and Pyrrha shout worriedly at him, dodging Grimm's blows.

- CONTINUE THE FORMATION! - Jaune shouts, advancing again, running towards Grimm and punching him with the shield again in his face, making his mask crack even more, but this time he takes a blow from the Death Stalker's tail, making him fall again, but this time something bad happens. 

- M-my relic! - Jaune thinks as he sees his rook chess piece fall from his tactical belt pocket. It was rolling towards the cliff. He thinks about going to get the piece, but he notices Ren and Pyrrha giving their all for their plan, and Nora standing on the other side just waiting for the signal. He couldn't betray their trust.

Even if it meant not being in Beacon.

- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! - Jaune shouts, running towards the Death Stalker, landing another blow with the tip of his shield. This blow causes his mask to be completely shattered. Nora understands what Jaune meant and uses her hammer to hit the ground, causing an explosion that sends herself flying towards the Death Stalker. She throws a grenade right at the hole that Jaune managed to open in the Grimm's mask, trapping her in that hole.

- GET DOWN! – Jaune shouts, his injuries were already more serious than those of his friends, he spoke and spat blood at the same time.

Everyone crouches on the ground and sees Nora's grenade exploding in the Grimm's face, which releases all the armor from his face and neck. While the Death Stalker was stunned, Ren and Pyrrha cut off the Grimm's head together, each attacking from one side. The Grimm's dead body falls from the bridge, giving them the opportunity to get off it before it collapses, with Ren carrying Jaune.

- T-THAT WAS CRAZY JAUNE! YOU COULD HAVE DIED! – Pyrrha shouts, going to the blond knight who gets up with Ren's help.

- Hey arf... we did it, right? If we really want to defeat this Grimm, we need to open his armor, luckily his head seemed to be the weakest part of the armor.

- I could have blown it up with my grenades! – Nora says.

- As powerful as they were, your grenades weren't really able to destroy his armor, we needed something stronger, and something that could focus on one point, I made the tip of my shield like a pickaxe to pierce his armor more and more until it cracked. - Jaune says, showing the shield.

- It was a well thought out plan, I hope we can be on the same team. - Ren comments.

- Yeah... about that I think... I won't enter Beacon... I lost my relic on the cliff. - Jaune says.

- WHAT?! - Ren, Nora and Pyrrha react the same way.

- Yeah... - Jaune looks up, noticing Ruby cutting off the Nevermore's head, her team had managed to defeat their objective, he looks at her with a sad smile, feeling tears forming in his eyes.

- I really... w-w-wanted to be part of a team with you, with all of you... b-but I won't be able to, I'm so sorry. - Jaune says falling to the ground, tears starting to roll from his eyes. Pyrrha, Ren and Nora didn't know how to comfort him, thanks to Jaune they had managed to defeat this Grimm and even so he won't be able to enter the academy, that wasn't fair.

Suddenly something falls on Jaune's head and then on the ground, he looks confused and realizes it was his relic.

- WHAT?! HOW?! – the blond looks around, trying to find an explanation, Pyrrha points upwards.

- A crow? – Jaune asks.

- Crows like shiny things, he probably picked it up from the cliff and accidentally dropped it here. – Ren says.

- HOW LUCKY! NOW YOU'LL BE ABLE TO ENTER BEACON WITH US! – Nora says excitedly, hugging Jaune.

- Whether it's luck or not, you deserve this Jaune, you deserve to be in Beacon with us. – Pyrrha says with her hand on Jaune's shoulder, he looks at his friends and wipes away his tears.

- Guys... thanks.

…

- Seriously Ozpin, you must really like this kid to tell me to do this. – The crow says, transforming into a tall adult man, with disheveled black hair, red eyes and a beard, he takes out a canteen of alcoholic beverage and pours the bottle. 

- You saw him on the battlefield, didn't you, Qrow? He not only saved Pyrrha Nikos and found a way to defeat an Alpha Death Stalker, but he also saved your niece. - Ozpin comments, giving Qrow a suggestive look.

- Okay! He's a good kid, are you happy? But he needs to improve a lot, who fights like that? He's full of openings and simply decides it's better to go for suicidal advances? If you don't know how to use aura properly, a blow from an Alpha Grimm is like a building falling on you. - Qrow says with his arms crossed.

- Then he must have a very strong determination to endure all this and still keep fighting. - Ozpin says, drinking his coffee.

- Your niece is talented, despite her childish mistakes when the situation needed it most, she proved to be an exceptional leader and fighter. - Ozpin says, Qrow was silent.

- I'm sure Summer would be proud.

- … Yes, she would be. – Qrow says, drinking again from his canteen.

Chapter Text

- Russel Thrush, Cardin Winchester, Dove Bronzewing, Sky Lark, The four of you retrieved the black bishop pieces, from this day forward, you will work together as Team CRDL (Cardinal) lead by Cardin Winchester. - Says Ozpin, speaking to the four members of the new team CRDL, everyone was gathered around a stage for the creation of the teams, those who managed to pass the initiation.

Cardin's team goes down the stage and soon after Ruby, Weiss, Yang and Blake go up, Cardin's team seems to give lewd looks to the girls but it only took one look from Yang with her red eyes to make them lower their heads and pretend they were doing nothing.

- Ruby Rose, Yang Xiao Long, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, you have retrieved the white knight pieces, from this day forward you have worked together as team RWBY (Ruby) lead by Ruby Rose. – Ozpin says, Weiss looks with wide eyes, surprised that her partner was named leader. 

The girl with silver eyes didn't know how to react, she just ended up being hugged by her sister. Jaune watched from the audience, clapping along with the crowd, he was proud of Ruby, he knew she had potential and that she definitely deserved to be leader, he then saw her photo next to Pyrrha, Ren and Nora. 

- Well done Rubes. – Jaune says, passing by the RWBY team, placing a comforting hand on Ruby's shoulder, who seemed worried about her new position, she gives Jaune a slight smile. 

- Jaune Arc, Pyrrha Nikos, Lie Ren, Nora Valkyrie, the four of you retrieved the white rook pieces, from this day forward, you will work together as team JNPR (Juniper), lead by… Jaune Arc. – Ozpin says, Jaune's eyes widen, he really didn't expect this, he didn't expect to be the leader of his team.

- Wh… what?!

- YEAH! You've been promoted from blond hero to fearless leader! Congratulations, soldier Arc! - Nora says, saluting in front of Jaune.

- You deserve it, Jaune. - Ren says, nodding his head.

- Well done, Jaune! - Pyrrha says, punching him in the shoulder, but knocking him down again.

- WEAK, PYRRHA! I SAID WEAK! - Jaune shouts, scratching where the red-haired girl punched him.

- Oh… I'm sorry…

- Uhmmm, this is going to be an interesting year, we have great talents here… - Ozpin says, looking at Ruby, who was trying to get away from her sister's hug.

…

Somewhere in an abandoned warehouse, there was a red-haired man wearing a fancy white overcoat and a bowler hat on his head, he was analyzing a map with some markings while lighting a cigar.

- Torchiwick. - Says a strong voice, Roman turns around facing a man walking towards him. He wore a black overcoat with black dress pants, with details like red leaves on his coat. He also wore leather gloves and a red t-shirt, he carried a katana but what caught everyone's attention was that he wore a mask similar to the Grimm masks, with horns coming out of his messy red hair, showing that he was a fauno.

- Ah Adam, I'm glad you showed up, I was already wanting to discuss my plans with you. - Says Roman Torchwick, with a cheeky expression, the man named Adam didn't seem to take the joke.

- we have nothing to discuss, I've been waiting for a long time already Roman, when will this happen? We have a target and we're going to capture it soon!

- Calm down, the shipment will leave in a few days, at that moment will be the moment where I will have what I want and you will have what you want. - Says Roman, walking in a circle twirling his cane. - This is taking too long, if it takes longer I'll make another plan and I'll act without you. - Adam says, coming face to face with Roman.

- What? Are you going to make the White Fang invade Beacon and take Weiss by force? Are you going to fight against Grade 0 Huntsmen like Port, Glynda and Oobleck? Besides, Ozpin is a Special Grade Huntsman. - Roman said, keeping his face completely unserious, even with the tall faun's threatening presence.

- Very well, let's wait until the shipment arrives, it's good that she's there. - Adam said, leaving the room, leaving Roman alone.

- Weiss Schneee, when we catch you, you'll be the perfect martyr, no matter which side you're on. - Adam thought with a dark expression on his face.

...

Jaune was in his room in Beacon, he had taken off his armor and was now only wearing his sweatshirt and pants. It was already night and he was lying on the bed, looking at the ceiling with a thoughtful expression.

- How... how could I be the leader? How could the people of Beacon judge me as the leader? – Jaune was really confused, he knew they were being watched the whole time during the initiation, didn't they see him fight? Didn't they see he was a complete amateur? Everyone on his team could be a better leader than him, okay maybe not Nora, even though she is a good girl and Jaune loves her friendship, she would probably make dangerous decisions for everyone.

- Hey Jaune, you can use the bathroom now. – Pyrrha says, coming out of the bathroom using her pajamas to sleep, but Jaune ended up not hearing the girl.

- Jaune? – Pyrrha tries to get his attention but the blond knight doesn't pay attention, she makes a cute expression pouting and walks over to him, punching his shoulder.

- OUCH! – Jaune falls off the bed.

- P-Pyrrha? What did I say about being a weak puncher?!

- Sorry, you weren't answering me. – The redhead says, Jaune looks at the floor thinking.

- Sorry, I was just distracted. – Says the blond boy.

- Jaune… did something happen? – Asks Pyrrha, looking really worried. Jaune shakes his head.

- It's nothing big, Pyrrha, just a little homesick. – Says the knight, smiling at her, a smile that hides his worries, and Pyrrha knows it, but she can't force Jaune to tell her.

- WE'RE HERE! WE BROUGHT SNACKS AND SODA FROM THE VENDING MACHINES! – Nora shouts, kicking the door to their room. She was holding two bags with an exaggerated amount of snacks and cans of soda.

- … I think we're going to have to buy a minibar for our dorm. – Comments Jaune.

- Sorry guys, it was my job to control her, but she used a dirty tactic to throw me off the scent. – Says Ren, looking sharply at Nora.

- Hey, it's not my fault, I actually read that it was a tea and herb store. – Comments Nora. 

- It was written big blacksmith. - Ren says, Nora just shrugs.

- Hey! I have an idea! - Jaune says, taking his scroll and scrolling through contacts, he then calls someone by making a video call.

- Jaune! Hey, how are you?! - Kai asks in the video call with Jaune, the knight can see his room in the orphanage and it looked like a good room, one less worry for Jaune.

- I'm fine Kai, I managed to pass the initiation in Beacon. - Jaune says.

- WHAT?! YOU GOT INTO BEACON?! I should have guessed, you're a Huntsman. - Kai says, impressed, Jaune can't help but feel happy with his childish excitement.

- KAI?! KAI! IT'S ME! ​​AUNT NORA! - Nora says, lying down with Jaune on her bed, so she can see Kai, Ren approaches the other side waving with a smile to Kai. 

- ALL OF YOU ARE IN BEACON?! There's no way I'm friends with Huntermans! I doubt Noah will believe that. - Kai says to himself.

- Not only that, but we're on the same team, Pyrrha, come here! - Jaune says, calling the redhead girl, who sneaked up next to Nora to see the screen.

- Hello. – Pyrrha says, waving politely to Kai, who is left with his jaw dropped comically.

- Y-Y-Y-YOU'RE PYRRHA NIKOS! JAUNE HOW DID YOU GET ON HER TEAM?!

- And not only that! He's our fearless leader! The leader of team JNPR! – Nora says, her cheek pressed against Jaune's, making him blush.

- Are you doing well at the orphanage? Is the place nice? – Ren asks, a little worried.

- Yes, it is! It seems like a lot of people are coming here to adopt me, probably because of the repercussions of what happened, so I probably won't stay for long! But I already have some friends! 

Kai continued talking to Team JNPR and getting to know Pyrrha better, besides her celebrity identity, Jaune never imagined that he would be able to, with forged documents, without any formal training, just his own physical and combat training that he did alone, he managed to enter Beacon.

...

Jaune woke up very early, well before everyone else, he got changed and sneaked out of his room so as not to wake his teammates. Ever since he fought the anti-faunus as a child and was saved, Jaune woke up early and had a heavy exercise routine, if he couldn't have aura then he would have a strong body was what he thought, even though he had aura now he would like to keep his body at its peak.

The blond knight starts running around all of Beacon, doing the equivalent of six laps around the entire building. Soon after he goes to the gym and begins a strength training sensation that lasted an hour and a half. 

- Phew, I think that's it for today, I can't exaggerate too much because I know I have other physical training classes. - Jaune thinks, putting the 660 LBS back on the bench press and standing up, drying himself with his towel.

He returns to the dormitory and goes straight to the shower, to take a shower to get all the sweat off his body.

- Oh shit... - Jaune finishes taking his shower and realizes that he had forgotten something very important, his clothes.

- Calm down Jaune, everyone is asleep, you just need to go to your bed and get the clothes you left upstairs. - Jaune says to himself looking at himself in the mirror, he sighs and wraps the towel around his waist and leaves the bathroom.

- Good morning Jaune. - Ren comments.

All three were standing, something that Jaune didn't expect to happen, Ren, Nora and Pyrrha slowly look at Jaune and realize that he didn't take his clothes to the bathroom. 

- Oh my, you look skinny with your clothes on but you're totally ripped! - Nora says, being too outgoing as always.

- S-sorry about that! I-I-I forgot to get my clothes! - Jaune says, running quickly to the bathroom, hiding behind the door.

- It's okay, Jaune, we understand... here's your clothes. - Ren says, looking away, handing the folded clothes to Jaune.

- And you don't need to apologize for giving us a great view, don't you think Pyrrha? - Nora asks with a provocative smile, seeing Pyrrha's flushed face.

- W-w-well, I mean... I-I-I think, I-I mean... - The gladiator girl clearly couldn't form words. Jaune just decides to put this down as another embarrassing moment in his life and goes into the bathroom to get dressed. After the entire JNPR team had changed into their uniforms, Pyrrha was fiddling with her Scroll looking for something.

- What are you doing Pyr? - Nora asks, appearing behind the girl.

- I'm looking for my Beacon file, they said our files would come out today and that it would say what grade we are. - Pyrrha says, managing to find her file in the Beacon app.

- WOW, YOU'RE ALREADY CONSIDERED GRADE 1?! - Nora says impressed, so impressed that she loses her balance and falls backwards, falling off Pyrrha's bed.

- An impressive classification Pyrrha, I was classified as Grade 2. - Ren says looking at his Scroll, Nora looks at hers right after.

- THAT'S IT! GRADE 2 RIGHT NEXT TO MY LITTLE RENZIN! - The excited girl hugs Ren tightly, lifting him into the air, the sound of ribs breaking could even be heard.

- What's your grade, Jaune? - Pyrrha asks, while Jaune was sitting on his bed fiddling with his Scroll.

- I bet our fearless leader is Grade 0!

- No... I'm Grade 4... and I'm still in last place. - Jaune says, looking at the ranks evaluated in Beacon, he was the last in the worst grade of all.

- Oh... w-w-well they weren't in the forest! So they don't know anything. - Nora comments.

- Nora, they were watching us the whole time. - Ren answers.

- THEY KNOW NOTHING! - Nora crosses her arms and turns her face away, showing that she is not willing to argue.

- Hey Jaune... these are just the initial ranks, during the lessons and class you will be able to move up. - Pyrrha says.

- Yes, and I bet you will be able to move up quickly. - Ren says, the two of them standing next to Jaune.

- Thanks guys... I- - Everyone stops arguing when they hear an explosion from the dormitory ahead. Jaune is the first to run out of his dormitory and kick the door to Team RWBY's room.

- GUYS?! WHAT HAPPENED?! - Jaune screams, looking around worriedly, only to be greeted by a book being thrown at his face, knocking him out on the floor.

- Don't enter the girls' room without permission. - Blake says, being the one who threw the book.

- Good attitude, Blake. – Weiss says, the two sharing a subtle laugh.

- Forgive us for the intrusion, we heard a loud noise and came to you worried. – Fal Ren, arriving with Pyrrha and Nora.

- Wooaaah!! Bunk beds! I love bunk beds! Are we going to do this in our room too? – Nora asks, crouching down to Jaune, poking him in the face, even though he is unconscious.

- I don't think... these bunk beds are safe. – Pyrrha says, staring at the bed suspended by books and the other bed suspended by a rope, she gives an expression of strangeness and discomfort to that.

- I said but they didn't hear me... wait... - Weiss looks at the clock on her Scroll and her eyes widen.

- FIVE MINUTES UNTIL OUR CLASS! – The Schnee heiress screams, running out of her room. 

- Oh w-well, as the leader of team RWBY I order… RUN! - Ruby shouts, running away with Yang and Blake following her.

- We can't be late either. - Ren says, running ahead, followed by Nora and Pyrrha, but the team's gladiator comes back and grabs Jaune by the collar of his shirt, dragging him through the halls of Beacon.

Chapter Text

- Monsters, demons, Prowlers of the night, yes the creatures of grimm have many names, but I merely refer to them as prey! Hahaha! - A man spoke in front of the entire first-year class at Beacon. He had a robust and strong physique and wore a red suit with yellow details. Sporting a pompous mustache and white hair that parted in a fringe, this was Professor Peter Port, responsible for the subject Grimm studies. 

His class didn't seem to be paying much attention to what he was saying. The RWBY team was mostly focused, Blake and Yang were watching the class and Weiss was even taking notes on things she thought were important, but Ruby was almost falling asleep. Which couldn't be much different from the JNPR team, Ren and Pyrrha were the two who were paying attention, while Nora was playing with her school supplies as if they were action figures and Jaune was almost falling asleep from boredom.

 - An you shall too upon graduating from this prestigious academy! Wall was saying, Vale as well as the other three kingdoms are safe havens in an otherwise treacherous world! Our planet is absolutely teeming with the creature that would love nothing more than tear you to pieces, and that’s where we come in, Huntsmen! And Huntress! – Port says, walking from one side to the other with his hands behind his back.

- Individuals who have sworn to protect those who cannot protect themselves, from what you ask? Why, the very world! – Port shouts, raising his fist in the air.

- THAT’S IT! – Jaune shouts, raising his fist along with the teacher, she realizes that no one followed him as he thought they would and quickly lowers her hand.

- That’s what you are training to become! But first a story, a tale of a young handsome man, me! – Port says, starting to tell a story about his days as huntsmen. Weiss tried to pay attention, but even she knew it was useless. She looked around to see her teams' reactions. Blake and Yang seemed disinterested, and the blonde was fiddling with her Scroll under the table. Seeing the JNRP team, Ren somehow still seemed focused, Nora fell asleep, and Pyrrha had... a fake smile on her face? She should have tried to pretend to be interested in this, but there was Jaune, who really seemed interested, staring at the teacher's story with a sparkle in his eyes.

- This Jaune boy, he's so naive and clearly inexperienced. How did he manage to become the leader of his team? How did Ozpin make those two idiots leaders?! I would be someone more capable than both of them! - Weiss thinks irritated, she looks at her team leader and she was drawing something on the paper, she shows a caricature of Port with pride to her friends, Yang lets out a sincere laugh and Blake just stares with a stoic expression, the Rwby team was called to attention by Port who gave a few coughs to make them pay attention again.

- In the end, the Bewolf was no match for my sheer tenacity, and I returned to my village with the beast in captivity, and my head held high celebrate it as a hero! - Port says, bowing to his class.

- YEAH! THAT WAS AMAZING! - Jaune shouts excitedly, again he doesn't see anyone as excited as him and lowers his hand.

- Well, the moral of the story, a true huntsman must be honorable, a true huntsman must be dependable, a true huntsman must be strategic, well educated and wise! - Port said with conviction, while Weiss looked like she was about to explode watching Ruby's antics in class.

- So, who among you believes themselves to be the embodiment of these traits? - Port asked, Weiss quickly raised her hand, she just wanted to get away from Ruby at the moment.

- I DO SIR! - Weiss said, her angry face showing.

- Well then, let's find ou! Step forward and face your opponent. - Port said pointing to a cage, glowing red eyes could be seen inside.

- Wait, was this cage there the whole time? - Jaune asked whispering to Pyrrha.

- I guess so? It's strange that none of us reacted to a monster literally in front of the class. - Pyrrha said.

Weiss went to the locker room to get her combat clothes and Myrtenaster, Nora approached the Rwby team curiously.

- Which grade were you classified in? – Asks the one with orange hair, looking curiously.

- Our entire team is classified as Grade 2 and Blake here is classified as sami grade 1! - Yang says, pulling the girl with the black bow and hugging her with one arm. Blake looks at Yang angrily, with the proximity.

- Ha... I think I'm the only weak one here. - Jaune says, sighing sadly.

- You have to evolve fast, Blake! We can't let Pyrrha be the only Grade 1 in our class! - Ruby says with the expression.

- Heh, I'll try, guys. - Blake replies. Everyone stopped talking when they saw Weiss, with her battle suit and her weapon in hand.

- Go, Weiss! - Yang shouts.

- Fight well! - Blake shouts, with a team RWBY flag that she got from who knows where.

- THAT'S IT! Represent team RWBY! - The youngest girl says, throwing her arms in the air.

- Ruby, and I'm trying to focus! – Weiss says with a demanding voice to Ruby, making the girl shrink back and apologize.

- Very well! Let the match begin! – Port says, opening the cage with his weapon, releasing a boarbatusk.

The grimm advances towards Weiss, but the girl uses her rapier to deflect the armor, dodging to the side.

- Haha, wasn’t expecting that were you? – Port says, with his hands behind his back watching the fight.

- Hang in there Weiss! – Ruby says.

The icy girl advances towards the Grimm with a piercing attack, however she ends up getting distracted by Ruby’s comment, which makes the boarbatusk catch her weapon in its fangs. Weiss tries to pull her weapon back.

- COME ON WEISS SHOW HE WHOS THE BOSS! – Ruby shouts, trying to cheer the girl up, but this only distracts Weiss again, making her release her grip on her weapon. The boarbatusk throws the myrtenaster to the other side of the room and hits Weiss, throwing her to the opposite side.

- Hoho, now what will you do without your weapon? – Port comments.

The grimm advances straight towards Weiss who manages to escape its attack with a roll to the left, making the grimm crash face first into one of the tables in the room. The heiress takes the opportunity to run back and grab her rapier.

- WEISS! GO FOR ITS BELLY! THERE’S NO ARMOR UNDERNEATH…

- STOP TELLING ME WHAT TO DO! – Weiss screams, looking into Ruby’s eyes. Ruby looks at her partner with a hurt expression.

The grimm turns into a ball and advances towards Weiss like a bowling ball. The girl then makes a signal with her rapier and materializes a Glyph in front of him that acts as a wall, thus making the Boarbatusk fall backwards onto the floor. Weiss takes advantage of the opportunity and makes another glyph a little above her, using it as a platform to propel herself towards the Grimm and pierce it in its belly, defeating it with a fatal blow.

- Bravo! Bravo! It appears we are indeed in the presence of a true huntress in training! – Port says, giving Weiss a positive nod.

- I’m afraid that’s all the time we have for today, be sure to cover the assigned readings and stay vigilant! Class dismissed! – Port says, ending his class. The students stand up to leave the room. Weiss just gives Ruby an irritated look and leaves the room alone.

- Geez… what happened to her? – Jaune says, a little worried.

…

- Weiss! – Ruby runs out of the room, meeting her partner in the hallway.

- What?! – The heiress says, turning to face Ruby, still with a completely irritated expression.

- What’s wrong with you?! Why are you being-

- What's wrong with me?! What's wrong with you! You were supposed to be the leader! But until now you've just been a nuisance! - Weiss says, making Ruby flinch with her hurt expression.

- But what did I do?!

- That's exactly it! You didn't do anything to earn this position! In the forest you acted like a child! And you just kept acting like that!

- What happened to all that talk in the forest about working together? I thought you believed in acting as a team. - Ruby says.

- Not in a team led by you. I trained, I studied and to be honest I deserved the position of leader better! - Weiss says turning her back to Ruby, with her arms crossed. The red-haired girl tries to extend a friendly hand to her but what she heard made her even more hurt.

- Ozpin made a mistake. - Weiss says walking away from Ruby who was left alone in the hallway.

When Ruby was going back to her dorm, she runs into Director Ozpin, who seemed to have watched everything.

- Now that didn't seem to go very well. - Comments the director, as always, walking with a cup of coffee.

- Is she right? Did you... make a mistake? – Ruby asks, her eyes slightly teary looking at her direct.

- That remains to be seen.

- What do you mean?

- I mean it’s only been one day Ruby, I’ve made more mistakes than any man, woman and child on this planet, but at this moment I would not consider your appointment to leader to be one of them, do you? – Ozpin asks Ruby.

- I… I don’t know…

- Being a team leader isn’t just a title you carry into the battle, but a badge you wear constantly if you are not always performing at your absolute best, then what reason do you give others to follow you? – Ruby gives a slight smile to her direct.

- Ruby I advise you to take some time, to think about how you will uphold it. – Ozpin says, drinking his coffee and going back to doing whatever he had to do, leaving Ruby thoughtful. 

…

Weiss was outside Beacon, sitting on a wooden bench, thinking and frustrated, how could someone like that girl be a leader and she wasn't? She deserved it! She was a schnee! She was trained by the best, trained to be a leader! That wasn't fair.

- H-hey! Can I sit here? - Asks a familiar voice, when Weiss thought it couldn't get any worse she looks to her side and finds Jaune, waving shyly at her.

- Ugh, feel free. - Says Weiss, turning her face away with her arms crossed. Jaune sits next to her a little apprehensively, not knowing how to start the conversation, he takes a deep breath and decides to be brave.

- I heard your and Ruby's fight, I couldn't... leave things like that without doing anything. - Says Jaune.

- Then you should know that I'm right, Jaune! She's childish, irresponsible and she still got in my way during the fight in class! How can someone like that be a team leader?! – Weiss says indignantly.

- S-sorry Weiss, but in class… it was your mistake. – He says, walking on eggshells at the moment, he faces Weiss's icy anger staring at him, but he couldn't waver now.

- EXCUSE ME?!

- I'm not saying Ruby is right either, okay?! But… in the forest, a lot of things were happening at the same time, Ruby being attacked by the Nevermore, the relics, I almost fell off a cliff because of the fight… what I mean is that you can't always wait for silence to concentrate, you need to do it for yourself, alone… t-that goes for all of us, in the middle of a conflict our enemies won't be merciful. – Jaune says, this made Weiss think a little, she, she believes he's right. 

- You're right about that Jaune but... but I trained my whole life for this, to be a leader, to have the position of leader and now it went to a person who didn't even have to work for it I feel...

- Wronged? Weiss... you need to talk to Ruby about this. I understand that you feel wronged, but you can't take it out on her like that... maybe it's the wrong way to look at it, but... but I believe that it's precisely because you're so prepared that you weren't chosen to be a leader. - Jaune says. Weiss looks at him doubtfully, but the anger on her face has already gone.

- I mean, this is still a school, isn't it? If we're put in charge of things we already know how to do, what are we going to learn? Maybe that's it... I don't think I'm a good leader, and that Ozpin should have chosen me, but... maybe that's the point. We who aren't good at leading will learn here in Beacon. We won't always fight alongside our team, and sometimes any of us can be a leader in a battle: Ren, Yang, Blake, maybe even Nora someday. - Jaune comments.

- Pfft, I feel sorry for the team that has Nora as a leader in the future. – Weiss comments.

- The team's motto will probably be something about breaking the enemies' legs. – Jaune says, getting a light laugh from the Schnee heiress.

- Hehe, what I mean is... let Ruby learn to be a leader and be there to pull her ear when she's doing something wrong, but always, always try to talk to your teammates before blowing up at them. – Jaune says.

- Why... why are you helping me? I mean helping my team? – Weiss asks, she wouldn't say anything, but she's always been annoying and even rude to Jaune, why would he do this now?

- Why? What do you mean? Because we're friends, Weiss, there's no greater reason for me to want to help you guys. – Jaune says with a smile. The girl is impressed with the blond watching the sunset, even though he is silly and weak, Jaune at that moment looked like someone... big, his blond hair flying with the wind, the sunlight reflecting in his blue eyes, it was like facing a true hero from the books.

- You... you gave me a lot to think about, Jaune Arc, I appreciate the advice. - Weiss says, returning to communicate politely, getting up from her seat.

- However, there is something I do not agree with you.

- What would it be, Weiss? - Jaune asks.

- That you do not deserve to be a leader, in my opinion, even though you are silly, clumsy and also a grade 4 huntsman, you were the best choice as a leader. - Weiss says, turning her face to look at Jaune one last time and then returning to the building. Jaune was blushing a little and impressed, did Weiss Schnee really tell him that he was a good leader? 

…

Weiss returns to her room, already at night. She opens the door slowly so as not to wake her teammates and notices a small light on in Ruby's bed. She walks over to the bed and realizes that Ruby has fallen asleep studying.

- Ronk... W-WEISS! Sorry, I was studying and I fell asleep when I s- - Ruby stops talking to Weiss, covering her mouth and making a sign for silence.

- How do you like your coffee? - Weiss asks.

- Um... I...

- Answer the question.

- With cream and five sugars! - Ruby says, not wanting to contradict her partner.

- Don't move. - Weiss says, leaving and coming back quickly, handing Ruby a cup of coffee.

- I... I think you have the best to be a good leader. And you know... that I am gonna be the best partner you've ever had. - Weiss says, the two share an affectionate smile at each other. 

- Good luck with your studies... by the way, this is wrong. - Weiss said, pointing to an answer in Ruby's notebook and leaving the room.

- And Ruby...

- Yes?

- I always wanted bunk beds when I was a kid. - Weiss said, taking one last look at her team leader and leaving the room. Ruby didn't know who made Weiss change her mind, but she would be deeply grateful to this person.

Chapter Text

Jaune was in front of Cardin Winchester, he was armed with the Crocea Mors and his shield and Cardin with his large mace called The Executioner.

- Come on Jaune! - Jaune thought, advancing towards Cardin with his shield raised.

Cardin attacked Jaune's shield with power, making him lower himself to the ground with the crushing force that the leader of the CRDL team can use on him. Jaune tried to use a piercing blow with his sword aiming at Cardin's head, but the taller one managed to throw his head to the side and kick one of Jaune's legs, making him lose his balance and fall backwards, this gave Cardin the opportunity to advance against Jaune and land an extremely strong blow to his torso with the Executioner, throwing Jaune out of that arena and causing great pain throughout his belly.

- That's enough. - Glynda said, turning on the lights, showing that they were in a room in Beacon. 

- As you can see, Mr. Arc fell out of the arena, which means in the rules of a tournament that the only two ways to win the match are by leaving your opponent's aura in the red or by making him fall out of the arena. - Glynda said, explanatory, pointing with her whip at Jaune who was still lying on the ground.

- Jaune, you may have a good aura and a good defense, but you need to work on your sword technique and your footwork, we don't want you to be eaten by a Bewolf out there, do we? - Asks the combat teacher.

- Heh, speak for yourself. - Cardin comments, looking at Jaune with contempt, lifting his mace over his shoulder and leaving the arena. Jaune sighs, knowing that once again he had lost in combat class.

- Remember everyone, the Vytal Festival is only a few months away at the end of the year, it won't be long before other students from other kingdoms are here in Vale. – Glynda says, Team RWBY and Team JNPR seemed excited about this festival, especially Yang who was punching the air as if she was practicing and fantasizing about fighting her opponents in the tournament.

- Those who decided to compete, remember, will be representing all of Vale. – Glynda says, the signal for the break is heard, but Pyrrha doesn't seem to notice, she just stares at her defeated leader sitting on the floor.

...

- Only there we were, in the middle of the night. – Nora says, making a suspenseful voice while telling a story, eating with Team JNPR and RWBY in the cafeteria.

- It was day. – Ren comments, with a monotonous voice next to the girl.

- We were surrounded by ursais…

- They were beowolfs. -

- DOZENS OF THEM! – Nora shouts excitedly jumping from her seat.

- Two of them. – Ren corrects for the third time. 

- But they were no Match, and Ren and I took them down and made a boatload of lean selling furs skin rugs. – Nora says, finishing the story with Ren grumbling about the exaggerated absurdity that her friend told. Ruby and Pyrrha seemed to notice that Jaune was very discouraged.

- She’s been having this recurring dream for nearly a month now. – Ren says, explaining Nora’s “imagination”.

- Jaune… are you okay? – Pyrrha asks, the leader of team JNPR takes a while to react.

- Huh? Yes, I’m fine, why?

- It’s because you seem a little… not okay. – Ruby says, with a worried voice.

- Guys, I’m fine! Seriously, look! Hehehe. – Jaune says, pointing with his thumb to himself, forcing the most awkward and fake smile possible. But before he could continue pretending something caught his attention, he turned to the CRDL team who seemed to be bullying a faunus student with rabbit ears, with Sky even imitating her ears with her hands in a disrespectful way, the girl was trying to get away but they seemed to close her in even more.

- Jaune, has Cardin been bothering you since the first day of school? - Pyrrha asks, but Jaune doesn't react, then everyone hears the sound of a photo. Everyone at the table looks at Weiss who had just taken a photo of Jaune.

- Weiss? You could at least be less discreet about taking a picture of the boy you like. – Yang comments with a provocative smile.

- I-I'm not taking a picture of Jaune because I like him! It's to prove a theory! Look at his expression. – Weiss says, pointing at Jaune again.

His gaze was calm, irritated and vigilant as he stared at Cardin's team bothering that girl, it was an intense expression that completely clashed with who Jaune currently was.

- Jaune? Jaune? JAUNE! – Pyrrha screams, punching Jaune's shoulder, almost making him fall off his seat.

- P-PYRRHA! WEAK! PUNCH WEAK!

- Sorry, but you weren't answering. – Comments the red-haired girl.

- I have a theory! Look at these two pictures and see if it's the same person! – Weiss says, showing a photo of Jaune, where he was scared and almost crying with Yang advancing towards him in a match in combat class.

- man... sorry for exaggerating with you – Ruby's sister comments, scratching the back of her neck a little awkwardly.

- Are you collecting photos of our fearless leader? I didn't think you were like that, Weiss~ – Nora asks, moving her eyebrows suggestively.

- THAT'S NOT IT! Look! The difference in people here! Someone who managed to defeat an ancient alpha grimm as a team shouldn't be so clumsy, I have a theory that Jaune has two different personalities! The other one only appears when he's protecting someone. – Weiss says with her hands on her hips and a satisfied smile on her face, as if everyone would find her idea plausible.

- I... I think you're a little out of your mind, Weiss. – Ruby comments, somewhat afraid of what Weiss will say. 

- I don't think it's a split personality, Weiss. Jaune could just be a person who, when other people are in danger or when it's a real fight, can really let go, like a mental block, you know? - Ren says, seeming to make Weiss think.

- Uhmmm, so if we find a way to get rid of Jaune's block, he could very well rank up. - The heiress thinks.

- C-can you guys stop talking about me like I escaped from Arkham Asylum?! B-but to answer your question, Pyrrha Cardin isn't bothering me, he just... he just has a more masculine way of having fun. - Jaune says, looking away and trying to treat it as something casual.

- Jaune, he's a bully. - Ruby comments with such a serious expression that she almost stopped being cute to Jaune.

- Oh, please, tell me one time he bullied me. - Jaune says, making the quotation mark with his hand.

- He's already dropped your books. – Blake comments, without taking her eyes off the book she was reading.

- He made your shield open without you wanting it to and you got stuck in a door. – Yang says.

- He literally locked you inside one of the lockers and typed the code to launch you to the moon! – Pyrrha says, banging on the table. Everyone looked at him worriedly.

- W-well, I didn't fall too far from school. - Jaune says.

- Jaune, if you need help, you just have to ask. – Pyrrha says.

- Yes, we're your friends and we won't let a bully intimidate you. – Ruby says.

- OH WE'RE GOING TO BREAK HIS LEGS! – Nora says with a definitely sadistic excitement.

- Well... not break his legs, but we'll take every legal position possible to help you, Jaune, I promise that. – Weiss says, Ruby looks at her partner with a smile, seeing how much nicer she was actually being. Jaune is slightly moved by his friends' commotion, he could ask them for help to train him, he is sure they accepted but... there was something that was stopping him.

- OW THAT HURT!

This scream made Jaune practically drop his tray on the floor and face what was happening, Cardin was pulling the rabbit ears of the faunus girl who was sitting at their table, while the rest of his team laughed.

- Damn... someone should do something about these idiots. - Ruby comments, looking at the scene with clear disapproval.

- And someone will. - Jaune says walking towards Cardin and his team.

- No way he's going to do that. - Yang comments, impressed as well as the rest of the team, except Weiss, as she was still sure of her split personality theory.

- I told you they were real. - Cardin comments, pulling the girl's ears, making her cry, however someone grabs his wrist and squeezes it so hard that he makes him let go of the rabbit girl's ear, who takes a few steps away, staring at the scene in fright.

- Never again, do that to her, do you understand me? - Jaune says in a deep voice. Cardin was visibly surprised, as was his entire team, but then his teeth gritted and his face furrowed, he was furious. Jaune Arc didn't give him that expression and he never should! It should always be a submissive and fearful expression, but now, he was challenging him.

- Jaune, get out of my way so I can continue dealing with this animal! - The bully said threateningly, everyone in the cafeteria seemed to see the conflict between the two.

- She's not an animal, Cardin! She's a person just like me, just like you, just like everyone else in this school! And you have no right to do that to her! You were hurting her! - The blond shouted, even with Cardin approaching and standing face to face, Jaune didn't back down an inch. Blake stared at Jaune, her mouth open and her eyes focused on the boy's vision, his features starting to look very familiar to her.

- Yes, they are! She has those disgusting ears on her head! She's a freak of nature! We should have gotten rid of all the fauns back when they were enslaved! – Cardin shouts, gritting his teeth. The rabbit girl seems to cover her ears in shame, which does not go unnoticed by the blond.

- There is nothing wrong with her ears! I find them incredibly cute! And you, how can you be training to be a Huntsman thinking that way?! You should be a hero! An example of hope for the people of all Remnant! This is not the behavior of a Huntsman! – Jaune says, stamping his foot, his comment that he finds the girl's rabbit ears cute makes her blush.

- Get out of my way, Jaune boy. – Cardin says threateningly.

- To get her, you'll have to go through me. – Jaune says, Cardin gives a cynical smile.

- With pleasure. – Cardin throws a cross punch to Jaune's face, making him stagger back.

- JAUNE! – Ruby and Pyrrha shout at the same time, both team RWBY and team JNPR get up from the table to help Jaune, if it weren't for the signal of his hand extended to them.

- DON'T GET INVOLVED! – Jaune shouts.

- Exactly! YOU TOO, THIS IS BETWEEN ME AND HIM! – Cardin shouts to his team, Jaune remains standing still in front of the faunus girl.

- Stop it now Cardin! It's not too late!

- You chose this Jaune. – Cardin says snapping his fingers and punching Jaune in the stomach and another in his face making him fall to the ground, but Jaune quickly gets up to stand in front of the girl again.

- What do you gain from this huh?! Did the faunos do something to you?! If that's the case you can't blame an entire race for one person's mistake! – The blond shouted, this phrase for some reason seemed to infuriate Cardin even more, who took a running start to run to Jaune and punched him in the face again, this being the strongest punch, even making Jaune's nose bleed, but again he didn't fall.

- W-we have to do something! – Weiss said.

- No, we're not going to do anything, if our leader asked us to stay here we're going to trust him. – Ren said, despite looking at Jaune worriedly, seeing him take so many attacks.

- I know he doesn't want us to get into the fight, but seeing him get beaten up like this... even more so knowing that he was the only one who acted. - Yang says, clenching her fists in frustration.

- WHY DON'T YOU FALL DOWN! - Cardin shouts, hitting Jaune with a cross, sending him back again, but the faunus girl catches him.

- ENOUGH! YOU'RE OVERDOING IT ALREADY! - The girl says, pleadingly.

- It's okay... I'm okay... - Jaune says, patting the girl on the shoulder twice and getting up, staggering towards Cardin, with his disheveled hair covering his face.

- Heh... it's okay because... - Jaune lifts his face, smiling.

- If it's to protect someone... I won't fall... NEVER! - Jaune shouts, despite the tears of pain in his eyes. 

At that moment, any doubt in Blake's mind disappeared. It was like a copy of that scene from her past. It was him, the blond boy who wanted to go with her to a protest for the rights of the faunos, the blond boy who protected her from an anti-faunos gang, the blond boy who almost died defending her, the blond boy who was her hero. The messy blond hair, the blue eyes and the smile that conveyed security to the person he was protecting.

- Jaune… - Blake says, almost whispering.

- This is it, I can't take it anymore! - Yang says, getting up, ready to hit Cardin, until the cafeteria door opens.

- Jaune Arc, Cardin Winchester, in Ozpin's office, NOW! - Glynda says with a stern voice and a look that could petrify everyone in that place.

Cardin walks towards the teacher, grumbling, while Jaune seems satisfied. He gives a thumbs up to his friends and leaves the cafeteria alongside the bully.

…

After class, everyone was in the JNPR team dorm just waiting for Jaune to come back.

- I told you! Split personality! Jaune would never normally face Cardin. – Weiss comments, as if this confusion proved her point.

- I still believe my point about a mental block. – Ren says, serving cups of tea to everyone in the room.

- I don't understand, Jaune in his serious way didn't even retaliate against Cardin's attacks. – Nora says, confused.

- But I'm impressed with how he can take hits and not fall, he really is the tank of the group, don't you think, Ruby? – Yang asks, but Ruby looked thoughtful.

- Ruby, is something wrong? – Pyrrha asks.

- Just… just that Jaune is right, we are Huntsmen… and Huntress, we should protect those who can't protect themselves… and the only one who did that today was Jaune, he was the one who defended the person who couldn't defend himself… we didn't do anything. – Ruby says with her head down, the room was very tense, until the door opens and reveals itself to be Jaune, with his injuries recovered, he takes a slight jump back noticing the two teams in the dormitory.

- Ahm… did I miss a pizza party while I was away?

- FEARLESS LEADER! – Nora shouts, hugging Jaune tightly, holding on to him with her feet and arms.

- C-calm down Nora, I'm fine. – Jaune says.

- How did things go with Ozpin? You didn't… get detention, did you? – Pyrrha asks, with her hands together on her chest, looking at her leader worriedly. 

- No, believe me, this was part of my plan. If Ozpin could assess and watch us in the Emerald Forest, he can certainly see us in public places here in Beacon. I just had to endure being beaten by Cardin until he intervened. Since he was the only one who attacked, it wasn't really a fight, but more of a beating, hahaha... sorry to worry you, but if you got involved, it would turn into a team fight and you guys would be in a great problem. - Jaune said, scratching the back of his head.

- You're the one who saves the day and you still apologize? Man, you're weird, but a nice weird one. - Yang said, giving Jaune a friendly slap on the back, almost making him fall.

- You know... I think you and Pyrrha should definitely hang out more. - Jaune said, having Dejavu from all the beatings Pyrrha had accidentally given him.

The two teams were talking pleasantly, the tense situation had passed but for the girl with the black bow, it hadn't, she was still in disbelief that Juane Arc was her childhood hero.

Chapter Text

- This was before the revolution for the rights of the Faunos, when the population suffered a notable decline! - Says the history teacher in front of the blackboard, with several images linked to each other, with articles, parts of books, photos, etc. It even looked like a mural of a detective who was in a super complicated investigation.

- The human race was very committed to centralizing the population of Faunos in Nageria. - Says the teacher, he had green hair that was spiky and disheveled, he had very white skin and wore formal clothes with a yellow tie, although his clothes were very wrinkled. He also had dark circles under his glasses with round lenses.

- So, although this may seem elementary to many of you, it is important to note that these are all relatively recent events! - Says the teacher.

Jaune was almost falling asleep, but he was really paying attention, because he was writing down the things in class, but Professor Oobleck spoke so fast that it was difficult for him to follow.

- "Why"? Because their repercussions can still be noticed! So... has anyone among you ever been subjugated or discriminated against for having Faunus heritage? - Asks Oobleck, walking around the classroom as if he were a sprinter as fast as Ruby, drinking his coffee.

Some people in the room raised their hands, the bunny girl was among them, she was reluctant to raise her hand until she looked to the side and noticed Jaune almost falling asleep, he hit his head on his own desk waking him up, looking around. He was stupid, but he was still the person who saved her, having him by her side gave her the confidence to raise her hand.

- Hmm, progress is never easy! Remember that it is precisely this type of behavior that generates violence. - Says Oobleck, taking a sip of his coffee.

- I mean, I mean, just look at what happened to the White Fang! So, which of the young scholars can tell me what many scholars say is the key point of change in the third year of the war? – Asks Oobleck, Weiss raises her hand in the background.

- The Battle of Forecastle? - Says Weiss.

- Exactly! And who can tell me the advantages that the Faunos obtained in relation to General Lagoon? – Asks the history teacher, Cardin throws a paper ball at Jaune who was sleeping again, making him wake up scared.

- Mr. Arc, finally contributing to the class! How excellent! Excellent! What's the answer? – Asks the teacher. Jaune was desperate, he looks back and notices Blake and Pyrrha pointing to their own eyes, he didn't understand what it was.

- The advantage is that…

They try another approach, even the bunny girl was pointing to her own eyes, trying to help him, while the other two girls made binoculars with their hands.

- Eh… BINOCULARS! – Jaune says with the greatest certainty and conviction of his life. However, it only causes laughter in the whole class while Oobleck stares at him without reaction, drinking his coffee. Bleke hits his own face while Pyrrha shrinks in her seat, the rabbit girl just looks at Jaune with pity for him.

- Very funny, Mr. Arc! Cardin, maybe you want to share your opinions on the subject? - Asks Oobleck, back at his desk, seeing Cardin with his legs on the desk, seeming not to care about the class.

- Well, I know it's easier to train an animal than a soldier. - Comments the bully mockingly, to a disapproving look from the teacher.

- You're not very open-minded, are you, Cardin? - Asks Pyrrha, looking at the bully irritated.

- What? Is there a problem with that? - Asks Cardin with a cynical smile.

- Yes! Faunos are not animals and you should stop thinking that way! - Comments Jaune, turning back to face Cardin, once again Cardin finds himself irritated by the look Jaune gives him.

- Well, at least the Arc boy seems to have his morals in the right place. – Thinks the professor.

- Hump, I know the answer. Night vision, it is known that many faunos have perfect vision even in the dark.– Says Pyrrha, deciding to ignore Cardin.

- Wait, is this serious?! Wow, this is so cool! - Jaune says, excited like a child, to Cardin's irritation and the joy of the fauns in the room, the bunny girl looks at Jaune with a shy smile.

- Heh, cute. - Blake thinks, seeing Jaune's excitement and deciding to continue Pyrrha's reasoning.

- General Lagoon had no experience and made the mistake of trying to corner them while they slept. His huge army was subjugated and the general was captured. - Blake says, earning a nod of approval from Oobleck.

- perhaps, if he paid attention in class, he wouldn't be a huge failure. - Blake says, looking at Cardin, who stands up irritated, seeming to have had enough.

- You… - Cardin clenches his fists, but once again the one he hates challenges him, Jaune also stands up and stands in front of him.

- Are we going to do this again, Cardin? - Jaune asks, looking the older one in the eyes. 

- Mr. Winchester and Mr. Arc, please sit down! - Oobleck says, managing to separate the situation from Jaune's imminent fight with Cardin again, with the two sitting down.

- And I think it would be good for both you, Cardin, and Mr. Arc to stay with me after class for some additional reading. - Oobleck says in front of the two, Jaune sighs discouraged, he had planned to go to one of the simulation rooms to train.

The RWBY team, as well as the JNPR team, left the classroom together.

- You can go, I'll wait for Jaune. - Pyrrha comments to Ren and Nora.

- I'll wait for him too, I need to thank him for defending me from Cardin. - Bleke says.

- Heh, as if someone who is semi-grade 1 needs to be defended. - Yang says with an ironic smile and her hands on her hips.

- Yes! Blake would definitely beat Cardin easily, I mean, I think everyone here beats him easily. - Ruby says.

- We're going to stay too, let's wait for our leader. - Ren says, with his usual calm.

- THAT'S IT! THE FEARLESS LEADER WOULD NOT LEAVE US BEHIND! - Nora shouts, jumping with her usual excitement.

- You all must have things to do and I think that will take a while... and I also need to talk to Jaune. - Pyrrha says.

- The four of us would go to Vale to buy supplies, I'll send the list of what I want through the scroll, don't worry. - Blake says, everyone looks at each other with doubt but in the end they agree and go to carry out their planned activities.

- You two have been having difficulties in my class since the first day! I don't know if it's a lack of interest or is it just your way, but whatever it is, it has to change! - Oobleck says, finishing his cup of coffee and placing it on the table.

- You were interested and applied to the institute, and we only accept the best of the best. So I hope you start acting like it! – Oobleck says, Jaune was embarrassed with his head down while Cardin had his arms crossed, looking away from the teacher like a bratty child.

- History is important, gentlemen, if we don't learn from it we are destined to repeat it. – Oobleck says.

- Pages 51 to 91! I want a dissertation on my desk by next class! Now you can go. – Says the caffeine-addicted teacher, releasing the two.

Pyrrha and Blake were leaning against the wall talking to each other about sword fighting techniques, until they heard the door opening, with Jaune and Cardin and a white blur that they assumed was Oobleck leaving the room. Cardin pushes Jaune hard, making him fall to the floor and Bleke and Pyrrha quickly react to help the blond boy.

- You know, I'm actually considering breaking his legs. – Pyrrha says seriously.

- I'm supporting her in this decision. – Bleke comments.

- D-Don't get to that point, it's okay, don't get into trouble because of me. - Jaune says, getting up with the help of the two.

- What are you doing here? Weren't you going shopping in Vale? - Jaune asks Bleke.

- Well, I had to thank you for standing in front of me when Cardin threatened to get up, you always do that for people, don't you? - Bleke says with a small smile, Jaune could have sworn he saw the black bow girl's cheeks a little pinker, maybe it was makeup.

- Actually, you could defeat him with your hand behind your back, he's the leader of Grade 3 and you can go to Grade 1 with Pyrrha! Y-you guys are way more amazing than me... ha... everyone is. - Jaune says discouraged, he was doing badly in regular classes and in combat classes, he was a total failure.

But Pyrrha and Bleke thought he was the complete opposite of that, hell, probably everyone on the team thought he was the opposite of that.

- Well... Jaune, I need to talk to you in private... - Pyrrha says looking at the black-haired girl, she understands and nods. 

- I'm going then, just... don't let the hardships get you down, Jaune, there are a lot of people who think you're amazing. - Bleke says, with his hand on the taller man's shoulder and then walking away, disappearing into the Beacon corridors.

- Let's go! - Pyrrha says, pulling Jaune like Ruby usually does, at high speed.

...

The blond knight and the redheaded gladiator meet on the roof of Beacon. Jaune walks to the edge to see how high they are.

- Pyrrha, I know I'm going through a bad time, but I'm not that depressed. - Jaune says casually, looking down.

- I mean, I always have the option of being a farmer or something...

- N-NO! - Pyrrha shouts, interrupting Jaune, understanding what he was saying and pulling him away from the edge of the roof.

- That's not why I brought you here! Jaune, I know you're having trouble in class and that you're not one of the strongest warriors yet, so... I want to help you. - Pyrrha says, Jaune looking slightly discouraged by the idea.

- What?

- We can train here after class, and no one will bother us. - Pyrrha says, excited by the idea.

- Do you think I need help? - Jaune asks, her voice sounding more depressed.

- No! That's not what I meant! - Pyrrha says, getting slightly nervous about the situation.

- But that's what you said.

- Jaune, everyone needs a little push every now and then, that doesn't make you any different from us! You got into Beacon! That shows you're capable!

- You're wrong... I don't belong here...

- What a horrible thing to say, of course you do! - Pyrrha tries to touch Jaune's hand to comfort him, but he throws it away.

- NO! I DON'T BELONG! - Jaune shouts, Pyrrha looks surprised, he never explodes like that with his friends.

- I wasn't really accepted into Beacon...

- What... do you mean? - Pyrrha asks.

- I didn't go to a combat school! I didn't pass the test, I didn't deserve my place in this institute! I lied! - Jaune says turning to Pyrrha, looking her in the eyes, she saw someone scared, sad and tired, tired of failing.

- What... but why?

- Because I always wanted to be here! MY FATHER, MY GRANDFATHER AND HIS FATHER WERE ALL WARRIORS! THEY WERE ALL HEROES! I want to be one too... but... but I was never good enough...

- So... let me help you. - Pyrrha says, almost pleading.

- I DON'T WANT HELP! I-I DON'T WANT TO CAUSE PROBLEMS FOR YOU! I-I DON'T WANT TO BE A BURDEN! I'M TIRED OF BEING THE ADORABLE IDIOT WHO GETS STUCK IN TREES! ALWAYS GETS KNOCKED DOWN FROM THE ARENA! WHILE HIS FRIENDS FIGHT FOR THEIR LIVES AND I CAN'T HELP THEM! – Jaune yells, tears could be seen in his eyes then he stood with his eyes wide open.

- I… won't be able to do anything… to save any of you if you're in danger… - Jaune looks at Pyrrha, that expression broke his heart inside, Jaune was now scared, almost like real despair on his face, as if he had noticed a great terror in his decisions. Pyrrha tries to get closer to him again but he backs away, like a shy dog.

- If… you think it's better this way… - Pyrrha says shrinking, leaving the roof with a sad expression.

Jaune falls to the ground leaning against the wall, he hugs his own legs as tears fall from his eyes.

- Just… just by being here I'm putting them in danger… putting Ren in danger… Nora in danger… Ruby, Weiss, Yang, Blake...Pyrrha… everyone is in danger because they have to take care of an amateur like me and I can't do anything… I need… I need to leave… for them I need to leave…

Chapter Text

Ren stretches and gets out of bed. After Jaune, he is the second one who wakes up the earliest. They decided to have these schedules because of the last... accident.

- Uhm, he hasn't come back yet. He must be training. - Ren thinks. He really admires Jaune for his heroic and hard-working personality. Even though he isn't the best fighter in the school, he believes that Jaune can become one of the best over time.

- I should help him control his aura. It's hard to have good control when you have that absurd amount of Aura. - Ren thinks. He notices that there was a paper on the table. Curious, he goes over to it and starts reading it. His eyebrows furrow as he becomes serious.

- NORA! PYRRHA, WAKE UP! - Ren shouts, loud enough for the two girls to wake up on guard, as if they were being attacked. Nora with a karate fighting stance and Pyrrah using her pillow as a shield and an abjur at her side as a sword.

- WHAT?! LET ME BREAK HIS LEGS! – Nora shouts.

- Ren, what happened? – Pyrrha asks, realizing that it wasn't an attack, he shows the two girls the paper, which seemed to be a letter from Jaune.

"Dear JPNR team mates, I'm sorry but I'm leaving Beacon and never coming back. I forged documents to enter Beacon, I'm not someone trained, I'm not someone strong, someone capable of being your leader. If you're in danger... if any of my friends are in danger I won't be able to help, so in order not to be a burden to anyone I'm leaving, I know you'll all be fine because you're all strong... I admire you all in a way you can't imagine. Nora's cute and exaggerated animation, Ren's stoicism and wisdom, Pyrrha's adorable personality and focus... I wish I could stay with you forever but I'm doing what's best for everyone, I'm sorry and don't look for me.”

- Signed... Jaune... - Pyrrha says, she was in shock, she couldn't believe it, she couldn't believe that Jaune gave up his dreams just because of them.

- I didn't expect this when I woke up... I was thinking about helping Jaune with his aura control... - Ren says, visibly sad about the situation.

- I... what should we do? - Pyrrha asks, the two felt a strong presence behind them, Nora's aura was out of control.

- HOW DARE HE THINK HE'S SOMEONE USELESS! - Nora screams, stomping her feet on the floor. 

- I agree, Jaune may be behind in combat and classes, but it's not at school that his true essence shines, we saw how he fought at initiation. - Ren says, frowning.

- We're going after him. - Pyrrha says, the two look at the gladiator and nod.

- Let's show him that he's not useless.

- And let's bring the fearless leader back to the team!

...

The three members of Team JNPR left for Vale to look for Jaune, they hope it's not too late. They tried to contact him through Jaune's Scroll but he wouldn't respond.

- Let's... it's still early... he definitely hasn't left yet and no Bull Head would be available... I have to find him somewhere. - Pyrrha says, running so fast that it seemed like she had Oobleck's and Ruby's abilities at the same time.

The girl looked everywhere she thought Jaune could be. In a gym, in a comic book store, in an arcade, but he wasn't in any of those.

- Come on... if I were Jaune... where would I... wait... - Pyrrha opens her Scroll and starts searching for places that still sell Pumpkin Pete cereal for breakfast, she finds a single diner that makes an imitation of what the cereal used to be and luckily for her it wasn't too far away.

The girl runs to that location, jumping an avenue over several cars and falling rolling. Following an alley using the nearby walls to jump in a zigzag and climb the wall.

In less than two minutes she was in the cafeteria, and at the table outside there was a familiar blond boy, wearing his armor and with the Crocea Mors on his waist. Pyrrha approaches, walking towards Jaune.

- Does it still taste good? - Asks the red-haired girl, Jaune almost chokes on his food and looks up, seeing Pyrrha.

- Yeah... I think I miss the harmful amount of sugar. - Comments Jaune, Pyrrha sits in front of him.

- Let's go back to Beacon Jaune, you belong to Beacon. - Says Pyrrha.

- I don't belong to Beacon Pyrrha, I won't put you in danger! - Says Jaune with strong conviction, he wasn't here anymore because of insecurity, he was really here because he thought it was necessary.

- Ren and Nora are also looking for you...

- …

- They deserve it Jaune, they're both worried about you, come on... let's talk as a team. – Pyrrha said, extending her hand to Jaune. He reluctantly looked at the gladiator girl's hand, extending his own until his palm was next to Pyrrha's.

…

Jaune was with his team now, the four of them were in a park nearby, and since it was very early, there was no one there. The four of them were sitting on the grass under a tree. Nora was looking at Jaune with an irritated expression, Ren had a mysterious one but didn't take his eyes off Jaune, and Pyrrha was looking at him with concern.

- Ha... I always wanted to be a hero... since I was eight years old, I trained to get stronger, doing push-ups, running, lifting heavy barrels from home, everything to get stronger... my father told me he would train me when I unlocked my aura... - Jaune said, remembering his life.

…

- 99... 100! – Shouts a small Jaune, being 12 years old and jumping up from the ground, he was smiling for finally being able to do 100 push-ups. He was training in the backyard of his house. It was a house in the countryside in a small quiet village.

- Jaune, you seem very dedicated, don't you? – Asks the boy's father, returning from what seemed to be a patrol, as he was wearing his black armor and with his giant sword on his back.

- YES! Because I want to be a hero like you, dad! Like that woman in the white cape who saved me! – Says Jaune throwing his fist in the air.

- Very well, son, when I unlock your aura I will train you personally, understand? – Says the boy's father.

- THAT'S IT! I hope it doesn't take that long... everyone in the family has already unlocked it... - Jaune says a little sadly, the boy's father looks at him with a mysterious expression.

…

Jaune was now fourteen years old.

- BUT WHY?! – Jaune shouted angrily, he was standing in the kitchen with his father in front of him, six girls were at the table of what seemed to be an interrupted dinner.

- Jaune, I'm sorry, but you won't be able to be a Huntsman. – Jaune's father said sternly.

- BUT I'VE BEEN TRAINING FOR YEARS TO BE ONE! W-WHY NOT?!

- YOU HAVEN'T UNLOCKED YOUR AURA, JAUNE, THAT'S WHY! – The man shouted, making the blond child flinch. Jaune's sisters looked at him with pity, but something in them showed that they already knew it would come to this.

- EVEN IF YOU UNLOCKED YOUR AURA TODAY, THERE WOULDN'T BE TIME! YOU'RE TOO LATE TO BECOME A HUNTSMAN! I... I'm so sorry but... but time is up.

- But... but that's not fair... IT'S NOT FAIR! - Jaune falls to his knees on the floor, tears flowing freely from his eyes.

- I don't want to see you like that time... I don't want to see you in the hospital because of my negligence... I don't want to see you killed by a Grimm... Jaune,you are prohibited from being a Huntsman, and you are prohibited from trying to find someone to train you. - Jaune's father says, the boy felt his chest explode, it was like... like being betrayed by his own father.

Later that night, in Jaune's room, the child was lying down unable to sleep, then his door was opened revealing a woman with lighter blonde hair, long hair and black eyes.

- Son... forgive your father... he's just worried about you, he doesn't want to lose anyone else... - Jaune's mother says, sitting on the edge of his bed.

- Mom... do you think... I can become a Huntsman... if I try 20x harder? Or 30x? M-m-maybe 100x? I-I-I can do it… - Jaune is hugged by his mother, he feels the woman shaking and crying.

- Son… I'm so sorry…

…

- That's why I never went to a combat school, that's why I never unlocked my aura, that's why I ran away from home and stole the family heirloom… I really wanted to be a hero… to help people… my selfishness with my dream ended up putting you all in danger… - Jaune says, hugging his own legs, unable to face his team after telling his story.

- It makes sense, someone as determined as you not having gone to a combat academy seemed strange, now it's explained. - Says Ren.

- Now you understand why I have to go…

- No, we understand why you don't need to go Jaune.

- Ren, I don't want you to be nice to me!

- I'm not being nice! - Says Ren, raising his voice, seeming like his calm expression was gone.

- Nora and I are orphans. - Ren says, Jaune looks at them both carefully, he didn't expect that.

- Our home village was destroyed by the Grimms and we only had each other for most of our lives...

- Until now! Jaune, you were the first friend I had after Ren, and also Ren's first friend... when you saved Kai like that, we realized how much we needed someone like you when we were kids... and how we also need you now... Nora doesn't want you to leave Beacon. - Nora says, with her hand on Jaune's knee trying to show some affection.

- I don't want you to leave either, if you need to get stronger Nora can help you, if you need to improve your aura I can help you, if you need to improve your technique Pyrrha can help you, we are a team Jaune, and a team helps each other... - Ren sits a little closer to Jaune on his right side. 

- You were the first person in my life who didn't put me on a pedestal... Pyrrha the perfect girl, Pyrrha the perfect fighter... you only saw me as Pyrrha Nikos, a girl... I'm experiencing the best years of my life thanks to you, I have friends, I go to school, I deal with bullies... it's all... so normal... I never had this... Jaune... you helped us all... let us help you too... you were never useless. - Pyrrha says holding Jaune's right hand, he was getting emotional again.

- You are our fearless leader! And also our hero! - Nora says, with her contagious excitement.

- And you will always be our hero, because that's how you are. - Ren says with a small smile. 

- Guys... I-I-I... I... I just... thank you... thank you so much... - Jaune was crying openly now, his friends and teammates gave him a group hug, staying like that for a while until Jaune managed to compose himself, wiping the tears with his arm.

- Let's go, fearless leader! Let's go back to Beacon! - Nora said, standing up first, stretching.

- Not having you with us would be a tragedy. - Pyrrha said, standing up next to Ren.

- After all, who else would humiliate Cardin in front of so many people? - Ren asked in a joking tone, making Jaune laugh lightly. The blond knight stood up, grabbing the handle of Crocea Mors.

- Yes, let's go back to Beacon. - Jaune said with a bright and renewed smile, following his team. 

- Dad... Mom... I don't hate you, I know you did what you thought was right but... now I have people who believe in me, who trust that I can be better... and I'm going to try 10x, 20x, 30x harder than anyone else so I don't disappoint my friends, I'm going to become a Huntsman, I'm going to become a hero. - Jaune thinks, walking behind everyone on his team, seeing Ren, Nora and Pyrrha as inspiration to rekindle his greatest weapon. 

His unbreakable determination.

Chapter Text

- Argh... Pyrrha really wasn't joking about taking my training seriously. - Jaune thought, straightening his spine as he walked to his room. 

He had started training with the gladiator girl, while Nora helped him at the academy as a ruthless general and Ren helped him with his aura control with all the meditation and monk stuff. Juane was taking it seriously because his team was giving up their time to help him and he wouldn't let them down.

Jaune stopped walking when he saw something strange. It was Ruby outside his dorm. She was sitting on the floor with her back against the wall next to the door. She looked thoughtful and sad.

- Hey Rubes. - Jaune said, waving to the girl, making her jump slightly in fright but calm down when she saw Jaune's figure.

- Hey Jaune... why are you wearing your armor and weapon? - Asked the girl with black eyes, looking at him confused. 

- I was training with Pyrrha, believe me... I hope I never catch her in combat matches, she is RELENTLESS! - Jaune says, cracking his spine again, making Ruby laugh lightly.

- Hehe, you're always trying hard, aren't you, Jaune... you know, I wanted to be like you... - Ruby says. Jaune was taken aback by his friend's words. She wanted to be like him? What do you mean? How could someone as strong, cool and talented as Ruby want to be like him?

- Hey Ruby, that doesn't even make sense, you're amazing, why would you want to be like me? - The knight asks, sitting down next to Ruby.

- Do you remember what I said before the initiation? That being a heroine like in the books was one of my goals for being a Huntress... in the cafeteria... when Cardin was bothering that girl I didn't do anything, I was always taught by my father not to get into trouble at school so I just... followed that, I wonder how many times I stopped helping some innocent person because of that... the only person who acted was you Jaune, you who are always showing yourself to be a real hero... while I'm nothing like that... - Ruby says, she shrank more into herself.

- Ruby... - Jaune stared at her without knowing what to say, she was saying too much about him, they all were.

- I forged documents to get into Beacon.

- W... what?

- Yes Ruby, that's true, I never went to a combat school and I was never properly trained either, I mean, I may have trained by myself but that's not much. - Jaune says, he looked Ruby in the eyes, she knew he wasn't lying. 

- That was wow, like I would never have imagined that. - Ruby says.

- Heh, I'm flattered by that, I was going to tell you and your team tomorrow but I'm telling you now so you realize that I'm not perfect, what I did is a crime and it's irresponsible and I think... I think I'm like that most of the time, you know? I have things to improve and so do you... I-I can say that I want to be like you too. - Jaune says a little shy.

- R-really? -Ruby asks, having someone like Jaune refer to her as an inspiration makes her chest warm in a way that Ruby doesn't understand.

- Yes! I mean, you came here so young! You're a strong and adorable girl! And when you talked to Blake about being a heroine, I could see someone that I would look up to, no, that I look up to! I agree with you, we can make our happy endings! We can make everyone in the world have a happy ending! That's what Huntsmen and Huntresses should train for. – Jaune says, Ruby looks at him in amazement at his words about her, especially coming from someone like Jaune.

- Heh, so let's make a promise here, Jaune! From today on, you're going to be the best Huntsman you can be and I'm going to be the best heroine I can be! – Ruby says, standing up and offering a fist to Jaune.

- You can be sure! We're going to achieve our goals, Rubes! – Jaune says, bumping his fist with Ruby's fist, confirming the promise of the leader of team JNPR with the leader of team RWBY.

…

- YOU WHAT?! – Weiss shouts in the cafeteria, Blake had to quickly cover the girl's mouth so she wouldn't reveal anything too much.

- Yes, it's true, I forged documents to get into Beacon, now you know why I'm so weak, I thought you deserved to know that. - Jaune says.

- That's weird, man... like, you think you're the craziest person about training here, why did you forge the documents? - Yang asks.

- I never went to school because my father wanted to train me himself, however, since I never unlocked my aura until the initiation, my father prohibited me from being a Huntsman, even though I trained my physical and combat skills on my own, it kind of wasn't enough. - Jaune says.

- That makes sense, sorry for the language but your parents were jerks, Jaune. - Blake comments, looking up from her book, staring at the blonde.

- I-it's okay! They only did what they thought was right to keep me safe but... but I really want to be a Huntsman, it's my dream... I hope you can understand. – Jaune says, slightly afraid of how Team RWBY would view him.

- Fine by me! You'll just have to work three times harder than all of us to catch up! And you already kind of do that. – Yang says, radiant as always.

- Just the fact that you're dealing with Cardin and people who are racist towards Faunus makes me believe that you're essential as a Huntsman, we need Huntsmen like that. – Blake comments.

- You're incredible! In fact, it's even a surprise to us that you forged your documents, so I agree that you have to stay, Jaune.- Ruby says.

 Everyone looks at Weiss, who stares at Jaune with a serious and demanding expression. Jaune swallows hard, afraid of the lecture he would receive from the Schnee girl.

- Look here, Jaune, what you did was illegal, reckless, suicidal, and idiotic! You could have died for nothing! How could you come to Vale so unprepared?! You could have looked for someone to unlock your aura! Even if you didn't know if it was possible to accomplish such a feat, you should have researched more! - Weiss shouted, Jaune cried in fear at each angry word from the girl.

- However... I sympathize with your and your family's situation, and whether you like it or not, you passed the initiation, something that many who trained in schools didn't manage to do, and that's what matters, you earned your place in Beacon... b-but don't do anything reckless again, okay?! - Weiss said with her arms crossed, trying to remain polite, but her concern for Jaune was evident, he just gave her a slight smile.

- Guys... thank you for believing in me, I swear I won't let you down!

- You've never let us down, Jaune. - Pyrrha said next to the knight.

- Yes! Except for when you tried to run away from school, then you really let us down! Don't do that again or I'll break your legs. – Nora says, the last part sounding frighteningly threatening.

- Did you try to run away? – Blake asks.

- Hey, hey, hey, if it isn't the activist for the rights of the faunos of Beacon! – A female voice says, when both teams perform it they see four figures coming towards them.

- Coco please... don't do this! – Says the bunny girl that Jaune saved one day, trying to pull Coco away by pulling her arm, but it didn't seem to work.

- Are you... talking to me? Are you sure? I'm not an activist. – Jaune says pointing to himself doubtfully, he looks back to see if any of his friends respond.

- It's just a way of speaking... Jaune right? I'm Fox Alistar. – Says one of the team members, having red hair at the back being short but with long bangs that almost covered his left eye, he had no visible pupils.

- My name is Yatsusashi Daichi, it's a pleasure to meet the one who defended Velvet from the bullies. – Says a tall man with oriental features. He had very short black hair and black eyes.

- Coco Adel, leader of the CFVY team (Coffe), my Velvet here told us how her knight in silver armor saved her from some shitty bullies here. – Says Coco, a woman with short brown hair and brown eyes. She wore sunglasses and a black beret.

- Technically speaking, Jaune being a knight in shining silver armor is not even a nickname, it's just a fact. – Comments Weiss.

- Look at Jaune, he was promoted from Vomit Boy to stud! - Yang says in the background with a provocative and suggestive tone in her voice.

- YANG! W-WELL I didn't do anything, I just got beaten up actually... but I don't remember seeing your team at the end of initiation. - Jaune comments with a thoughtful expression looking at the four.

- That's because we're definitely not a second-year team. - Fox says with an ironic tone, making Jaune's mouth drop open.

- WHAT?! YOU'RE A SOPHOMORE?! YOU COULD HAVE FINISHED CARDIN?! WHY DO YOU ACCEPT THAT?! - Jaune asks hysterically to the bunny girl.

- W-well... people like that always scare me a lot... - The girl says getting a little closer to Jaune. 

- Hey, you don't need to be afraid, if you're strong you have to show who's boss! In that situation I bet you wouldn't get into trouble with Ozpin. - Jaune says.

- According to Beacon's rules, acting in self-defense is not punishable, only the aggressor would be punished. - Ren says quickly looking at the rules on his Scroll and showing them.

- And even if it wasn't! Next time break his legs! - Nora shouts.

- You have lively friends Jaune Arc, but I think Velvet has to tell you something. - Coco says patting Velvet on the back, making her let out an "Eep" getting very close to Jaune awkwardly, playing with her fingers while the knight looks at her confused.

- This sounds like one of the scenes from those books you read, doesn't it Blake? - Ruby asks, the mere mention of it makes Blake shiver and blush deeply for being caught.

- I-I don't know what you're talking about! 

- The protagonist even reminds me of Jau-

- STOP IT! - Blake shouts, interrupting Yang.

- So your name is Velvet? - Jaune asks, wanting to start the conversation.

- Y-yes! Velvet Scarlatina! I-I wanted to thank you properly for saving me from Cardin... I'm sorry for making you get hurt so much because of me... I could really fight back against him but I was in shock. - Velvet says, unable to look Jaune in the eye, she feels him touch her shoulder and almost jumps at the touch.

- Hey, relax okay? We all have our weaknesses, I think it shouldn't be a secret anymore that I'm the weakest Grade 4 hahaha, the important thing is that you're okay, but it's important to work on that okay? Next time I'd really like to see your fist in Cardin's face. - Jaune says jokingly.

- Hehe of course, a-a-also thanks for saying my ears are cute! N-no one but my team says that and, I'm a little ashamed of them sometimes. - Velvet says, stroking one of her own ears because she's a little nervous.

- I didn't lie about that! I think they're really cute. - Jaune says, touching Velvet's ear and petting it.

Team CFVY, along with JNPR and RWBY, were totally surprised by Jaune's action. Blake almost dropped her jaw to the floor, dropping her book, Yang had the biggest smile she'd ever had, having a lot of fun with the situation and the possible provocations she would make later. Weiss looked like an offended high-class lady with her hand on her chest. Ren just stared at his leader in disbelief while Ruby, Nora and Pyrrha didn't seem to understand.

- Wow, I didn't know you were such a flirt, Jaune, but I can't give Velvet to you so easily~ - Coco comments provocatively.

- What? What do you mean? - Asks the confused knight. 

- Wait, you don't know what you're doing? - Yatsusashi asks.

- Am I petting Velvet's ears?

- THAT'S RIGHT! DO YOU KNOW WHAT PETTING A FAUNOS ANIMAL PART MEANS, JAUNE?! - Blake shouts, getting up from the table.

- N-NO?! DID I-DID I DO SOMETHING WRONG?! I-I-I'M SORRY! I DIDN'T KNOW! - Jaune said in fright, taking his hands off Velvet's ears to see if she was okay. The bunny girl was as red as a tomato, she played even more with her fingers and looked anywhere but at Jaune.

- Jaune, touching a Faunos animal part in a loving way is something very intimate, that usually only couples do. - Ren said, standing up, saying this in Jaune's ear. The knight's cheeks quickly turned pink and he prostrated himself in front of Velvet in an exaggeratedly comical way, banging his head on the floor.

- PLEASE FORGIVE ME! I DIDN'T KNOW! I'M GOING TO COMMIT SEPPUKU! - Jaune screamed, banging his own head on the floor several times until it cracked.

- N-no need for this! Please get up! I-i-it's okay, I won't take it personally... just ask first next time.

- Heeee? Next time is it Velvet? - Coco asks with her face close to her friend's ear, making her face look worse.

- L-L-LET'S GO! N-NICE TO MEET YOU ALL! - Velvet shouts, leaving.

- Let's go to a ramen stand together sometime! - Fox says, waving goodbye.

- Or train together! - Yatsusashi says.

- If you need any help with studying or advice or even looking for a lock to go out to a party, you already know which team to look for. - Coco says, lowering her glasses and winking at both teams, then following her own team.

- Ha... I think I'd rather go through the whole initiation again than go through this again... - Jaune says, sitting back down at the table, exhausted.

- Oh come on, Jaune, you have to admit it was funny. – Pyrrha said, punching Jaune's shoulder, knocking him out of his seat.

- Pyrrha…

- I know, I know, weak punch… I'm sorry.

Blake sighed in relief that this was over, it really was a very strange scene to watch, even more so being a secret Faunus. She even wondered if she would let Jaune pet her cat ears, but that led her to another thought.

- Should I tell him? How will he react knowing that I was from the White Fang…

Chapter Text

- Ahm… Nora… is that really necessary? – Jaune asks a little shyly. He was with Nora at Beacon's Gym, but the hyperactive redhead girl from his team was observing Jaune from the bottom up, surrounding him and checking every muscle in his body in detail.

- Of course, I need to know how your body developed so I can understand what we can work on better, soldier! – Nora answers, analyzing Jaune's calf with one eye closed and the other almost popping out.

- Well… thank goodness it's just us at this time, I guess… - Jaune says, he looks back to see Yatsusahi lifting an absurd amount of weight with two dumbbells, he looks at Jaune and smiles friendly, continuing his own training.

- Right, Jaune boy! I've come to the conclusion that although you have a strong and attractive body, you certainly don't have a good diet, am I right? – Nora asks, seeming to finish her analysis and standing up quickly. 

- What? Do i need a diet? I thought i just needed to lift weights… - Jaune says, scratching the back of his head.

- Hahahaha of course not, silly, your diet determines a lot how your muscles will evolve and even how your aura will work!

- Nora… didn't you like, eat a tower with fifty pancakes yesterday? - Jaune asks.

- Are you Nora, soldier?

- N-no?

- THEN DON'T USE NORA AS AN EXCUSE!

- Y-Y-YES, MA'AM! - The knight shouts, frightened and saluting.

- Great, besides, you unlocked your aura at initiation, right, fearless leader? You have physical strength above most because you trained your whole life without your aura being able to support you in weightlifting, you trained the classic way! Just like the ancient gladiators! - Says the hyperactive girl, doing bodybuilding positions to demonstrate her point.

 - Well, I can't train like that now, I guess.

- Not exactly. What we're going to do isn't going to be the aura to boost our strength, but rather to heal ourselves from the exercises. – She says with a big smile to Jaune.

- … What? We're not going to literally fight or anything like that, are we? – Jaune asks.

- Of course not, Jaune! But when we train to our limit, the muscle fibers are broken down and then replaced by stronger fibers! What we're going to do is train beyond our limit and in the intervals we're going to use them to focus on healing the body! That way, you'll have a fast and efficient strength progression! But of course, it's going to be extremely uncomfortable and with a lot of pain. Do you think you can keep up with me, fearless leader? Hehehehe. – Nora says, with a provocative smile hidden by one of her hands that was on her mouth. Jaune blinks a few times but gives a big smile showing his teeth.

- You bet I'll keep up with you! Show the way general! But… how do you know so much about all this if you and Ren have been on the road most of your lives? – Jaune asks.

- Oh, Jaune, you fool! I used to train using tree trunks and large boulders! If you want, we can train like this in the Emerald Forest! – Nora says, blinking her eyes quickly with an “innocent” face that Jaune knew was a facade.

- I-I’m fine! L-l-let’s train here.

…

At the moment, Jaune was with Ren in his team’s room. Pyrrha and Nora were out so they could give the two male members time for Jaune’s aura training, which was basically meditation at the moment. Jaune was trying to concentrate, but he had never tried meditation in his life, but he would keep trying, but of course, for someone as attentive as Ren he could see Jaune’s difficulty in practicing this.

- Jaune, you need to regulate your breathing and gradually let your mind go blank. – Ren comments.

- Hah... man, who would have thought that doing nothing would actually be so difficult... - Jaune said, letting his arms fall, for some reason he really felt tired, even though he was just sitting on the floor with his legs crossed.

- It's going to be difficult for you, even though you have no experience in meditation, your aura is a big problem. - Ren said.

- Seriously? I thought that the more aura a huntsman had, the better he would be. - Jaune said, looking at his arms and around him, where his aura was.

- Not exactly Jaune, everything has its pros and cons, even having a gigantic amount of aura. The bigger a person's aura, the harder it is for them to control it efficiently, and the harder it will be for them to achieve that. - Ren said, getting up from the floor. 

- For example, I have a hundred of aura and you have six hundred, if I perform the aura blade movement like this. - Ren says, moving his open hand in a half-moon cut, and his hands producing a small aura blade that flies through the air.

- I'm going to spend, let's say, 5 of my aura, now if you try to perform the same movement you'll spend around 90. - Ren says.

- WHAT?! DAMN BUT IT'S THE SAME MOVEMENT AND STILL I'M GOING TO SPEND THAT MUCH?! - Jaune asks, shouting in surprise and at the absurdity of Ren's example.

- That's what the term efficiency of aura use means, there's no point in having an absurd amount of aura if you're going to spend all that amount with simple movements, that's why you need to train your control, as soon as you train it we'll be able to advance to more advanced levels of how to fight with aura. – Ren says, he notices Jaune looking down a little discouraged.

- You're the best in aura control in our class, Ren, do you think I can achieve that?

- Would you like to hear a proverb that I think suits you a lot, Jaune? – Ren asks, kneeling down before Jaune, the blond knight looks at his only male friend with curiosity.

- For every effort there are fruits, a lot of talk only produces hardship. – Ren says.

- What... does that mean?

- It means that if you keep trying, you'll get results. They can be small or big, but you'll get results. But if you give up, you'll never see any results. - Ren says, getting up and sitting back on the floor in a meditation posture.

- Shall we go? – Ren asks his leader.

- Let's go. – Jaune says, nodding, closing his eyes, trying to meditate and control his aura again.

…

It was night and now it was time for Jaune to train with Pyrrha. The Mistral gladiator was on guard, with Miló and Akoúo ready for combat. Just like Jaune, he had his armor and the Crocea Mors in his hands.

- Ready when you are, Jaune. – Pyrrha says in a friendly way.

- Don't be fooled by her sweet voice, Jaune, who's in front of you... IS A DEMON! – The knight screams internally, advancing with his shield on guard.

The knight and leader of team JNPR tries to advance with a piercing attack from his sword, but Pyrrha manages to deflect it with her shield easily and tries to attack Jaune with a slash from below, which Jaune manages to block easily. But the Mistral champion moves quickly and kicks Jaune's shield hard, causing him to be dragged back by the force of her blow.

- Damn, where is she?! – Jaune thinks, looking ahead and seeing that Pyrrha was nowhere to be seen.

- Hello again! – Pyrrha says with a joking tone, hitting Jaune from behind, making him stagger forward, the blow was not serious so it did not pierce the defense of his aura, after all it was just sparring.

Jaune turns around and comes face to face with Mistral's champion and the two begin to exchange blows with their blades, with Pyrrha clearly managing to pressure Jaune.

- It's like she always knows where to attack... always how to move... how does she do that?! - The knight thinks, gritting his teeth at the difficulty of defending himself.

Pyrrha manages to get close enough to Jaune to land a piercing blow on the iron chest of his team leader, throwing him back with force, making Jaune fall to the ground, but the blond quickly gets up.

- Can you notice anything in the way I fight, Jaune? - Pyrrha asks, jumping slightly in the same place, Jaune looks at her confused.

- Well, let's continue then! - Pyrrha says, throwing Miló in Jaune's direction, who doesn't know if it was luck or not, but he swings his arm with the shield, opening them and deflecting Pyrrha's spear back in her direction. But that didn't seem to bother the redhead much, who just caught her spear in the air with ease, almost as if she had changed its direction.

- Interesting... - Jaune thinks, running towards Pyrrha with his shield raised, he crouches down trying to make a horizontal cut on the girl's legs, but once again she had disappeared and reappeared next to Jaune.

- Damn! - Jaune tries to get up but Pyrrha's blade was at his neck.

- It was a good match, Jaune! The swing of your blade is getting better, and you seem to advance with less fear. - Pyrrha says.

- Arf... thanks Pyrrha, wow, trying to keep up with you is so tiring! You really are incredible. - Jaune says, falling to the ground on his back.

- I-it's nothing, y-you're improving really fast, if you keep this up until the end of this year you'll have already caught up to all of us. - Pyrrha says, twirling the strands of hair near your ear with your fingers.

- Heh, of course not, you'll have gotten stronger by the end of the year. - Jaune said, standing up with a quick "kip up". 

- Not exactly Jaune, of course we'll get stronger, but it's much easier for someone who's just starting to train now to evolve than for someone who's been training for years to evolve. The stronger you get, the harder it becomes to get stronger. - Pyrrha said. 

- Uhmmm, I think I can understand, I just can't understand how you disappeared and reappeared out of nowhere behind me! Tell me how you do it! - The knight said, genuinely curious, bringing his face a little closer to Pyrrha's, making the redhead blush at how close her leader was. 

- Oh, that's easy, you always raise your shield a little above your face when you're defending, which is normal at the time of the attack, but you need to reposition yourself again and be aware of your surroundings. If you block your vision, it's easy for an opponent faster than you to disappear and reappear behind your back. - Pyrrha said.

- Oh, that makes sense, gosh I hadn't noticed this bad habit of mine. - Jaune says looking at his shield, putting it in front of his face and then taking it off, as if he already wanted to train himself to stop this bad habit, which Pyrrha found cute.

- I also want to show you something else, Jaune, which is about footwork. - Pyrrha says, attracting Jaune's attention.

- When you advance in a fight you don't just run towards the person, you need to have footwork, footwork is made so that you are always in a position that is in your favor, for example against fighters like us, who use shields, people will always try to be in the part where we are with our blades because that is where it is easier to attack, you will notice that I was always trying to advance on your right. - Pyrrha says, Jaune remembers this from his current match. 

- Synchronized movements of the feet, always looking for an opening to attack the enemy or counterattack as soon as you dodge a blow, it is never just a movement forward without thinking, it has to become something natural, as if your mind already had it in itself. - Says Pyrrha, demonstrating her movement with great skill while piercing blows with her spear at an imaginary enemy.

- Well... how do you make it look natural? - Jaune asks.

- With practice, that's what I'm here for! I'll turn you into a Mistral Arena champion! - Pyrrha says, pointing to the sky with her spear, making a dramatic pose, and best of all, making Jaune laugh with all the dramatization.

- All I have to do is train, if that's all I'm sure I'll do well with my team's training!

Chapter Text

- Argh... how tiring... and this fight is so boring. - Jaune said, banging his head on the table. It was a fight between Nora and Sky, and the hyperactive girl from team JNPR was cleaning the floor with one of the members of team CRDL.

- Hey Jaune, I'm glad you're not the last in grade 4 anymore. - Ruby said, sitting next to the blond knight, whispering to him.

- Heh, thanks Ruby, I must say it's good to see that I'm evolving.

- But you still have a long way to go, Arc. If you want to reach the level of someone who trained with the best teachers in all of Atlas, you'll need more time and effort. - Weiss said, with the proud and stern tone she had.

- I don't know if I can be as amazing as you, Weiss, but I think I can try. - Jaune said with innocence in his voice, not realizing that Weiss took his compliment well, blushing a little.

- Well... I know your team is training you, but if you want, I can teach you a few things. I mean, training against various types of weapons in combat is an important thing. - Weiss says.

- I agree! You can train with me too, right?! Yes, yes, yes?! - Ruby asks like an excited child, her eyes shining at Jaune with her face almost in her lap.

- S-sure, Ruby! Maybe we can even organize a team training session! - Jaune says.

- Very well, that's enough! Miss Valkyrie, you have a lot of strength and endurance, you advance relentlessly against your opponent, however, advancing too much without thinking can put you in bad situations, although this is not the case. - Glynda says, interrupting Nora and Sky's fight, with the member of Cardin's team on the ground, completely unarmed and clearly beaten by Nora. 

- As for you, Mr. Lark, I think you should start training your strength more. You couldn't compete with Nora for any blows, or maybe since you use a halberd you should try to keep your distance better. - Glynda says. Sky just looks angrily at Nora, who waves innocently at the silver-haired boy.

- Very well, the next ones to fight will be... Jaune Arc versus Yang Xiao Long! - Glynda says, drawing on her scroll the next students to fight in the class, showing Jaune's photo and another photo of Yang.

Jaune looks at the girl with stunning blonde hair a little far from him, next to Blake. She gives him a confident smile and gets up from her chair.

- You can bet I won't go easy on you, Vomit boy! I want to see the results of your training! - Yang says.

- Heh, I hope I last a little longer than last time. - Jaune says, a little uncertain.

The two went to their lockers to prepare for the fight. Jaune wouldn't lie, he's a little afraid of Yang, not as if she wasn't his friend, he'd die for her just like he would for anyone, but in combat classes she got a little more... intense, maybe even Nora could have better self-control than her.

- Come on Jaune, now it's going to be different, you'll be able to do better against her. - Jaune says at his locker, he takes a deep breath finding determination within himself to return to class.

The two blondes were facing each other in Goodwitch's combat room. An excited audience stared at the two anxious for this to begin, after all, whenever Yang fights it was somehow a brutal spectacle and she was against Jaune Arc, who was the joke of the entire Beacon school.

- Good luck Yang. - Jaune says, arming himself with his shield.

- You're the one who's going to need luck, Jaune! - Yang says, getting into a fighting stance with her fists raised. Ember Celica transforming into her gauntlets. 

- I hope Yang doesn't overdo it with Jaune... - Ruby says, a little apprehensive.

- Don't worry about it, the fearless leader can definitely handle her! - Nora says, returning to her place behind Ruby.

- Yes, but the last time they fought well... - Blake says, remembering the photo of Jaune almost crying with Yang advancing on him.

- Come on, Jaune... I know you can show more... - Pyrrha thinks, worriedly watching the fight along with Ruby.

- Are you two ready? - Glynda asks, Jaune and Yang nod their heads positively.

- Very well... FIGHT! - Says the teacher, quickly lowering her arm.

Yang advances towards Jaune, but at the beginning of the fight something she didn't expect happens. Jaune was advancing towards her with his shield raised, no one in the combat class dared to advance so directly against her.

- Want to play? Let's play then Jaune! - Yang thinks, throwing a punch straight at Jaune's shield, making a loud noise of metal, echoing throughout the class.

Jaune makes a move to open his arm, the arm that had the shield, opening Yang's right arm with it and then tries to attack the girl with his sword aiming at her stomach. But Yang uses her other hand to put it in front of Jaune's blade before it hits her stomach, and with the position of her hand she manages to shoot Ember Celica at Jaune's stomach, knocking him back a little.

- Wow, he's really doing well! - Says Ruby with a smile when she sees her friend managing to hold her sister.

- Let's not say anything else, Yang is a very powerful and offensive opponent, while Jaune is someone very resilient and defensive, I think they are both perfect opponents to learn from each other. - Says Ren with his arms crossed, looking at the fight with an analytical look.

Jaune didn't have much time to recover because Yang ran towards him shooting with the shotguns that were in her gauntlets. Jaune raises his shield in defense and runs towards Yang.

- Keep the shield out of sight... - Jaune thinks, seeing where he was advancing towards Yang.

The blonde girl jumps on his shield with both feet, trying to kick Jaune away, but what she finds in this is a dispute of strength at the same level with Jaune trying to throw her out of the arena. In the end, they both fall rolling backwards with each other's strength.

- I must say Vomit Boy. You're definitely stronger! - Says Yang with a big smile, excited about the fight.

- Arf... thanks Yang! I'm doing my best! - Jaune says.

- Then show me everything! - Shouts the blond hurricane, running again towards Jaune, using the shots from his weapon to propel himself without warning towards Jaune, who throws himself to the side with a quick roll. Yang advances on him, but Jaune deflects her punch by hitting his gauntlet with the Crocea Mors, and defends the other punch with his shield.

- I can't keep defending myself... I need to attack, otherwise I'll never win. - Jaune thinks, being pressured by Yang's attacks, he then tries to do as Pyrrha told him, always keep moving.

Instead of defending himself from the punch, Jaune turns his face to the side and attacks with a cut to Yang's rib, surprising the girl, making her stagger. Jaune sees the opportunity and continues his attack by sending a piercing attack with his Blade, an attack that Yang manages to deflect, throwing her entire spine back.

- Gotcha! - Yang says, jumping on Jaune's arm, curling up like a sloth, which distracted Jaune enough for Yang to kick the blond knight in the face with both feet, sending him backwards. The girl falls to the ground and advances on Jaune, positioning her fists on his stomach and firing with both gauntlets at the same time.

- Really... I'm impressed, he's holding his own very well against Yang. - Weiss comments, she watched the conflict attentively with a finger on her chin, showing an analytical and observant stance in the match.

- Yes, but Yang clearly still holds the advantage, if Jaune had a normal amount of aura I'd venture to say he'd already be in the red, luckily his aura is still in the green. - Blake says.

- Come on Jaune... move forward, you're close, you're managing to fight her... LET'S GO! - Jaune shouts internally, getting up despite the pain and advancing on Yang. She exchanges blows with her sword against Yang's fists, the girl tries to give a direct aiming at Jaune's face to shoot with the shotguns of her gauntlets, but Jaune hits with his blade deflecting Yang's blow and kicks her in the chest, he turns his body 360 and aims his cut at Yang's torso who was ready to defend herself, but in the middle of this Jaune crouches making his cut go to her legs, managing to hit both of them at the same time.

- Damn! - Yang thinks, falling to her knees on the ground. She sees Jaune running towards her and quickly, even at a disadvantage, manages to throw her body to the side and grab the arm that Jaune was using the Crocea Mors on. With a blow using Jaune's own strength, she throws her body over his own and throws him to the ground with his back.

- ARGH! - Jaune grunted in pain, using his strength to keep his sword from slipping from his hands. He realizes that Yang had already managed to get up.

- I really think I'm going to have to start taking you seriously, Vomit Boy. - Yang says, hitting her fists together. Jaune is on guard again.

- Footwork... always attack the opponent's gap... - Jaune thinks.

The two blondes clashed their weapons against each other again. Jaune always tried to counterattack Yang when she punched him, knowing that this made it easy for his blade to come in a vertical strike on her torso, but the blonde girl seemed to realize this and always kept one hand steady until she was sure to attack Jaune.

- S-she's managing to attack me more than I'm managing to attack her... I need a plan... - Jaune thought, taking an elbow to his face, followed by a One-two combo from Yang.

Before falling back, Jaune managed to grab Yang's arm and throw the girl. Yang managed to stay on the ground but then noticed Jaune's shield in front of her. She quickly punched him, thinking that Jaune had somehow managed to close the distance, but it was just the shield.

- He... threw the shield... - Pyrrha thought, impressed.

Jaune was behind Yang at that moment.

- The shield was just a distraction. - Blake thought.

- And now he's at the edge of the arena... he can throw her out and win... - Weiss thinks, really impressed with Jaune's strategic reasoning.

- NOW! IT'S MY ONLY CHANCE! - Jaune thinks, grabbing Yang's hair to make her fall out of the arena.

But something happens.

Jaune lets go of Yang's hair because he just burned his hand, he looks at his friend in surprise and realizes that her aura had turned into flames, and her eyes were red.

- DON'T TOUCH MY HAIR! - Yang shouts, advancing at a speed much greater than Jaune was used to, punching him in the face and then giving an uppercut to Jaune's stomach, making him vomit blood and to finish she delivers a cross to Jaune's face, throwing him with great force and speed out of the arena, making him hit one of the marble pillars on the walls of the room, breaking it with the force with which he was thrown and then falling to the ground. Yang seems to come to her senses and looks horrified at what she just did to Jaune.

- THAT'S ENOUGH! - Glynda says, stepping in front of Yang.

- I must remind you, Miss Xiao Long, that this is just sparring, you shouldn't overdo it and beat your opponent until he becomes unconscious. - Glynda says with a stern look at Yang.

- I didn't... I didn't mean to... - Yang just stares, seeing Ren and Pyrrha running to Jaune to see if he was okay, the boy had blood in his mouth and was unconscious, she attracts looks of disapproval and irritation from Ren and Pyrrha.

- You two take Jaune to the infirmary, this was our class's last fight, you are dismissed. - Glynda says.

The students began to get up and leave the room. Cardin gives a satisfied look at the unconscious Jaune, laughing with the rest of his team as he leaves the classroom. Leaving Yang on her knees in the middle of the stage. She then sees her entire team in front of her.

- Guys... I didn't mean to do this, I swear... I just... I...

- It doesn't matter what you wanted, Yang, you're going to have to apologize to Jaune and his team later, you could have seriously hurt him with that! - Ruby said with her arms crossed, Yang had to admit, seeing her sister really mad at her hurt a lot.

- You shouldn't go easy on Jaune in sparring, but that wasn't not going easy, that went beyond sparring, if it had been a less resilient student than him, you could have killed him! And why?! That wasn't professional conduct. - Weiss said.

Yang looked at Blake, seeking a look of mercy, but the taciturn girl in the group just stared at her angrily, she always seemed to have a strange attachment to Jaune that she didn't understand, but she knew she was wrong. Being left alone in the room, she knew she was wrong.

...

- Ugh... damn, I think I must have taken another beating. – Jaune thought, regaining consciousness and realizing that he was lying on the school infirmary bed. Little by little, he began to remember the game he had with Yang, which made him appear in the infirmary.

- Why did she… seem so angry that I touched her hair?

Chapter Text

Yang stretches in her bed, being the first of team RWBY to wake up. Since she took a long time in the bathroom, she made sure to wake up early so as not to disturb her friends. The blonde girl from team RWBY gets up and heads to the bathroom, taking off her pajamas and starting to take a morning shower. She had a lot of hair products, she always left it shiny and in the best possible shape. However, now she took a lock of her blonde hair and looked thoughtful and a little sad.

- I have to apologize to Jaune soon... but... does he really want an apology from me? I mean, I knocked him out in a brutal way... - Yang says, sighing sadly.

- Hitting someone like that... I've always been like that... damn... what's the difference between me and Cardin if I'm going to keep acting like a bully? - Yang thinks, cringing, just trying to find comfort in the hot water of the shower falling on her back.

...

- Damn, man! Oobleck really is a demanding guy! I have to hand in this essay tomorrow! I should have remembered that and not just trained more than I should have! - Jaune thinks, running through the Beacon corridors, desperate with three books in his arms, he then turns the corner and ends up colliding with someone, with both of them falling to the ground.

- Argh… sorry about that. - Jaune says.

- It's really good! Watch where you're going, you assho… oops… - Yang stops talking, seeing that the one she hit was Jaune, who looks at her curiously, getting up.

- Are you okay, Yang? - Jaune asks, offering a hand to the girl to get up.

- Y-YES! I'M FINE! OH… BYE! - Yang shouts, stuttering with her face in a mess, running as far away from Jaune as she can.

- Ahm… did I do something? - the confused knight thinks.

…

- I'm just saying that she should apologize and fast! - Pyrrha says in a stern voice. She was eating in the cafeteria with her entire team.

- Come on guys, Yang didn't do it on purpose. I think she has something sensitive with her hair and I ended up touching it. – Jaune comments, rolling the spaghetti on his plate.

- Still, Jaune, that's no excuse for her irresponsible behavior, you could have really hurt yourself badly. – Ren replies.

- YES! What she did was nothing, nothing, noooooothing, not at all nice. – Nora adds.

- D-don't be so demanding with her! I-I-I'm sure she's sorry. – Jaune says a little nervously. He hated seeing his friends hurt by each other, but at the moment he didn't know how to solve this.

- Well, then she better apologize to you. – Pyrrha says, not seeming to want to soften about her position in this situation.

- Oh, them over there! Let's solve this! HEY GUYS! – Jaune thanks Oum that he can see Team RWBY in the background, with their plates of food. He stands up and waves his hand at them.

- Ahm… guys, I forgot something in my room, I'll be right back! – Yang says, running off as fast as Ruby.

- Is Yang okay? She's already run off randomly twice today. – Jaune comments, as Team RWB sits down with them.

- Can't you see, Jaune? She's clearly avoiding you! How immature! – Says the heiress of Schnee Industries.

- Avoiding me?! What?! Did I do something wrong?! – Jaune asks, afraid that he's hurt Yang.

- No, Jaune, you didn't do anything wrong, she just doesn't want to be in the same place as you because of what happened. – Ruby says.

- Wow… damn, I must have really pissed her off… I need to sort this out with her. – Jaune says, getting up from his chair. 

- Hey Jaune, sorry to be rude but this time I think Yang should apologize to you. - Blake says, grabbing Jaune's arm before he can go.

- Yes! I think we can all agree on that! - Pyrrha says, excited to have Ruby's team agreeing with her.

- She made you unconscious, Jaune. - Ren says sternly.

- I know but… - Jaune looks down a little nervously.

- I don't care about that, Yang, she's not a bad person, I know that and you all know that, she just might not know how to deal with the situation! I don't mind being the first one to take the first step to solve this… I don't like seeing my friends fighting with each other. - Jaune says, gently letting go of Blake's grip and leaving the cafeteria.

- I'll solve this! And you guys go back to treating Yang nicely too! - Jaune says, giving that confident smile he likes to give to let people know that everything will be okay and then leaving the cafeteria.

- Geez, he's too pure for this world. - Nora says, with an indignant expression. 

…

Yang was in her room with her tray of food, even though she wasn't really that hungry.

- I think it's better for me to be alone here, so I don't hurt anyone. – Yang said to herself, stirring the noodles on her plate. Until she heard someone knocking on the door.

- Guys, I just want to stay…

Yang realized it was Jaune at the door, she tried to close it but the taller blond put his foot in front of her, stopping her.

- Y-YANG! P-please let me in! You're crushing my foot. – Jaune said, his voice in agony. Yang had no choice but to make way for the blond to enter her dorm.

- Well… seeing it up close, it all seems even more dangerous. – The leader of Team JNPR commented, poking at one of the beds suspended by books, he noticed her shaking and moved away.

- What was it, Jaune? I'd rather be alone. – Yang said, sitting back down and focusing on her food. 

- Yang… - Jaune was afraid of making things worse, but he wouldn't let a friend suffer like that over something so trivial.

- Look… I'm sorry for touching your hair during the match, okay?

- W-WHAT?! – Yang shouts, surprised by the words that came from Jaune.

- Yes, I apologize, I didn't know that your hair was really that important to you up to that point, I mean, I know you take good care of it and I can see that because it's beautiful, but you get it… I hope you can forgive me. – Jaune says, a little embarrassed, scratching the back of his head.

- J-JAUNE?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN?! I-I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE APOLOGIZING TO YOU! – Yang shouts.

- W-well, now you have your chance then. – Jaune says with an understanding smile, Yang realizes what she said.

- This… is deeper than just the match we had, right? – Asks the knight, taking the risk of sitting next to the girl on her bed. Luckily, she didn't seem to protest Jaune's approach.

- right…

- If you don't want to talk, that's fine. We can stay here. I can keep you company while you eat! Or we can talk about whatever you want.

- Heh, you're really kind… I was just scared… - Yang says.

- Scared? You? – Jaune says, with a surprised expression.

- Yes… I was afraid that you would be scared of me, and that would gradually make your team distance themselves from me… and consequently from Team RWBY… I would have ruined our entire friendship just because of this stupid fight with my hair… - Yang says. Jaune just decided to listen to the girl's outburst, then he would say his point.

- I can be outgoing, Jaune. Talking to people is pretty easy for me, but you know that phrase? Easy comes easy go? So... when I... sometimes overdid it in Signal, in combat classes... people would abandon me or get scared of me. I have to say that I even liked the reputation of being feared for being strong, heh... but it ended up being a bad thing... that I would always have only superficial friendships. - Yang says, playing with the noodles on her plate, not really wanting to eat them.

- And so you think that because we became friends easily, I would leave you because of that? - The knight asks. Yang just nods positively with her expression.

- Yang... I will never abandon you. - The confidence and conviction in Jaune's voice caught the girl off guard, and this specific phrase sent a shock through her entire body, but which was then filled with a strange comfort, coming from Jaune's hand on her shoulder. 

- People make mistakes, Yang, I know that more than anyone, I would never stop being your friend just because of a mistake, or be afraid of you because of what happened in combat class.

- But it could... happen again...

- And I'll pull your ear whenever necessary for you to improve, I bet your team, Ruby will do the same thing to you! You don't need to distance yourself from us just because of a mistake, we can help you improve, just like all of you always help me improve! That's what friends do. - Says Jaune.

- ... My hair looks like my mother's hair. - Says Yang.

- Huh?

- My father told me that my hair looked like my mother's, and that made me happy, because I had, I miss my mother... I still look for her whereabouts because I know she's alive... I started taking better care of my hair because my father was always happy to see it, so I ended up getting attached... to mother and my father... I'm sorry for punching you like that. – Yang says, raising her eyes and staring at Jaune.

- It's okay Yang, I won't touch your hair again, I promise! And you'll be able to find your mother, we can help you if you need it. – Jaune says.

- Heh, relax, I think I'm allowed to touch my hair. – Yang says, hugging Jaune tightly. Jaune takes a while to react but returns the hug to the blonde girl.

- Come on, don't be afraid, you can pet me, I need it. – Yang says in a playful tone, Jaune gives a light laugh and caresses the top of the blonde girl's head.

- Wow... I hadn't noticed during the fight, but they're so soft... it must be because I was wearing gloves. – Jaune says, stroking Yang's blonde hair as if he was hypnotized by the feeling of it on his fingers.

- Uhmmmm~ I can tell why Ruby likes you, damn you have the best hugs. – Yang says, snuggled up to Jaune. She was even starting to feel sleepy in the arms of the group's knight. Maybe it was Jaune's words telling her that he would never abandon her, but she felt really safe with him, even though he was stronger.

- Yang? – Ruby opens the dorm door, being with Blake and Weiss, they came face to face with the scene of Jaune and Yang hugging each other in bed, with Jaune stroking the blonde girl's hair, which was a big surprise for Ruby. She would never let anyone other than her family touch her hair.

- Wow... does this mean you've made up? – Ruby asks.

- G-g-guys! I-it's not what you think! – Jaune says, jumping up and blushing, thinking that they might think he was doing something else with Yang.

- Heeeeh, wouldn't that be Vomit Boy? Am I not that attractive to you? – Yang asks, sticking her tongue out playfully at Jaune, leaning closer to him. 

- I-IT'S NOT THAT YANG! IT'S JUST THAT T-THEY CAN THINK OF SOMETHING ELSE!

- What things? Can you tell me? I'm completely innocent of what you mean. – Yang says, feigning obvious innocence while “flirting” with Jaune, who was getting more and more desperate with his own words.

- Yeah, I think they managed to make up. – Blake says.

- Hmm, I still maintain my opinion that should have come from her but… it's good that everything is resolved. – Weiss says.

Chapter Text

- Yes, students, the Eternal Autumn Forest is truly beautiful. - Glynda Goodwitch says. She was walking through the crimson forest with the first-year students of Beacon. It was truly a peculiar sight, with the dog grass being the same red color as Ruby's cape, and the leaves of the trees the same red color.

- But we didn't come here to stroll! Professor Peter asked you all to collect samples right in the middle of the forest. And I'm here to make sure no deaths occur during this task. - The teacher says, stopping moving and turning to the students, who stood alert like soldiers, waiting for her to finish speaking.

- Each of you must collect a vial full of red sap, but this forest is full of Grimm creatures, so stay close to your classmates. We'll meet back here at four o'clock. - Glynda says, releasing each of the teams to make their collections.

…

- Shit, man, this is giving me a bad itch. – Jaune says, filling his jar, but small bubbles start to appear on his skin as he does so.

- Uhm… I think you're allergic to this sap. – Ren says, crouching down next to Jaune and looking at his hands.

- Yeah, I think I noticed that! Man, that itch is so damn bad! I'd give anything to stop it. – Jaune says, scratching his arm like crazy

- Here, Jaune, let me get the rest of the sap for you, you better go wash your hands in a river. – Pyrrha says, taking Jaune's jar, which was half full.

- O-okay, ugh… thanks Pyrrha, you're my guardian angel. – Jaune says, running quickly to try to find a river. Not noticing the shy smile and little jumps that Pyrrha gave in happiness because of the way Jaune called her.

…

- But what for… do we need so many jars Cardin? – Asks Russel, frowning, holding four jars full of sap, along with Dove and Sky.

- Because we're finally going to get revenge on that show-off team. – Cardin says irritably.

- Didn't you want to get revenge on Jaune? – Asks Sky.

- He just disappeared, and since we can't find him, we're going to do better. That Yang girl, did you see how much she hated Jaune touching her hair? Hehe, I bet if we ruin him with that sap, it'll be hilarious! – Says the leader of the CRDL team with a wicked smile on his face, climbing a small hill with the CRDL team.

…

- These things are harder to wash than they look. – Says Jaune, rubbing his arm, but it seemed like the sap wouldn't come off at all.

- Huh? That's Cardin, and isn't his team? Why do they need so many jars? – Jaune thinks confused, he looks down the hill where they were and realizes that Ruby and Yang were together, talking while the reaper of their group was collecting the rest of her sap. From Jaune's sign language he can see that something was wrong, Cardin was pointing at Yang and Ruby, with Russel and Dove jokingly aiming with one of their hands.

- SHIT! – Jaune screams internally, realizing what was about to happen.

- What is it Rubes? We just reconciled, wasn't that what you wanted? – Yang asks, taking the sap from the tree that was dripping into her jar.

- I know Yang and it's okay with that! But you never let anyone touch your hair! That was like, wow, I couldn't believe it when I saw it. – Ruby says.

- What? Are you jealous, huh? – Yang says, turning to Ruby with a provocative smile.

- What?! Jealous for what?! Jaune is just my friend! – Ruby says blushing, stamping her foot on the floor in frustration like a child.

- Heeeeh? Come on, little sister, you don't have to be so hurt! Let's have some healthy sisterly competition! – Yang says, giving Ruby a playful hug, who was trying to get free by slapping Yang on the head.

- WATCH OUT! – Jaune shouts, scaring Ruby and Yang, throwing himself on top of the two and knocking them to the ground a little far from where they were, preventing Ruby and Yang from getting soaked with the tree sap.

- What the?! How did that fall?! – Yang asks in surprise, seeing the giant puddle of red liquid on the grass. The trio looks up and notices Cardin and his team looking frustrated at their failed attempt at a “prank”.

- CARDIN! – Jaune shouts, getting off Yang and Ruby and running towards the bully.

- Jaune! It looks like Cardin tried to screw us over, sis. – Yang says, offering a hand to Ruby to get up.

- They won't escape this time! Let's help Jaune! – Ruby says, ready to follow the leader of Team JNPR. Until she and her sister hear roars coming from behind and in front. It was a group of Grimms, Beowolfs and Ursais, about ten of each type. 

- Tsk, I think we're going to get busy now, Rubes. - Yang says, putting on her gauntlets.

- Let's finish them off and help Jaune. - Ruby says, taking the growing Rose off her back and putting it in the form of a scythe.

…

- CARDIN! - Jaune shouts, having climbed that hill, catching the CRDL team on the way down.

- You don't want to mess with me now, Jaune boy, you ruined the best revenge possible! - Cardin shouts, taking the front of his team, coming face to face with Jaune.

- Revenge?! Dude, get real, look at your age and look at what you're doing! You could have caused something bad in this! What if they had allergies?! It could give them anaphylactic shock! What if a Grimm attacked when their eyes were blind?! Don't you think about it?! You have the potential to be a great Huntsman and you still act like a child! – Jaune says irritably, advancing on Cardin, pointing his index finger at the taller man's chest.

- P-potential? – Cardin thinks.

- You're just one Jaune, and there are four of us, don't think we're going to let you talk to our leader like that. – Russel says, standing next to Cardin, Sky and Dove do the same.

- Cardin, you will NOT hurt my friends, do you understand?! – Jaune says, his voice very thick and threatening, his aura emanating from his body showing Cardin that he wasn't joking.

- JAUNE! – Cardin shouts angrily, ready to fight Jaune.

However, a guttural roar attracts the attention of the five, a group of six Ursas appeared running towards them from the right side of that hill they were on.

- Damn it, everyone run away! – Cardin shouts to his team, who obey the order without question, fleeing from that attack of Ursais. Jaune also decides not to fight. He was getting stronger, but he knew he couldn't fight against six Grimms of that level. He wouldn't fight, at least not until...

- DAMN IT!

Jaune heard Cardin behind him. He looked back and realized that the bully had tripped and fallen to the ground. A Ursa ran toward him and got up with a threatening roar, ready to fall with her teeth on Cardin's flesh.

- NO! - The bully screamed, scared, putting an arm in front of his face, just waiting for the inevitable to happen.

But Cardin didn't feel the bear's fangs in his flesh, but there was the sound of metal colliding with something. He opened his eyes and realized that Jaune had defended the Grimm's bite with his shield.

- CARDIN! FIGHT! - Jaune screamed, slashing upwards, aiming for the Grimm's neck, but ended up cutting only superficially. Another Ursa charged at Jaune, throwing him against a tree.

Cardin was scared, his heart was beating fast, he had almost experienced death if it weren't for his arch-enemy from school protecting him. He was in shock, he couldn't even grab his mace, The Executioner on his back to be able to react

- CARDIN! - Jaune rolls to the left, dodging another attack from an Ursai and attacks by cutting off one of its hind legs with the blade of the Crocear Mors. He tries to run towards Cardin, but an Ursai appears in front of him and stands up on two legs roaring. Jaune just runs fearlessly towards the Ursa with the ability, slides under it, managing to cut where the blade of the Crocea Mors reached its belly.

- CARDIN! – Jaune appears in front of the bully, who looks at Jaune with a lost and vulnerable expression.

- YOU CAN DO THIS! YOU'RE A HUNTSMAN LIKE EVERYONE ELSE IN SCHOOL! GET YOURSELF TOGETHER AND FIGHT! YOU'RE STRONG! – Jaune says, looking Cardin in the eye, with fire in his eyes.

"Strong..."

Jaune defends another attack from a bear, which drags him away with brute force, until Jaune manages to stop it, competing for strength with the Grimm.

- I NEED YOUR HELP TO WIN! – Jaune says, stabbing the bear in the shoulder, giving him the opportunity to flank it and cut off its head, killing the second one.

Jaune turns around and realizes that two bears were going to attack him at the same time, he had to position his shield to defend himself. However, he didn't need to, as Cardin advanced on the two Ursas, armed with The Executioner. He hit one in the face with his mace so hard that it threw the second Ursas.

- LET'S GO JAUNE! - Cardin shouted determinedly, Jaune smiled seeing that his rival had recovered.

Cardin advanced on the two Ursas that were on the ground. He attacked with his mace, hitting one of the bears in the head as if hammering a nail into the ground, killing the Grimm. But the other one jumped on top of him and tried to eat him, managing to knock Cardin to the ground. But then Jaune appeared to knock her off him with a thrust of his shield, which gave Cardin the opportunity to get up and execute the bear in the same way, hitting her in the stomach, with his mace exploding with the fire Dust that was in the center of it.

The two warriors realized that there were two more Ursas left. Jaune and Cardin look at each other and nod positively to each other and advance to their last battle.

Cardin defends two paws from the Ursa that tried to attack him, kicks her in the stomach making the Grimm retreat and then hits her stomach exploding with Fire Dust again, but it was not enough to kill the ursa so he raises the mace with a blow from below to above with all his strength, destroying the Grimm's jaw.

Jaune deflects a paw from the ursa with his shield, closing the distance between them. The monster tries to bite the knight's neck but he manages to dodge to the side and plunge his sword into the ursa's neck. Jaune thrusts the sword into the ursa's stomach, cutting her entire torso along the way, then quickly removes her flanking to the grimm's back and advances with a piercing blow, defeating her completely.

The two defeated their Grimm at the same time.

- Arf… arf…

-Arf… arf…

It was strange, Jaune and Cardin stared at each other without knowing what to say, in a way, they were looking at each other with mutual respect, a respect that could only be achieved in a real combat situation, but also, it seemed to be the beginning of something new.

- CARDIN! WHERE ARE YOU?! - Russel shouts, returning with the rest of the CRDL team, they probably realized that their leader was not with them.

- JAUNE! - Ruby and Yang shout, finally reaching the blond knight.

The group that came to the aid of the two knights stopped when they saw Jaune and Cardin staring at each other. The older knight puts the mace on his back and leaves with an irritated grumble, going to his team.

- Let's go. - Cardin says dryly, Russel, Sky and Dove just stare at each other without knowing what to say and follow their leader.

- Are you okay? It seems that there are attacks of Beowolfs and Ursais here. - Ruby says running to Jaune, noticing some injuries on his face.

- Yes, I'm fine, just a few scratches, my aura will heal soon. - Jaune says, without taking his eyes off Cardin who was leaving.

- Did you and Cardin fight? - Yang asks with an irritated expression just imagining Cardin intimidating Jaune.

- No, this time we fought side by side to be able to eliminate these Grimms... just... - Jaune thinks for a while. Ruby and Yang look at him curiously.

- nah, It's nothing guys. - The knight says, giving a comforting smile to Yang and Ruby.

- Heh if you say Vomit Boy, but can I ask why your two arms are so red? – Yang asks, as the three walked back to Glynda's meeting point.

- Oh, I think I'm allergic to the sap from these trees. When I was collecting it, it started to itch a lot. – Jaune says.

- Are you allergic?! And yet you jumped on both of us so we wouldn't get hit by Cardin's stupid prank?! What if you had an anaphylaxis?! – Ruby asks, jumping on Jaune's back and pinching his cheek as a "punishment".

- Ouch, ouch, ow! R-RUBY! I-I-I didn't think sorry! W-what if you were allergic too? I-I didn't want them to get Yang's hair dirty!

- My hair isn't more important than your life, young man! – Yang says, as if she was punishing a child, pinching Jaune's other cheek.

- AHWW! W-WHY AM I PUNISHED IF I DID A GOOD DEED!

- Okay, okay, enough of that. You were really nice to think of us both in this... heh little sister, remember what we did with dad when we thanked him for the Christmas presents? - Yang asks with an amused smile on her face.

- Oooh! YES!

- What are you guys talking about? - Juane asks confused.

- So let's do it in three, okay? - Yang says.

- Okay! - Ruby says excitedly.

- Guys, I'm lost, should I do it too?

- One, two... three!

Jaune had many weaknesses, after all, he was the most inexperienced of all in his class, but he always managed to stay in fights due to his willpower and resistance to blows, however, of all the weaknesses, he knew that he would never be able to resist this one.

Ruby and Yang kissed his cheek at the same time, one kissing on each side, leaving Jaune paralyzed.

- Heeeh, what happened, Jaune? Two pretty girls are too much for you?~ - Yang asks seductively, seeing Jaune's reaction. She could develop an addiction to teasing him like that.

- Jaune? I-it wasn't that bad, was it? - Ruby asks, a little more shy than her sister, waving in front of Jaune.

- Hey Rubes, I think we really broke him. - Yang says, poking Jaune's face. He looked like a statue.

...

- Ahm... sorry to leave you behind, Cardin. We didn't notice. - Russel says. The three members of the CRDL team were already waiting for Cardin to yell at them for leaving him behind.

- It's okay, I know you didn't mean any harm, and when you realized it, youguys came back to help me after all. - Cardin says, with a monotonous and serious voice, if you look back, just continuing on your way.

- He defeated those Grimms... wasn't he supposed to be okay? – Dove asked, whispering to Sky and Russel who shrugged, not knowing how to answer this question.

- Jaune Arc… - Cardin gritted his teeth, why did he feel this way? Jaune didn't know his story, his reasons, his past, so why…

“YOU ARE STRONG!”

“I NEED YOUR HELP TO WIN”!

- ...why I feel like he understands! – Cardin thought with immense frustration.

Chapter Text

- Uhm...- Jaune was sleeping, little by little the sun's rays began to invade his room and he slowly began to wake up.

- Uhmm... aaaah... - Jaune stood up, stretching and letting out a big yawn.

- Weird, I feel like I should have woken up already, don't you think Ruby? - Jaune asked, looking a little groggily to the side at his friend Ruby Rose who was in her combat suit watching him sleep, he blinked a few times and looked to the side again, staring at Ruby with a blank expression.

- Ruby...

- Yes, Jaune?

- Are you really in my room or am I still dreaming?

- I'm in your room, why? - Ruby asked, turning her face like a confused puppy.

- Jaune, you don't have any clothes other than those jeans?! How inelegant. - Weiss said, rummaging through something in Jaune's closet. 

- WAIT, WHY ARE YOU GUYS HERE?! WHAT'S GOING ON?! - The knight shouts, jumping out of bed and standing up.

- Weiss wants our teams to leave so we can spy on the students who are arriving on exchange from Vacul. - Blake says, sitting on Ren's bed, who was sitting next to her with a stoic expression. He stares at the book she was reading for a moment and quickly returns to his initial position, having seen something that scared him.

- Hey, you can't prove it! I just want to welcome the new students as a representative of Beacon. - Weiss says proudly.

- But who put you in this position? Ice Queen. - Nora asks, appearing out of nowhere upside down in front of Weiss, scaring the girl and making her fall to the floor.

- Arg... Okay, just calm down, I'll get dressed and we can go to the city. – Jaune says, scratching his head. He probably wouldn't be able to train much today.

…

Team JNPR and RWBY took a bullhead from Beacon to go back to Vale. Leaving the Bullhead, Jaune ran as fast as he could to the nearest trash can and started throwing his breakfast out.

- Some things don't change, it seems. – Yang says with a blank expression.

- Hey, Jaune, are you okay? – Pyrrha asks, holding her leader by the collar of his hoodie so he doesn't fall into the trash can.

- I... I urgently need to buy some medicine for nausea. – Jaune says.

- I think we'll stop by the pharmacy first. You guys can go ahead, okay? – Ren says, helping Pyrrha lift Jaune so they can continue on their way.

- Poor Jaune, I wish I could help him with this. – Ruby says.

- Heh, let him lie on your lap then, on the way back, I bet it'll help. – Yang comments, nudging Ruby with her elbow, winking at her.

- N-no! Not me! You go! If you want to risk getting vomit on your shoe again! – Ruby says, pushing her sister so she stops teasing her.

- Let's go! I don't want to miss the opportunity to analyze... I mean, to welcome our exchange guests! – Weiss says, hesitating a little and passing in front of the two sisters.

…

Team RWBY was walking through the streets of Vale. Even though the festival was a few months away, people were already heading to Vale to settle in the city.

- Oh, the Vytal festival! Isn't that wonderful! – Weiss says, watching the preparations for welcoming immigrants from other countries.

- Heh, I don't think I've ever seen you smile so much, Weiss. I think I'm getting scared. – Comments the team leader, with one hand on her waist and with an ironic tone.

- And how can you not smile? It's a festival dedicated to all the cultures of the world! Like dances, parades and tournaments! - Weiss says turning to Ruby and the rest of the team.

- The amount of planning and organization involved in this event is breathtaking! - Says the icy girl on the team, walking with him to the docks.

- You really know how to take something cool and make it boring. - Comments Yang, crossing her arms at her teammate's elaborate explanation.

- Be quiet. - Says Weiss irritated.

When they were about to arrive at the docks to see the ships, Ruby seemed to notice that a crime scene had taken place a little further down that street. A store was destroyed with police tape around it and some police officers arguing and investigating the place.

- What happened here? - Asks Ruby, arriving with her team.

- Robbery! It's second Dust shop this week alone. This place is turning into a jungle. - Says the police officer, writing something down on a tablet.

- That's terrible. - Comments Yang.

- They left all the money intact. - Says one of the police officers, catching Ruby's attention. 

- This doesn't make sense, who needs so much Dust? - Asks the other police officer to his companion.

- I don't know, man, you know how it is...

- You mean the White Fang?

- I think we don't get paid enough for this. - Says the frustrated police officer.

- Hump, the White Fang, that bunch of degenerates. - Says Weiss, crossing her arms, speaking with contempt about the organization.

- What's your problem? - Asks Blake, staring at Weiss.

- My problem? I just don't give a damn about crazy criminals. - Says the heiress, as if it were an obvious answer.

- The White Fang isn't a group of psychopaths, they're just a group of disoriented Faunos. - Says Blake, her eyebrows furrowing as she stares at Weiss.

- Disoriented? They want to eliminate humanity from the planet!

- Then they're REALLY disoriented! Either way, that doesn't explain a robbery in the city center of Vale. – Blake says, staring at the crime scene.

- Blake is right, besides, the police didn't arrest that guy I met a few months ago... maybe it's him. – Ruby says.

- That doesn't change the fact that the White Fange is a bunch of scum! Those Faunos only know how to lie, cheat, and steal. – Weiss says, Blake's anger seemed to be visible growing in her eyes.

- Hey, that's not true. – Yang says, also seeming bothered by Weiss's comments.

- STOP THAT FAUNO!

Team RWBY runs towards the boat and notices that a monkey-type Fuaunos with spiky blond hair, wearing jean shorts and red combat gloves was running away from agents of that ship, he jumps out and hangs from a pole with his tail.

- Thanks for the ride, guys! – Says the monkey faun, peeling a banana.

- Come back here, you worthless thief! – Says one of the ship's employees. 

- Hey! A worthless thief would have been caught, but that's not my case!

- Hey, get down from there now, - Says a pair of police officers going to where that man was. This police officer who spoke just gets a banana peel in the face and the monkey faun jumps over him and starts running at high speed, he passes by team RWBY and winks at Blake who looks at him confused.

- Quick! We have to keep up with him! - Says Wheiss chasing the suspicious fauns, being followed by the rest of team RWBY.

Ruby uses her super speed to chase that Fauns, but when turning the corner the girl accidentally ends up hitting another person, knocking him and her to the ground.

- Oh shit... where did he go? - Asks Ruby looking around, but seeing that both she and the two police officers had lost the suspect.

- Oh... Ruby. - Says Yang pointing to the person below, the red-haired girl smiles at Ruby who quickly gets up.

- Greetings! - Says the girl, for some reason still on the floor.

- Um… hello? - Says Ruby, a little nervous.

- Are you… okay? - Asks Yang, wondering why that girl was still on the floor.

- I'm fine! Thanks for asking! - Says the girl, still on the floor, causing strange looks shared by team RWBY.

- Do you want to stand up? - Asks Yang.

- Yes! - Says the girl quickly standing up, standing straight in front of the group.

- I'm Penny. It's a pleasure to meet you! - Says the girl, in a "robotic" way.

- Hey Penny, I'm Ruby! - Says Ruby, waving excitedly at her.

- I'm Weiss.

- Blake.

- Are you… sure you didn't hit your head? OUCH! - Yang gets slapped by Blake.

- I-I'm Yang!

- It's a pleasure to meet you!

- You already said that. – Weiss says, suspicious.

- I really did!

- Well... sorry to bump into you, take care, friend! – Ruby says, waving to Penny, who stood still.

- She was... weird. – Yang says, walking with her team.

- So... where did that fauno go?

- What did you call me? – Penny asks, appearing in front of team RWBY like a witch, Weiss points behind her and stares back and forth as if she can't believe what she saw.

- Oh, sorry! I thought you weren't listening! – Says the blonde fighter of the team, apologizing.

- Not you... you! – Penny says, approaching Ruby, getting too close with Ruby pushing her face away.

- Me?! I-I don't know what I, I-I-I

- You called me friend! Am I really your friend? – Asks the girl, despite her cute appearance, she was being strangely threatening to Ruby.

 - Ahm… - Ruby looks back, seeing her three friends waving their hands as hard as they could, desperate for her to say no.

- Yes, of course! Why not? – Ruby says nervously, the rest of the team falls to the ground at Ruby's stupidity.

- Awesome! We can get our nails done, try on clothes and talk about cute boys?! – Penny asks, celebrating.

- Ahm… was it like this when you met me? – Ruby asks Weiss, feeling a deja vu.

- No, she has better motor coordination than you. – Weiss comments, shaking her dress.

- So… what are you doing in Vale? – Yang asks, since her sister is Penny's “friend” now, she could try to be one too.

- I came to fight in the tournament!

- Wait, you're going to fight in the tournament? – Weiss asks, in disbelief.

- I'm ready to fight! 

- Sorry, but you don't look ready for combat.

- Said the girl in the dress. - Blake comments with a cynical tone.

- It's a combat skirt! - Says Weiss proudly.

- THAT'S IT! - Says Ruby appearing next to Weiss, the two greet each other with this "sisterhood of combat skirts".

- Wait... if you came to combat then you know that scammer? - Asks Weiss, going to Penny holding her by her shoulders.

- Who? - Asks the confused girl.

- The dirty fauno from the ship! - Says Weiss showing a portrait of him, which she drew when no one was looking.

- Why do you keep saying that, huh? Don't call him a scammer! Don't call him a degenerate! Don't call him dirty! He's a person! - Blake says, walking up to Weiss, once again irritated by the way she talks about the Fauns.

- Oh, I'm sorry, do you want me to stop calling the trash can a trash can?! Or the pole a pole?

- Stop it!

- What?! He's an outlaw! And soon he'll join those other White Fang faunos! - Weiss says. Blake clenches her fists tightly, looking ready to attack Weiss.

- You ignorant brat! - Blake shouts, turning her back on the four girls and walking alone.

- How dare you talk about me like that! I'm your teammate! - Weiss says, following Blake and stopping her in the middle of the path.

- You're a prejudiced little girl! 

- What makes you say that? - Asks Weiss. Meanwhile, Yang and Ruby could only watch the scene, worried about their two friends who were arguing non-stop.

- Ahm... I think we have to get out of here... - Says Yang.

...

- Ugh... I hope these things help. - Says Jaune, leaving the pharmacy with his team, holding a pack of anti-nausea pills.

- It has to help! Our fearless leader can't get nauseous in the middle of an air battle! Unless... we can use Jaune as a vomit bazooka... - Says Nora, as if she was really thinking about this possibility.

- Nora, without using Jaune as a bazooka. - Says Ren.

- Come on, I don't want to keep the other girls waiting for us for so long. - Says Pyrrha. With Ren and Nora walking with her, they didn't notice Jaune falling behind. The blond leader was so focused on trying to open the pill that he didn't see a person passing in front of him. The two bump into each other and fall to the ground.

- Ouch! S-sorry about that! Let me help you! – Jaune said, standing up and offering a hand to the person he knocked down. It was a man around his age, he had red hair spiky back, he was a fauno with horns and was wearing sunglasses, but Jaune could see that he had an ugly burn scar on his face.

- Are you… okay? – Jaune asked. He saw the man get up on his own, refusing to take his hand.

The two seemed to be the same age and almost the same height. They looked at each other as if they were evaluating each other, and Jaune couldn't understand why, but he felt a threat emanating from this person's being.

- Hump. – The man then just decided to continue on his way, entering an alley. 

- I… I was having trouble breathing… what was that… - Jaune thought, looking at his hand, it was shaking and he didn't even know why he was so terrified.

Chapter Text

- I don't know why we're having so much trouble with this!

- That's the problem! You realize that you're defending an organization that hates humanity, don't you?!

- Uhm... what happened? - Jaune asks, whispering a little scared to Ruby, who was next to him in the Bullhead back to Beacon. Weiss and Blake continued arguing nonstop.

- I don't know! They just started arguing and they've been fighting about it for over an hour. - The girl with the silver eyes says, with a pleading expression to Jaune.

- The White Fang faunos are purely evil! - Weiss says, crossing her arms.

- There's no such thing as "purely evil"! - Blake says, getting up from her bullhead seat.

- Why do you think they hate humans so much?! It's people like Cardin and you who force the White Fang to take such drastic measures! Or do you think that in every village, in every city, there is someone like Jaune who can give the Faunos some hope that humans can be good?! Some of them suffer daily at the hands of humans! – Blake says.

- And that gives them the right to kill innocent people?! And what do you mean by people like me?! – Weiss asks offended.

- You're discriminating!

- I'm a victim! – Weiss stomps her foot on the ground, not wanting to give in, just like Blake.

- Enough! You two are overreacting! You're starting to look like you hate each other just because of a silly argument! This has to stop now! – Ruby says, stepping in front of her two teammates, raising her voice a little more.

- Do you want to know why I despise the White Fang? Why I don't trust Faunos very much? – Weiss asks, starting to walk in circles around the Bullhead. 

- It's because they've been fighting with my family for years, and by fighting I mean real bloodshed. - Weiss says, looking out the Bullhead's window with a melancholic expression.

- My grandfather has had a target on his back for as long as I can remember. Since I was a child I've seen friends and family disappear, top executives diying, an entire train full o Dust, stolen, and every day my father came home furious and that made my childhood very difficult... - Weiss says, punching the Bullhead's wall in frustration.

- Weiss... we... - Ruby tries to comfort her partner by touching her shoulder, but Weiss quickly removes her leader's hand aggressively.

- NO! Do you want to know why I despise the White Fang?! Because they're a bunch of thieves! Murderers! And liars! - Weiss shouts, walking towards Blake again, with each word coming out of her mouth.

- Maybe we just tired being pushed around! – Blake shouts, everyone remains silent, staring at her with a confused expression.

- Wait... we? – Nora asks confused.

- I-I... - Blake realizes that the Bullhead finally lands in Beacon and quickly flees from that place.

- BLAKE! WAIT! – Ruby shouts, wanting to run to her, only to have her hand held by Jaune.

- Let her go, Ruby, she needs some time alone. – Jaune says, his expression showing sadness with the situation, even though he was holding Ruby, he also wanted to go after her.

- Weiss, the way you spoke to her was very rude. – Pyrrha says.

- What?! But I'm right! They're criminals! – Weiss says, she felt tired because it seemed like no one understood her. 

- Weiss… I imagine what you've been through may be difficult, but you can't say these things about people without even knowing them, it can hurt people, and it ended up hurting Blake who well… seems to be a secret fauno. – Jaune says.

- You don't understand! None of you understand, you don't know what it's like to live with a target on your head since you were a child! – Weiss shouts, she also leaves the Bullhead, stomping heavily on the ground.

…

It was night in Beacon, all the students in the school were already in their dorms, resting for a new day of training to begin the next day. Except for Blake who was leaving with her combat equipment. The girl looked at the statue in front of her of a Huntsman and a Huntress defeating the Grimms, she had to admit these two reminded her a little of the two leaders of her group of friends.

- Ha… - Blake gave a sad sigh and took off her bow, throwing it on the ground, revealing the cat ears on her head.

- I need to know… I need to know that White Fang isn't involved in this…

- Blake?

The girl heard the familiar male voice, she looked back and realized it was the leader of Team JNPR, Jaune Arc. He was also wearing his combat equipment and was looking at her with a worried expression.

- Blake, you need to go back, the girls are worried about you. - Jaune said, walking towards Blake. 

- I can't, Jaune... they won't accept me anymore... Weiss won't accept me anymore... - Blake says, pointing to her head, to her faunus parts.

- That's not true! Just because you and Weiss had a disagreement doesn't mean you're not friends anymore! But you need to talk for this to work out, not argue... Weiss suffered at the hands of the White Fang, Blake... I don't know what your relationship with them is and I don't care one bit!

- I know! I know! I just... I was taken... I really know what the White Fang did to the Schnee family, and I just... I couldn't stand the way she was referring to everyone! We... weren't always a violent organization... we protested peacefully for the rights of the Faunus but... things changed and with the new leadership, many people became radical... But I know that not all of them! I know good people still in the White Fang! You have to believe me, Jaune! - Blake says pleadingly. 

- Hey Blake, I believe you. - Jaune says with both hands on the girl's shoulder, his voice showing no doubt.

- R-really?

- Of course! You're my friend, and that's enough for me to trust what you say! - Jaune says with a smile, Blake feels her heart flutter slightly with Jaune's action, of course he would trust her, he's Jaune.

- Jaune... can I ask you something? - Blake says, a little uncertain.

- Sure Blake, anything.

- When you were a child... did you ever save a Faunus? From being killed by a group of anti-Faunus humans? - Blake asks, Jaune is surprised by the question.

- Geez, how do you know? That happened when I was about 7, 8 years old, I was here and Vale when... wait... was that you?! - Jaune asks, looking Blake up and down, realizing that she had the same characteristics as that little girl. 

- So it's really you... it's really you! - Blake says with a smile, unable to resist hugging Jaune tightly, which caught Jaune off guard because the girl was usually quite taciturn and reserved.

- Hehe, I never imagined I'd see you again, I think in the end we really managed to become friends. - Jaune says, hugging Blake back.

- I wish I had thanked you back then... you were probably the person who stopped me from getting hatred at humans, I'm sorry about that time... for you getting hurt so much by me, it was my irresponsibility that almost got you killed. - Blake says, almost whispering, with her face on Jaune's chest.

- Hey Blake, relax, okay? I'm here and so are you, that's all that matters. - Says the knight, pulling away from the hug, but looking seriously at the hot girl.

- But I need you to go talk to Weiss and the rest of your team.

- I can't... I can't yet, I need to see if this is true... to know if the White Fang is really starting to rob Dust stores... it can't be them... it's not them, I need... I need to know the truth, Jaune.

- But Blake...

- Jaune, I've already made up my mind about this. - Says Blake. Jaune notices in her eyes that there was nothing that could be done and just sighs in defeat.

- Then I'll go with you. - Says Jaune.

- Jaune... you don't have to.

- But I want to, I want to help you, and if this will help you reconcile with your team and we can all be friends again, I'm in without a problem. – Says the smiling knight, Blake smiles back at him, at least she knows she's not alone, no, Jaune would never leave any of them alone.

…

It was already dawn in Beacon, everyone starting another day of training to become Huntsmen who will protect humanity in the future. Ruby wakes up in her shirt and stretches, but notices that Blake's bed is empty, the girl gives a sad look remembering the conflict everyone had and the big revelation of the previous day.

…

- She didn't show up all weekend. – Says Ruby walking through the streets.

- And Jaune disappeared with her, what are these two thinking? – Says Yang.

- Blake and Jaune are quite capable of handling anything, we don't need to worry. – Says Weiss.

- Weiss, come on, she's part of our team! – Says Yang, she was tired of this stupid fight.

- Really? We heard what she said. – Weiss says, with a plausible doubt.

- Maybe she is, maybe she isn't. Either way, she disappeared and we have to find her! – Yang says.

- A member of the White Fang, right under our noses! – Weiss says, judging by her tone, she really seemed hurt.

- I just hope she's okay… - Ruby says.

…

- This is the second time he's disappeared with a message aaaaaah! I can't believe he did it again! – Nora shouts irritably, walking through the streets with heavy steps.

- At least this time he's not trying to abandon us, he said in the message that he would come back soon as soon as things were resolved. – Ren says with Jaune's message on his Scroll.

- I just wish he would stop trying to solve these things on his own… he always seems to not want to worry us… - Pyrrha says sadly.

- Let's find him and pull his ear again so he doesn't become a leader who carries all the weight on his back. – Ren says with a slight smile. 

- I just won't break his legs because if I do he won't be able to fight! But maybe a finger... or two... - Nora says, really thinking about this possibility while counting her own fingers.

- Haha yes... let's do that... I hope he's okay... - Phyrra says worriedly.

...

- So... who the hell are you again? - Jaune asks sitting in a cafe next to Blake, in front of him was that monkey faun who had been chased at the port.

- My name is Sun Wukong, and I'm sorry I didn't know you already had a boyfriend, otherwise I wouldn't even try to go after you. - The boy says calling Sun with his hands raised.

- H-he's not my boyfriend okay? We're just friends. - Blake answers.

- Exactly, but I heard you were being chased around the port because you have a relationship with the White Fang, is that true? - Jaune asks, ignoring Sun's dating talk.

- What? No! I love humans, man! I mean, there are some who are jerks, but there are also faunos who are jerks! Besides, my best friend is a human too. I don't agree with the way they're doing things these days, I preferred them back then. - Sun says, taking a sip of his coffee.

- Well, we can agree on that. Do you think the White Fang could be behind the Dust thefts they've been seeing happening? - Blake asks.

- Why do you want to know that? I thought you were just a Beacon student or something. - Sun says curiously.

- She was a member of the White Fang. - Jaune says without thinking, taking a punch in the shoulder.

- Ouch, what? Weren't you supposed to talk? - Asks the confused blond knight, Blake just gives him an irritated look.

- YOU WERE FROM THE WHITE FANG?! - Sun shouts, Blake and Jaune make a silence signal for him to speak more quietly.

- Dude, why? They kill people, that's not cool. - Sun says.

- It wasn't always like this... in the past, the White Fang was a peaceful organization... but as the years went by and with the change in leadership, things became violent... so I decided to leave, instead, I decided to dedicate my life to being a hunter. - Blake says.

- But... do your friends know yet? The ones who were with you at the port? - Sun asks.

- Yeah... actually they already know, but not in a good way... there was a fight that I think it's better not to talk about now. - Jaune says, seeing that Blake was starting to get uncomfortable.

- And you want to prove that the White Fang isn't behind these robberies, right? - Sun asks, the two hunters in training nodding positively.

- Very well, I'll help you! - Sun says, standing up with a smile.

- Really? Why? - Blake asks. 

- I don't have anything better to do, actually, and I would do anything for a fellow Faunus and... a fellow blonde. - Sun says, looking at Blake and then at Jaune.

- Well... but where are we going to start looking? We have 0 clues as to where they are. - Jaune says, leaving that café and walking next to Sun and Blake.

- We only know that they are possibly robbing Dust stores... there are several Dust stores around. - Blake says thoughtfully, trying to formulate a decent strategy.

- Well... if we have to prove that they are not behind the robberies, we just have to go to the place where there is the most amount of Dust possible and see that they won't be there, right? - Sun says, stopping in front of the two.

- THAT'S AWESOME, MAN! You're so smart! - Jaune says excitedly.

- Heh, no one has ever called me smart! I already like you! - Sun says, giving Jaune a high-five. 

- You two share the same neuron, it's not possible... and where would this place be that has the largest amount of Dust? - Blake asks, Jaune seems discouraged, he didn't know where this place was.

- While I was hiding on the boat, I heard some employees discussing a shipment of Dust that would arrive today, maybe they could be there. - Sun comments.

- How much is this shipment? - Jaune asks.

- It's a giant shipment! It's a container from Schnee Industries. - Sun answers.

- Well... the White Fang and Weiss's family don't seem to get along, the most likely place they would be would definitely be this shipment. - Jaune says.

- Okay, now we have a direction, let's go to the port where they unload this type of container. - Blake says, Jaune and Sun nod positively and they run towards their goal.

Chapter Text

- BLAKE! WHERE ARE YOU?! – Ruby shouts, walking with her team through the streets of Vale.

- Ugh… this isn't working. – Ruby says discouraged.

- You know what would help? The police. – Weiss answers.

- Weiss… - Ruby glares at her partner angrily, crossing her arms.

- It was just an idea! – The schnee says defensively.

- It's a bad one. – Ruby says, continuing to walk.

- Weiss, we better hear her version of the story before we jump to conclusions. – Yang says.

- I think when we hear this version, you'll realize I was right! – Weiss says.

- And I think Weiss's hair looks beautiful today. – Penny says.

- OH PENNY?! Where did you come from?! – The three girls ask at the same time, turning to face their newest “friend”.

- Hey, guys! What are you up to? – Asks the excited redheaded girl.

- We're looking for our friend Blake. – Ruby answers.

- Oh, the fauno girl!

- Hey, how do you know that? – Ruby asks, a little suspicious.

- Well, the cat ears. – Says Penny, pointing to her head, where the ears would be.

- What ears? She wears a… bow… - Says Yang, suddenly in realization. Everyone is silent for a few seconds. An awkward silence.

- She seems to know a lot. – Comments Yang, to break the silence.

- So… where is she? – Asks Penny.

- We don't know… she's been missing since Friday… - Says Ruby, with a sad voice.

- That's terrible! – Shouts Penny, holding Ruby by the arms, with too much force.

- I'm going to help you! I won't rest until I find your teammate! – Says Penny, Ruby gives a somewhat tense smile at her “friend's” behavior. 

- Oh, how kind of you, Penny! But we'll find a way. Isn't that right, guys? - Ruby asks, trying to find a way out with Yang and Weiss, but the two girls had already run away so they wouldn't have to deal with Penny's strangeness. Once again, there was an awkward silence.

- It's really windy today. - Penny comments.

…

- Okay, thanks anyway. - Yang says, letting someone go after trying to get information from her.

- We're not getting anywhere. - Weiss says.

- You really don't care if we don't find her, do you? - Yang asks in an angry tone.

- Don't be an idiot, of course I care! - Weiss replies, turning to Yang.

- I'm just afraid of what she'll say when we find her... innocent people don't run away, Yang. - Weiss says, walking forward. 

Yang lowers her head a little sadly, in a way, Weiss's logic was right, but she didn't want to think about it, that her partner was with criminals.

...

- So... Blake is your friend and she ran away with this other friend of yours called Jaune, right? - Penny asks, walking next to Ruby.

- Yes, Penny...

- And are you mad at her or Jaune?

- I-I'm not mad at Jaune! I mean maybe... maybe he could know something and didn't tell us, he didn't need to run away with Blake without telling me! And the one who's mad at Blake is Weiss. - Ruby answers.

- Is Weiss Blake's friend? - Penny asks innocently.

- I don't know that... it's just... it seems like Blake isn't who she really says she is... she seems to be hiding something from us... - Ruby says.

- Blake and Jaune are dating?! - Penny asks with a stupefied expression, worthy of a soap opera. 

- W-WHAT?! N-NO! I THINK NOT! K-knowing Jaune, he must be trying to help her with her problems or saving her from something… he would do that. – Ruby says with a small smile, at least Blake was with Jaune, someone Ruby certainly trusted would do the right thing.

- Ooooooh so you and Jaune are dating, right? – Penny asks, making Ruby blush.

- N-no! We're not! H-h-he's just my friend, that's all!

- Uhmm… friends are complicated, I don't have many friends but I think if I did, I would want them to tell me everything. – Penny says, Ruby looks at her with a little empathy. In a way, the two were socialy awkward girls.

- Me too…

…

Blake and Jaune were on top of a small shed, watching the unloading that was taking place at the docks.

- Did I miss something? – Sun asks, arriving with something in her arms.

- Nothing at all, they're just unloading some stuff. – Juane says.

- And now they're just standing there, doing nothing. – Blake says.

- Cool, I stole some food for us! – Sun says, offering Blake an apple.

- Y-you stole it?! Sun, that's not something you do! W-w-what if we get arrested?! LET'S GIVE IT BACK! – Jaune says, a little hysterical.

- Geez, he's really that proper, isn't he? – Sun asks, with an apple in his mouth.

- And do you always use your light hand without thinking twice? – Blake asks, judging Sun a little for having stolen it.

- Hey, weren't you the one who used to participate in this kind of thing? – Sun asks with one of his eyebrows raised, making Blake let out an irritated grunt.

- I see, I went too far this time. – Sun says.

- you really did! Then tell me where you stole these things from so I can pay the person. – Jaune says, getting up and grabbing an apple, eating it.

Jaune accidentally drops his apple as a strong wind starts to blow, they look up and notice a large Bullhead starting to land on those docks.

…

- We've been looking everywhere and so far we haven't been able to find anything! Aaaaaaaaargh! Nora wants to break something! – The red-haired girl from team JNPR screams, she kicks a tree with such force that all the leaves fall off it, covering Nora in a comical way.

- They can't be far from Vale, in Jaune's note they wouldn't be back so late... so they must be here. – Ren says, thinking of any other option that Jaune could be with Blake. 

- Uhmmm, huh? - Pyrrha looks up and sees something suspicious, a Bullhead passing at high speed, very close to the buildings, so much so that it even created a strong wind that made the leaves of the tree that covered Nora fly in the wind.

- Guys, something is going on. - Pyrrha says.

- Yes, that Bullhead is going much faster than allowed, and also at a much lower altitude than Bullheads usually fly in this part of Vale. - Ren says, looking suspicious.

- LET'S GO! Maybe Jaune and Blake could be inside it and in trouble! - Nora says excited about the probability, Ren and Pyrrha seem to agree with Nora for the first time, after all they had no other clues other than this strange behavior of this Bullhead.

…

- Oh no... - Blake says, seeing several soldiers in black suits with white vests and white masks, they had the symbol of a red Beowolf on their backs.

- Is that them? – Jaune asks.

- Yes, it's them. – Blake says, her voice sad.

- You didn't really think it was them, did you? – Sun asks.

- No... deep down I think I knew, I just didn't want to be right. - Blake says with her eyes closed, she wanted this all to be just a nightmare, that when she opened her eyes it would all be a lie, a confusion of her mind.

- Hey, why are you taking so long?! - A male voice shouts, attracting the trio's attention.

- We're not exactly the most discreet group of thieves in the world right now, so you animals should get into the swing of things! - Roman Torchwick asks in a cynical tone, making the White Fang Faunos growl in anger.

- It's not right... the White Fang would never work with a human. - Blake says, getting up from where she was and then jumping off the roof, even with Juane and Sun trying to stop her.

Blake quickly advances and hides behind a container, seeing Roman talking to one of the White Fang soldiers. She quickly sneaks up behind him and puts Gambol Shroud's blade to the throat of the Vale Dust thief. 

- Nobody move! - Blake shouts, alerting all the White Fang soldiers. They pull out their swords and point their rifles at the girl.

- Hehe, calm down there, miss. - Torchwick says, seeming to be amused by the situation.

- Brothers of the White Fang! Why are you helping this trash?! - Blake asks, the soldiers lower their weapons, looking somewhat embarrassed.

- Oh child. Didn't she get the notice? - Roman asks, rhetorically.

- What notice?! - Blake asks.

- The White Fang and I are doing a joint venture.

- Tell me what it is or I'll end this little operation. - Blake says, bringing the blade of his katana even closer to Roman's neck.

- I wouldn't call it a little operation~ - Roman says. 

Two ships appeared, flying around Blake and Torchwick's conflict, the faun girl is impressed and stares at the ships, not noticing Roman moving his cane and using it to shoot explosive Dust at the ground, throwing Blake away.

...

Ruby and Penny stare into the distance, seeing a large black smoke rising.

- Oh no... - Ruby says, having a bad feeling.

...

Yang and Weiss look at the sky and notice and having heard the explosion, the two girls look at each other and nod to each other and advance towards that cloud of black smoke.

...

Blake was on the ground, recovering from Roman Torchwick's explosion. She looks to the side and notices the man pointing his cane in her direction and then shooting again, but before the shot hits Blake, Jaune appears and defends her with his shield.

- JAUNE! - Blake shouts, grateful and surprised at the speed with which Jaune arrived. 

- She's not alone, you bastard. - Jaune says, pulling the Crocea Mors from inside the shield and arming himself for combat.

- Yeah! - Sun says, getting off and pulling out a staff, a little boy who turned into a big red staff.

- Heh, and neither do I. - Roman says, snapping his finger. More White Fang soldiers got off the ships. But the one who caught the most attention was a person jumping off the ship and getting off gracefully.

She had half pink and half brown hair, with a white streak in her pink hair. One of her eyes was pink and the other brown. She wore a white jacket with pink details that was closed at her bust but open to her thighs. She wore a sweater underneath that showed a bit of her hips like a bathing suit. She had leather pants and white boots. She had a mischievous smile on her face as she pointed the umbrella at the three of them.

- Shit... Blake get Torchwick! Sun, take care of that girl! I'll cover the soldiers and defend you from their shots! - Jaune shouted, knowing that Blake and Sun were probably stronger and would be better able to deal with the main ones. For now, he could cover them.

- Understood! - Blake and Sun say at the same time.

The two Fauns advance at the same time, with Blake tricking Torchwick with a copy and attacking him from his left side. But the thief had more reflexes and managed to defend himself with his cane. Sun jumps over the fight between the two and makes a free fall attack, hitting his pole in the direction of the girl with heterochromia, but he seems to defend himself without any problems and redirects Sun's force against a metal beam, making him hit his back on it.

- What strength is that?! - Sun thinks, seeing the girl walking slowly towards him, with an amused expression on her face. She was much stronger than she appeared to be.

Jaune runs towards one of the soldiers, defending one of the shots he tried to hit Blake, he hits the Fauno with the Crocea Mors in the chest and crouches, dodging the piercing blow of another soldier, knocking him down with a sweep and then hitting him hard with the tip of the shield in the face, knocking him out. He defends more shots from other soldiers and advances against them using his shield as a large barrier.

- I need to take care of them fast! I don't know if Blake and Sun can really defeat those two! - Jaune thinks, attacking a White Fang soldier with a thrust, another tries to cut him several times but Jaune dodges backwards, on the third cut he grabs the soldier's wrist and pulls him and knocks him out with a strong headbutt.

- Hmm... I didn't expect to see you so soon Blake... - Says a figure, who was watching on top of one of the ships that hadn't landed.

- But right now I won't deal with you, but it's good to know you're here, I'll still have you back, and you'll see what the true and only path for the Fauns is. - Says the man, coming out of the shadows of the Bullhead, revealing himself to be Adam Tauros, the leader of the White Fang.

Chapter Text

Blake dodges one of Roman Torchwick's shots by doing a backflip. Roman starts to machine gun Blake using his Melodic Cudgel, but Blake was a skilled ninja and dodged by doing aerobic jumps in the air with the grace of an Olympian athlete. In the middle of her jumps she uses the Uzi on her katana to shoot at Roman who quickly runs taking cover behind a container.

...

Jaune had indeed gotten stronger, but the more he fought the more soldiers appeared, it seemed like there was an infinite amount of White Fang soldiers advancing towards him.

- It doesn't make sense... all that amount of soldiers to steal just Dust? There has to be something more to it... - Jaune thinks, piercing a Faunus and throwing his body towards another, he was going to take a blow from behind but then a shot from someone knocks that soldier down. Jaune looks to the side in surprise.

- Do you need help, fearless leader? – Asks Pyrrha, placing her rifle on her shoulder. Ren and Nora were already ready for combat with their weapons in hand.

- Guys! I've never been so happy to see you! – Jaune says happily. He begins to assess the situation around him to think of a plan, seeing more and more White Fang soldiers appearing. He realizes that Sun seemed to be having a lot of difficulty. That girl with pink and brown hair was really very strong.

- Ren, Nora, focus on defeating as many soldiers as you can! I'm going to advance with Pyrrha towards those two! I think Pyrrha is the only person here who can defeat that girl! – Jaune says.

- Understood. – Says Ren, advancing towards the battlefield.

- ALL RIGHT, FEARLESS LEADER! – Says Nora, jumping on Ren's back, using it as momentum to climb higher and hammer the battlefield, causing a shockwave that knocked down several soldiers.

- What speed... what strength! - Sun thinks, taking a blow from the girl's umbrella to his stomach. She quickly counters with a spinning kick to Sun's face. Before he can recover, he takes another blow with a straight kick, throwing him to the ground. Sun tries to create clones to distract the girl and advances with them at the same time, but she defeats them all with ease. She was like a pink, brown and white hurricane. Someone who was completely out of his league.

- Arhg... what... what grade are you, huh? Am I dealing with a professional Huntress and I don't know it? - Sun asks, lying on the ground, wiping some blood from his lips.

The girl remains silent with a smile, without visible injuries. She just makes a hand sign that makes Sun realize the trouble he is in. She makes the sign of 0. This girl was considered Grade 0, like the best Huntsmens in the world.

Before she can finish the monkey Fauno, Jaune steps in front and blocks a piercing blow from the mysterious girl's umbrella. And Pyrrha takes over the fight with a strong attack that the girl is forced to defend.

- Are you okay, Sun? - Jaune asks, helping him get up.

- I'm arf, I just had my ass kicked without me being able to do anything, but I'll get over it... thanks for saving me. - Sun says, giving Jaune a weak smile.

...

- I'm coming here, you coward! And tell me what you're doing with the White Fang! - Blake shouts, shooting at the container that Roman was hiding in. The man realizes that there was a crane above lifting a large metal container. He then shoots at the chain of this crane that falls towards Blake. The girl quickly realizes and jumps back, but the shockwave that the metal box made when it fell was enough to unbalance Blake.

- Hahah, it looks like the stray kitten fell into the cage! - Roman says, jumping up on top of the container and pointing his cane at Blake, ready to execute her. But then someone shoots Roman's cane, making it fall to the ground.

- What?! – Roman looks to where the shot came from and finds a familiar figure.

- Torchwick! What are you doing with Blake?! – Ruby shouts on top of one of the warehouses, with Penny by her side.

- BLAKE?! BLAKE! – Yang and Weiss come running from the other side and notice the confusion that was happening, as well as their fugitive friend lying on the ground.

Roman Torchwick would normally be irritated by a situation like this, so many Huntsmen interrupting one of his plans, but the presence of a certain person was giving him great relief.

- Red! Isn't it past bedtime? – Roman asks with an ironic tone.

- Ruby... are those people fighting your friends? – Penny asks. Recognizing Blake, Yang and Weiss who were fighting the White Fang soldiers, but the other five she didn't know who they were.

- Penny back up. – Ruby says. Roman takes this as a distraction and shoots the girl in the red cape, hitting Ruby with an explosive bullet, throwing her to the ground. Roman Torchwick laughs like a supervillain after hitting the girl. Penny looks at the injured Ruby and feels a new feeling run through her being. It was anger.

- Penny, no! – Ruby says, standing up, trying to stop the girl from getting hurt.

- Don't worry, Ruby, I'm ready for combat! – Penny says confidently.

From behind the girl's back, what appears to be a large number of blades come out and start flying around her body. Penny jumps from the roof and lands on the ground and starts attacking all the White Fang soldiers, with her blades spinning around her and attacking the soldiers like an oriental dance. Three ships fly in the direction of where the battle was taking place and start shooting at the huntsmen in training who take cover to protect themselves. Penny joins her blades in a cylindrical shape and a green energy starts to form from them.

- Man... is that girl serious? – Sun asks, incredulous at that power. 

- Looks like he was really prepared for combat, huh, Weiss? - Yang comments with a smile, nudging Weiss with her elbow. The Schnee girl just rolls her eyes, not wanting to verbalize that she was wrong.

- Hmm, that's a problem... open the door! - Adam says to the pilot of his ship.

- But sir! The pressure will suck you in...

- OPEN! - Adam shouts again. The frightened faun then opens the door of his ship. Adama walks, standing up with only the strength of his aura.

After charging enough, Penny shoots a large beam of green energy towards the ships, knocking one down, cutting it in half and then aiming at another, doing exactly the same thing. But when she was going to shoot the last one...

Adam watches the energy beam coming towards him, he removes some of his katane from its sheath and then closes his eyes under his mask.

- HA! – Shouts the leader of the White Fang, quickly drawing his katana with a horizontal cut. From Adam's blade comes a gigantic aura blade that cuts Penny's energy beam in half, destabilizing the position of her blades, making her fall to the ground and lose control.

- What? – Penny asks confused.

- This... this energy... it can't be... - Blake says with a horrified expression, there was no way he was here, was there? What would he do here in person.

The ship that released that gigantic red blade aura began to land. Team JNPR and RWBY began to pay attention. With their guard completely raised. The person who had made such an attack, for sure, had extreme strength. Even Pyrrha, who was fighting at the moment against the mysterious girl, stopped fighting because the girl had somehow disappeared among the crowd of soldiers they had defeated and reappeared next to Roman who was near the ship.

- Looks like my ride has arrived guys! Heh, I told you it would work. – Roman says, taking his hat off to the group of Huntsmans in training and then saying the last sentence to the person who was getting off that ship.

Blake's heart sank in terror as she saw that black coat, as she saw that red katana being put back in its sheath. It was as if her nightmares were coming true. It was that person, it was him, the one person she wished she would never see again.

- ADAM!!! - Blake shouted angrily, as she saw the leader of the White Fang, coming down with even more soldiers.

- Wait... there are too many soldiers for it to be just a robbery... what would the White Fang spend so much manpower on? What would they want here... wait... - Jaune began to correlate the dots. His eyes widened in possible terror.

- WEISS! RUN! - Jaune shouted, moving, trying to reach the Schnee heiress.

But like an apparition, like a ghost. Adam Tauros appeared in front of the Schnee heiress. Yang tries to react and attack Adam with a punch to his face, but he hits Yang's face with the sheath of his katana, with such force that Ruby's sister is sent flying and crashes into a Container, denting its metal surface. 

Weiss was in shock, she stared at the much larger man with real fear and terror, he lowered himself a little to be at Weiss's height. 

- Your fate is sealed, Schnee. - Adam says, punching Weiss so hard in the stomach that she completely lost consciousness. 

- BASTARD! - Jaune and Ruby scream at the same time, advancing towards Adam. But the two are wrapped in wires and pinned to the ground.

- Don't try anything with my partner, you children! How about you forget what you saw here, huh? - Roman says, the wires that wrapped Jaune and Ruby came out of the sleeves of his clothes, probably being his Semblance the manipulation of these wires. 

Everyone was trying their best to get to Adama. Ren grabbed Nora's hands and spun her around while the girl beat all the soldiers with Magnhild. Jaune and Ruby were released by Pyrrha and Sun who quickly joined the battle. Blake tried and tried to advance through the White Fang soldiers, not caring about attacking them. She couldn't live with herself if that happened, she knew what the White Fang would do to a Schnee now, she couldn't let that happen to Weiss, to happen to her friend.

- NOOO!!! - Blake screamed desperately, reaching out with a last pathetic breath to try to reach the ship that had taken off.

Blake fell defeated, lifeless, hopeless on the ground. She had been defeated not just once, but twice today. The White Fang was with Roman Torchwick, and her friend, Weiss Schnee had just been kidnapped by Adam, and all of this was her fault.

- Blake! You...

- WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING! – Blake shouts. Seeing the usually taciturn, calm and polite girl with a broken and desperate voice took Jaune and Ruby by surprise.

- WE HAVE TO SAVE WEISS! SHE WAS CAUGHT BY ADAM! IF WE DON'T DO ANYTHING THEY'LL KILL HER! – Blake shouts.

- Kill her?! What?! What do you mean?! – Yang asks, holding one of her arms, which was injured.

- Weiss was kidnapped by the leader of the White Fang, Adam Tauros... he certainly won't ask for a reward for her... Adam plans to do something to Weiss and his plan will probably end with him killing her, that's how the White Fang has been with the Schnee's for years. – Ren says, his expression showing nervousness about the situation.

- I-I DIDN'T WANT THIS! PLEASE! YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE ME! I DON'T WANT WEISS TO DIE! W-WE NEED TO FIND OUT WHERE THEY ARE AND SAVE HER SOMEHOW! H-HELP ME, I BEG YOU! - Blake screams, tears falling non-stop from her eyes.

Jaune turns his back on Blake and starts walking. His group starts to stare at the knight of the group walking towards something.

- If we have to know where they are... - Jaune crouches in front of a White Fang soldier.

- ... it's not a problem... we have enough people to interrogate... - Jaune's aura becomes more volatile, leaving his body. He grabs the soldier by the collar, who seems to wake up little by little.

- Tell me... - Black rays begin to appear in Jaune's aura, with it becoming darker, scaring the soldier in front of him.

- TELL ME WHERE ADAM TAUROS IS KEEPING WEISS! OR I WILL KILL YOU RIGHT HERE AND NOW! – Jaune shouts, his face showing unprecedented fury, something no one had seen in Jaune until this moment.

Chapter Text

- T-They're in a warehouse southeast of the Emerald Forest! - The White Fang soldier shouts, his hands raised.

- And what's the building like? Tell me everything you know! Where are they keeping Weiss! - Yang shouts, punching the ground hard, her fist almost hitting the White Fang soldier in the head. The man screams in fright when he sees the ground cracking with the impact of Yang's fist and the red fire in the blonde girl's eyes.

- AAAH! T-THEY MUST TAKE HER UNDERGROUND! IT'S A-AN OLD BASE! - The frightened soldier shouts.

- Stop it, Yang... I think I know which base he's talking about. - Blake says, with her hand on the blonde girl's shoulder. Yang gives one last punch to the soldier's face, making him fall unconscious to the ground.

- This base is right here in the Emerald Forest. We used to hide White Fang activists and refugees from Fauno trafficking mines. – Blake says, opening her Scroll, showing the map of Vale and marking an X in a certain part of the Emerald Forest.

- We should call the police, shouldn't we? This is a high-level kidnapping, after all, it's Weiss we're talking about. – Pyrrha says.

- We're going to do this while we go straight to the Emerald Forest! – Ruby says, putting her scythe back behind her back.

- I hate to say it, but maybe this is beyond what we can do, we're dealing not only with the White Fang but also with Roman Torchwick... there may be more allies we don't know about in this world... it's likely that some of us won't come back alive. – Ren says. Being the brains of the group at the moment. Everyone was silent, knowing that at the end of the day, they were still children, just Huntsmens in training.

- I won't back down... - Ruby says, getting everyone's attention.

- We all came to Beacon for a reason. Because we want to help people! Save them from Grimm and criminals! If we can't do it for our friends, who are we going to do it for?! I know you're scared! That you're afraid! I am too! But... I'm more scared of not having Weiss waking up next to me the next day! Lecturing me about my drawings in the middle of class! That she, even with her formal and polite manner, wants to help us! If we're going to turn our backs on our friends because the odds are against us... we'll also turn our backs on people in the future... I don't want to do that anymore! - Ruby says with determination in her eyes, attracting inspiring looks from everyone on Team JNPR and RWBY who were there.

- Ruby is right! It doesn't matter if our chances are slim! We have to do this because that's what Huntsmen do! Let our ideals be our motivations and not the probability of success! I won't force anyone to go with me and I believe Ruby won't either, but I will try with all my body and soul to save Weiss! Who wants to go with us?! - Jaune shouts, taking his sword out of its sheath and raising it to the sky, like an ancient general preparing his battalion for a war.

- LET'S GO! - Everyone on team RWBY and JNPR shouts (Penny and Sun included). Ruby and Jaune look at each other smiling, satisfied with their team's motivation.

Blake walks to something that caught her attention, something on the ground, it was Weiss's weapon, Myrtenaster. She picks up the weapon and stares at the rapier blade with a melancholy expression, until she feels a hand on her shoulder.

- Hey, we'll be able to rescue her. - Jaune says with a comforting expression.

- It's my fault, Jaune... if I hadn't run away, if I wasn't from the White Fang... if... if...

- Blake, you were just trying to do the right thing. Don't blame yourself for something that is clearly not in your control... we're going to save her! If you promise to reconcile with her and talk to her, I promise you that we will save Weiss with 100% certainty! - Jaune says, smiling at Blake, beating his chest with his promise.

- You know, Jaune... you're exactly how I imagined you would be when you were a child. - Blake says, hugging Jaune tightly, surprising him a little.

- Heh, I can get used to you being a little more affectionate with all of us. - Jaune says, hugging Blake back.

- Friends! I know people who can help us! In the meantime, you can go ahead! Bye-bye! - Penny says, waving to her friends and then, with an absurd speed, as if she could fly, she quickly disappears from the sight of both teams.

- She's quite... eccentric... - Ren comments.

- I think Nora could get along with her. - Pyrrha says with a nervous smile, seeing Nora waving goodbye with her hand waving at a worrying speed in the air.

...

Weiss was slowly regaining consciousness. She opens her eyes with blurred vision, but little by little her vision was starting to become normal. The girl realizes that she was handcuffed with her hands behind her back and with handcuffs on her feet too. She looks to her side and notices the figure that she knows very well and has a deep anger towards. Adam Tauros was sitting next to Weiss, with his legs and arms crossed and a stoic expression.

- You don't know what you've gotten yourself into this time, Adam. I'm not just an aristocrat or a shareholder in my family! You won't get out of this. - Weiss said threateningly.

- Very well, I don't care about that. - Adam said with a bizarre calm for someone who had just kidnapped the heiress of one of the richest families in Remnant.

- Damn it! What do you think you're going to get out of this?! Do you want money?! Do you think people will stop seeing the Faunos if you terrorize humans? Kill us?! Well, you know that this only contributes to hatred! Your-

Weiss stops talking because she is interrupted by Adam who grabs the girl by her head with brute force, hurting her by squeezing her cheek. He makes the girl look deep into his mask, managing to see a little of his blue eyes full of contempt and hatred.

- I don't want peace with humans, I don't want your approval, I don't care if you see us as monsters or not! I want war! And with your death, people will fear all the faunos they see on the streets, the only way out for both races will be conflict! - Says Adam, letting go of Weiss's face and sitting down next to her again.

- This will... put innocent faunos in danger... do you know that? - Says Weiss with melancholy and fear in her voice, she didn't think she would be in this place at this moment.

- If they are not with the White Fang, then they are allies of the humans, they deserve to suffer at their hands to understand. - Says Adam, without mercy in his voice. 

- … Will Striker be where you're taking me? – Weiss asks with her head down.

- Yes, he will, he wants to see you in person when he dies. – Adam says, Weiss clenches her fists tightly, making even her nails pierce her palm a little, she was frustrated, she was sad. She runs her hand over the scar on her left eye, remembering past anguish.

- One… last thing I'd like to know…

- I don't want to hear your human voice anymore.

- I'm going to die, at least answer my questions. – Weiss says, raising her voice to Adam, who turns his head to the lady in white, and then nods positively, giving Weiss permission to ask.

- Blake… Blake Belladonna… is she with you? Is she with the White Fang? – Weiss asks, looking at Adam with fear, but this time the fear wasn't of him, but of the answer Adam would give her. 

- … Blake is no longer part of the White Fang, she ran away after we both had a disagreement on how to do things… she is naive, I fear for her and where she will go with this naivety, that we can all be happy and hold hands if we just ignore years of history, pain, and exclusion… no… the things that humans have done will not be erased, the damage is already done, now is our time, our moment… but Blake did not see things that way and so she left the organization, left her family and ran away, like a coward. – Says Adam. Weiss seemed to notice that the man became a little more emotional referring to Blake, but it was a relief to hear that in a way, she discovered that Blake was not a bad person, he was not a person she would have to fear, he was not someone who was approaching her to try to kill her… like it happened before…

…

The two teams (and Sun Wukong) paid for two taxis to go as far as they were allowed in the Emerald Forest.

- We're only going this far. – Says the Taxi owner. Jaune and his team get out of the man's vehicle, seeing Ruby and her team, along with Sun, getting out of the other Taxi. Watching them turn around and go back to the city of Vale.

- You better take the lead, Blake. You're the one with experience here with the White Fang. – Says Ruby, making room to go ahead.

- Okay. – Says Blake, nodding, taking the lead to enter the forest.

- If the White Fang has a base in the Emerald Forest how Ozpin and the people of Beacon don't know about it? Like, I thought they had eyes on everything, even the school bathrooms. – Asks Nora, walking skipping.

- Nora, I didn't need to hear that. Now I don't want to take a shower in Beacon anymore. – Says Yang. 

- No one has cameras in the bathrooms, I've already checked. And also the emerald forest is very large and divided by several cliffs, like the one where we fought the Deathstalker, Opzin probably only had vision in that small place and only for the initiation. - Ren answers.

- That makes sense but now guys we have to be careful, the last time we were in this forest we fought an ancient Alpha Grimm. - Jaune says, with his sword and shield ready for combat.

- The worst of all... Grimms are attracted to negative emotions. Our friend has just been kidnapped and we are going on a probable suicide mission... we are currently a well of negative emotions. - Pyrrha says, although her comment made everyone more nervous, it was a necessary comment.

- I can help with that. - Ren says, everyone looks at him expectantly.

- Are you serious? - Ruby asks.

- Yes, yes, yes! Ren's Semblance is that he can camouflage people's negative emotions! We'll be undetectable to the Grimms if we walk with him by our side! - Nora says, hugging Ren and pointing at him with her index finger, as if proudly showing what her friend can do.

It's as if I can create a dome with my aura, I just ask that you stay close, the bigger the dome I create, the more aura I'll spend. Even though I have good control over my aura, I'm still one of the ones with the least of it in our group. - Ren says.

Everyone does as instructed, gathering closer so Ren can use his Semblance, creating a field with his aura, making the negative emotions his friends were feeling undetectable to the Grimm.

- Okay, this is a strange feeling... but it will keep the boneheads away. - Sun says, looking at her own hands.

- Okay, let's continue. This way. - Blake says, pointing to the right, with the group following her instructions.

- Weiss, hold on tight and we'll save you... I won't let them do anything to you. - Blake thinks, putting her hand on the Myrtenaster that was attached to her waist belt, she would hand the weapon to her personally as soon as she saved her.

Chapter Text

- So that's it... that's my whole story, at least most of it. - Blake says next to the group. Everyone had surprised expressions at what Blake had just told them.

- I really expected all this from you being from the White Fang and fighting since I saw you at that protest but... ADAM TAUROS IS YOUR EX BOYFRIEND?! - Juane says, shouting at the last part, only to be poked by Ren.

- I can block emotions, not sounds. - Ren says.

- Okay, sorry. - Jaune says, scratching the back of his neck a little awkwardly.

- Just Wow... having an ex-boyfriend who is responsible for such a traditional change in the White Fang must be difficult. - Pyrrha says, sympathizing with Blake despite never going through anything similar. 

- When it started, he was just another rescued person... but from what he went through... I think seeing other faunos suffering made him follow the path of hate and well... I was too blinded by love to realize what he was becoming until it was too late... I believe that even I would have become something like that if it weren't for Jaune. - Blake says, giving the boy a small smile.

- Blake, you don't have to thank me forever, okay? You were going to meet Ruby, Yang and the rest of us at some point, I'm not the only good human in the world. - Jaune answers.

- But you were the first one who made me believe that humans can be good, after you I became a big fan of the Rusted Knight books. I imagined that there could be a hero like that who helped both humans and faunos, without discrimination. - Blake says dreamily.

- HA! I loved the Rusted Knight books too! - Ruby says, excited about the conversation.

- Ruby always asked me to read them at bedtime, she was a literal fangirl for her. – Yang says with a provocative smile to her sister.

- S-stop talking like that! You're going to make me look like a child!

- Ahw every girl  had a crush on the Rusted Knight, it's like a rite of passage! Even Ren liked him! – Nora replies, Ren stands slightly erect with the girl's speech.

- I just thought he was a great influence on children and adults Nora, that's all. – Ren replies.

- And that's why you had to buy his entire series? – Asks the girl with a smug expression.

- Yes, exactly because of that.

- Uhmmm, I wonder if I can be like the Rusted Knight someday... - Jaune thinks. But he stops walking because he bumps into Yang's back. Everyone stops because Blake has also stopped walking and then crouches down, walking as carefully as she can so as not to draw attention.

- Here... this is the base. – Blake says.

They all followed the hot girl and noticed the large building that was in this forest. It had two floors and really looked like a fusion of a hotel and a warehouse, with the walls a little old and the windows broken. The bullhead that took Weiss was parked there, they didn't seem to see any sign of the girl.

- We have to do something about these guards... - Jaune says, realizing that the place was extremely guarded.

- Why can't we just go in and attack everyone? - Nora asks.

- Because they have Weiss, if they're planning to kill them, they definitely want to do it as a message. - Ren says.

- I see... they might be preparing to broadcast this to the world or something, right? If we go in and are noticed, we can move things along. - Pyrrha says, completing the introverted JNPR's reasoning.

- Uhm... - Ruby looks at the bullhead and realizes that the guards' patrols were less frequent.

- I have a personal plan. - The girl with silver eyes says with a confident smile.

...

- I'm saying you haven't done your part of the deal yet! That shipment from Schnee Industries would complete most of the Dust we need. - Roman said irritably. He was in an almost empty room if it weren't for a few tables and chairs. Weiss was tied to the floor, still handcuffed by her hands and legs.

- We'll fulfill your deal, Torchwick, but right now my part will happen because it's the easiest to execute. - Adam said, staring into Roman's eyes in an intimidating way. The girl with pink hair didn't seem to like Adam's approach and walked towards him with murderous intent.

- Wait Neo, we don't want to have a fight with our dearest ally right now. - Roman said with a hand stopping Neo's path. She just huffed in irritation and gave Adam a death glare before sitting back down in one of the chairs.

- I have respect for your boss's objective, Roman, so we won't break this contract, but right now I won't move a muscle until I rip Schnee's head off here. – Adam Tauros says, pointing the hilt of his katana at Weiss, who cowers in the corner.

- Okay, Adam, having a conflict with an unknown grade like you is not in my plans. – A female voice says, coming down the stairs to the room they were in.

A woman in a short red dress came down the stairs. She had long black hair with bangs covering her left eye. Her only eye showed an amber color, almost like golden flames. She had a confident and seductive smile on her face, but her aura showed someone evil and powerful.

- The chaos that will come with Weiss Schnee's death will allow us to steal as much Dust as we want. – The woman says, walking towards Roman, surrounding the professional thief.

- Don't you think that with that they would protect Dust even more? – Roman asks, following the woman with his eyes. 

- They don't have enough military power to provide security for Dust and go to war against the White Fang fufufufu, in the end we'll win either way. If they go to war with the White Fang 100%, they'll lose soldiers and Dust will be at a loss. If they divide the tasks, the White Fang will be victorious and consequently Dust will be vulnerable. - The woman says.

- You're really diabolical Cinder! I love that about you. - Roman comments with a big mischievous smile. The girl named Neo seems to roll her eyes in the background, crossing her arms.

- Sir, we have everything we need to start the preparations, we already have several of the servers hacked for the video transmission. - Says a White Fang soldier, entering the place without a helmet.

This soldier had short, slightly spiky hair, divided into black and white strands in a volatile way. He had ferret ears and yellow eyes. Weiss stares at him with an expression of shock.

- S-STRIKER! YOU! – Weiss shouts to the White Fang soldier in front of her.

- So you remember my name? – Asks the fauno, walking up to Weiss, coming face to face with the girl who was on the ground.

- You... I still... I still can't believe you're with White Fang! After everything we did for you! You were... you were my best friend! – Weiss shouts, getting slightly emotional, her face showing great anguish.

The White Fang soldier takes a tonfa from his waist and points it at Weiss's face, raising it to her chin with the tip of the weapon.

- I was never your friend Weiss, I was just following orders, and unfortunately you managed to escape with only a scar. – Says Striker, passing the tip of the tonfa over Weiss's scar.

- But today will change that, do you think I could be friends with one of the people who did the most harm to my people? Why don't you take advantage of your last moments to reflect on your life, and what brought you to a moment like this! The amount of indirect harm you have caused. - Striker says, putting his tonfa back on his waist and turning his back to Weiss who was just staring at the ground with a broken expression.

- You're still one of my best soldiers, don't blame yourself so much for the failure of your mission. - Adam says with his hand on Striker's shoulder, being a little taller than the ferret faun.

- I'm not going sir, thank you very much for everything. - Striker says with a smile.

Before Adam and the rest could continue the preparations for what they were planning to do with Weiss, they hear a large explosion happening upstairs and causing a slight tremor in the basement.

- What was that?! - Roman says.

- Hello! What's happening up there?! - Adam asks on a communicator.

- Sir Adam! The Bullhead just exploded in the engine! We're checking what might have happened but we believe it might be due to a bullet lodged in it. - One of the White Fang soldiers says on the communicator.

- Well, at least it's not something to worry about. - Striker says.

- No... Bullhead seemed fine while we were here, I checked it myself... there's something wrong... - Adam says, with a suspicious look in his voice.

- Reflecting, uh... for my best friend to turn against me... - Weiss thinks, she knew about her family's history with the faunos. She didn't approve of this behavior, but what could she do? She was a child, she's still a child. But... maybe she didn't try hard enough? Anyway, whether it makes sense or not, the heiress girl feels extreme guilt in her being.

...

Back to team RWBY and team JNPR, they managed to quickly invade the building that had its security failed due to the Bullhead's explosion.

- How did you manage to do that? - Sun asks Ruby.

- Heh, I work a lot with weapons, you know? You kind of end up knowing some mechanisms of other things by association, I just had to overload the battery a little and cut some wires and Boom! The best distraction possible for us to get in. - Ruby says proudly.

- Okay, but let's follow the plan. We have to sneak through this place and find Weiss, we'll split up with the pairs formed. - Jaune says.

Upon entering the building, the teams were divided into pairs. Ruby and Jaune, Blake and Sun, Yang and Pyrrha and lastly Nora and Ren. The place was large and had several branches both up and down, to minimize the searches as well as act more stealthily, the division of the groups was the best plan, after all they were racing against time at the moment.

- Hey Jaune. - Ruby says walking next to Jaune who was in front of her. The formation of the two was with Jaune going in front because of the shield and being more resistant and then Ruby could finish off any enemy quickly with her speed and lethality.

- Say Rubes. - Jaune says, looking around the corner. Seeing if there were any White Fang soldiers who could get in their way.

- I know what I said back there to everyone but... if they really plan to execute Weiss... will we really make it in time? Now that I remember... killing someone is so easy for these people. - Ruby says.

- Ruby, Weiss wouldn't die that easily, I'm sure of that. - Jaune says. The two of them are silent for a while and then they open the door to a room abruptly, entering with their guards up and searching it, but there doesn't seem to be anything there.

- I'm saying that I'm afraid that we won't be able to rescue Weiss in time... I alone can't live in a world where I won't have my partner with me. - Ruby says, squeezing the handle of her scythe transformed into a sniper rifle.

- Ruby, I want you to keep one thing in mind during this entire mission. - Jaune says, Ruby hears the boy who turns to face her. Jaune was still the weakest of the group, after all he was still a Grade 4 Huntsman. But the determination in his eyes was of someone who had more strength than he let on.

- I will never let them kill Weiss, I promise you that.

- Jaune... how can you...

- I know, I'm not omnipotent and I can't predict the future but... I'll still promise, forever and I'll promise again and again! That I won't let them kill Weiss... no matter what gets in my way, I won't let that happen. – Jaune says.

- I don't know how... he does it but, he manages to convey that feeling... - Ruby thinks, walking behind Jaune again.

- That feeling that he'll always make everything end well.

Chapter Text

- It doesn't make sense that you're doing all this. - Blake says, walking alongside Sun.

The two were going down one of the stairs that led to the bottom floor of that large building, mostly in silence, but Blake still couldn't understand why Sun was with them.

- I like helping people, you know? - The monkey faun says in a relaxed manner.

- This isn't just help, you're putting yourself in danger by fighting a terrorist organization. You have a team, right? How do you think they would feel if you died? In the end, you're the person who has the least to do with this conflict. - Blake says, stopping walking and turning to face Sun.

- You think... that I can be an infiltrator for them, don't you? An infiltrator for your Ex so he can keep an eye on you? - Sun asks, with a serious expression, almost offended in a way.

- ... My friend, his name is Neptune, he's my teammate and his family worked in one of the Schnee's Dust stores. – Sun says. Blake softens his gaze, seeming to already know where this was going.

- The store was attacked by the White Fang, Neptune's parents were almost killed if his mother hadn't been a hunter with honorable discharge... and even after that Neptune doesn't hate faunos, in fact he embraced me with open arms at initiation... I asked why and he just answered me "there are assholes everywhere, the only certainty of evil we have in this world is the Grimms". – Sun says, passing in front of Blake.

- I have my own goal of ending the White Fang when I become a hunter. It would show the world that we have to stand together against true evil, regardless of our race... you just made me enter this war a little sooner. – Sun says, smiling at Blake, who nods. - I'm sorry for distrusting you, it's just that...

- Okay, I'm a guy who arrived out of nowhere on a ship illegally and I'm now in a battle to rescue your friend, I can understand why you...

When the two left that place, they entered a large, open room with several boxes. They seemed to be another one of the rooms in the basement, but Weiss wasn't there. What was there were two White Fang soldiers, but they didn't seem to be two ordinary soldiers. One of them was Striker and the other was a girl a little shorter than him, you could see that she had a little darker skin and green hair coming out of her mask. With two weapons different from the standard White Fang weapons, two large magnum revolvers on her waist.

- As Adam predicted, the Bullhead exploding was just a distraction. - Striker said, pulling his two tonfas from his waist.

- They won't come through here, we'll keep our part of the deal. - The girl said, removing her two revolvers from her waist. Sun and Blake quickly armed themselves with Gambol Shroud and Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang. The pairs of opponents stared at each other, waiting for the slightest movement from each other. Blake knew that the two in front of her were strong, and if they were here, it meant that she was getting close to Weiss. They had to get past them as quickly as possible.

Blake uses her semblance to leave a clone behind as she jumps into the air, quickly grabbing the lamp above as a quick support and uses another shadow to give her momentum, advancing towards Striker who manages to react to Blake's attack by crossing his two tonfas in front of his face, preventing an attack from Blake's katana.

The green-haired girl tries to help Blake but Sun is already running towards her with her two nunchakus in her hands. The girl transforms her revolvers into two Kamas and clashes their blades with Sun's weapons.

- I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN YOU WOULD BE HERE, STRIKER! – Blake shouts, putting more force into her blow but Striker opens his arms with his tonfas, with the force throwing Blaker back. He spins the tonfas, now pointing the tip of them at Blake and then bullets start to come out of those tips in the direction of the hot girl who quickly throws herself rolling behind a box.

- Yes! Having a Schnee die that I tried to eliminate a long time ago was something I needed to see with my own eyes! To see that my failure can be fixed! - Striker shouts. Blake gets up from her cover and with the tape of her weapon she wraps it around one of the boxes, turning her body 360 degrees and throws the box towards Striker who almost hits her if he hadn't opened his legs with impressive flexibility, decreasing his height and dodging that box.

- SHE IS INNOCENT! SHE WAS JUST A CHILD! - Blake shouts, hitting her blade with Striker's tonfas, the two starting to exchange blows at high speed.

- NO SCNHEE IS INNOCENT! WHAT DO YOU THINK THEY TEACH HER?! - Striker asks, finding an opening to kick Blake in her stomach, knocking her to the ground. Unfortunately Blake's grip on her katana loosens and her weapon ends up falling a few meters away.

- She sees you as an animal! Just like all Schnee! You're lucky that Adam wants you alive, but I already consider you a traitor to our entire race! - Striker says, pointing his tonfa at Blake. Before he can shoot, Blake manages to switch places with one of his Shadow clones, propelling himself towards Striker and tripping him.

- DAMN IT! - Striker screams, falling to the ground, quickly getting up, spinning his legs like a break dance move. But that was enough for Blake to have time to run to her gun.

- She came for me... - Blake says, getting up. Striker shoots her, but Blake shoots Striker too, managing to block their bullets with her own bullets.

- Even after what I told you... SHE CAME FOR ME! AT THE PORT! - Blake screams.

- YOU'RE DELUDING YOURSELF! – Striker shouts, advancing on Blake, sliding underneath her and striking the girl's leg. Making her grunt in pain and fall to the ground. Luckily, Blake manages to roll over Striker and turn around, shooting him in the back, stunning him.

Blake uses one of her shadows to gain more momentum, flying towards Striker. The tonfa soldier turns around and tries to block, but Blake changes his trajectory with another shadow throwing himself down and then piercing Striker in his stomach.

- SHIT! – Strike raises both arms and with two blows from above and below, he hits the handle of his tonfas hard on both of Blake's shoulders. The girl felt like her shoulders were going to break, but she stayed strong and applied more force, piercing Striker even more, managing to knock him to the ground.

- AAAAAAAAH! – Blake withdraws her katana, about to pierce it into Striker's head, but she hesitates. She knows Striker, she has already done White Fang operations with him, she couldn't. Blake hits Striker on the head with the bladeless part, leaving him unconscious. The faun girl gets up hyperventilating.

- Damn... I used too many shadows... I'm almost out of aura... - Blake thinks, looking at her hand, evaluating her own aura levels.

...

Sun transforms her two nunchakus into her large staff again, using it as a base to jump towards that green-haired girl. As if it were an Olympic jump with a kick in the middle of her face. The girl manages to recover quickly and runs shooting towards Sun, while with her other Magnum she was ready with her blade.

- You seem to be more than those soldiers, aren't you? - Sun asks, spinning her staff in front of her body. With the quick spin being a perfect defense to deflect the bullets to all sides, on the floor and to the ceiling, preventing them from hitting him.

- By chance, why do you pretend to be just a low-caliber soldier? – Sun asks with a slight smile, forcing his staff to compete with the girl's two scythes. However, something strange happens.

Sun gets a cut on his abdomen, he doesn't understand, he just notices the blood gushing and looks to the side, realizing that the girl was actually on his right side and in front of him was... no one? How could this be possible.

- You're definitely not just an ordinary soldier! - Sun says with a slight smile, seeing a clone of him appear behind the girl and kick her, throwing her forward, giving Sun the opportunity to advance with a blow from his staff to her face. But not before that girl manages to shoot twice, one of the bullets piercing right where he was cut, causing greater piercing damage, leaving Sun on his knees.

- Shit...

- Yeah, you're right. - The girl says, speaking for the first time to Sun advancing towards him, kneeing him. Throwing Sun up, who manages to get back to his feet by doing a somersault in the air.

The girl advances, attacking a storm of blows with her scythes. Sun transforms his staff into his two nunchakus and defends her attacks. However, he was being pressured, retreating backwards as the girl continued to advance.

- I'm not just a soldier. - The girl says, crouching down and spinning her leg with a sweep at Sun, knocking him down. But when Sun makes a clone to attack her, she wasn't there and in fact the two scythes stuck into both of Sun's arms making him grunt in pain. He looks back and notices his opponent again in the place where she shouldn't be.

- What... is happening?! - Sun thinks confused, what kind of semblance makes this girl just move from one place to another and attack him like that.

- But arf... you have something like all soldiers... YOU UNDERESTIMATE ME! - Sun shouts pulling the girl by the chains of his weapon, even with his arms pierced he uses it to his advantage. The green-haired woman didn't expect so much strength and was thrown into several wooden boxes, breaking them.

- Heh I bet you'll reappear behind me again ahm! BECAUSE NOW I'M READY! - Sun says creating a clone and positioning them in each corner of the room to observe.

- Ugh... don't get cocky! – The girl said, standing up. Her mask was slightly broken, and it was possible to see that she had red eyes with a slight wine tone.

But before she could continue the fight, the girl seemed to have another interest, touching her ear as if someone was communicating with her.

- Understood. – The girl said, jumping off those boxes and then simply disappearing from Sun's sight.

- WHAT?! HOW?! – Sun looked around, with his guard up. Waiting for an attack to come from anywhere. His clones weren't noticing any suspicious movements, he was tense, so far he hadn't been able to solve the mystery of this girl's semblance.

- AAAAAAH! – Sun jumped in fright when someone touched his shoulder and almost attacked Blake, who was the person who touched his shoulder.

- Are you okay? Where's that girl? – Blake asked.

- I don't know?! She just disappeared?! Her semblance was confusing... it was almost as if she could be everywhere at the same time, I don't know. – Sun says with his hand on his head, fighting with someone like that must have given him a lot of headaches.

- Well… let's continue… we don't know how much time we have until Adam decides to execute Weiss. – Blake says. Sun nods and follows the path led by the former member of the White Fang.

Chapter Text

- Hah, I must say that finishing them off before they can call someone on the radio is a great strategy. - Yang says, clapping her fists. She and Pyrrha have just cleared a room full of White Fang soldiers, the problem is that so far they haven't been able to find where they were keeping Weiss.

- We should have disarmed one of them to interrogate them, they must already know where they're keeping her. - Pyrrha says, picking up her shield from the floor.

- Oh... damn, I guess we didn't think of that in the heat of the moment, damn minds that only work after a fight. - Yang says, slapping herself for not thinking of that.

- Ohohoho! Good grief!

Pyrrha and Yang automatically go on guard when they hear the voice of a person entering the room. It was a tall man, maybe about Jaune's height. He was wearing the White Fang uniform as well as his mask. You couldn't see much of his face, but you could see straight white hair coming out of the hood he was wearing. He walked until he was in front of Pyrrha and Yang, clapping his hands.

- Yang, this guy is not a normal soldier... - Pyrrha said, realizing by the way the man was behaving that he was probably much stronger than the soldiers. After all, he wasn't even using a weapon.

- Heh, but against the two of us, he definitely won't stand a chance. - Yang said with a big smile, but then they noticed someone jumping from the ceiling of that room. Pyrrha looked back, staring at the girl she was fighting at the port, who had pink and brown hair.

- Damn... Yang, you're going to have to fight this guy alone. - Pyrrha said.

- What?

- This girl in front of us... she has the same combat level as me. - Pyrrha said, arming herself with her shield and spear, ready for combat. Neo walked skipping around the room, twirling his umbrella, seeming to be enjoying the situation.

- LEAVE IT TO ME! – Yang says, arming Embecer Celica and advancing towards that mysterious soldier from the White Fang.

Yang attacks with a sequence of one twos. But that silver-haired soldier defending by raising his legs with such flexibility impresses you. The soldier advances and kneels Yang in the chin, stunning her a little, making the blonde-haired girl stagger back. The silver-haired soldier turns around with a straight Taekwondo kick to the middle of her chest, knocking her to the ground.

- What the hell?! – Yang is surprised, quickly getting up and crossing her arms in front of her face, defending herself from another straight kick, given by that soldier from the White Fang.

- You seem to use your fists a lot in combat, huh, practically my opposite. – The soldier says, with one of his raised legs swinging and then stomping hard on the ground, making the ground below crack.

- But I don't think you can be said to be my equivalent. – The man says. Yang couldn't tell, but if she could deduce, she was sure he was smiling under the mask.

- Oh yeah? Now you'll see! - Yang shouts, her eyes are red and her hair starts to shine with a stronger gold.

- Where did this girl come from... - Pyrrha thinks, defending a blow from the girl's umbrella with her shield. She quickly ducks, tripping Pyrrha, but the Mistral gladiator is experienced and jumps, doing a somersault over the girl. Grabbing her shoulder to try to throw her with the thrust she had, she successfully manages to throw Neo against the wall. But Torchwick's henchman is skilled, managing to move her body to land on the wall with her legs and gain momentum on this wall, flying towards Pyrrha at high speed. The red-haired girl is almost surprised by this if she hadn't used her Semblance to move her shield in front of her body at high speed, managing to defend herself from the girl's impact. 

- I pride myself on my fighting skills, how is someone at your level working with a criminal? Why? You should be in school with us! Imagine what you could do if you were a huntress! - Pyrrha says, recovering from the impact of Neo's piercing attack and kicking her in the stomach, putting distance between the two again.

The girl didn't seem to take Pyrrha's comments seriously, just smiling at her and putting her finger to her lips, making the silence sign for her and then pointing to herself.

- I don't think you seem to be taking what I'm saying seriously, what a shame! - Pyrrha says, throwing her circular shield in Neo's direction. The girl does an acrobatic jump backwards but Pyrrha's shield glows with a purple aura and changes its trajectory abnormally, surprising Neo, making her improvise so the shield doesn't hit her, throwing her umbrella at him, deflecting both weapons, with Pyrrha's shield being stuck in a pillar on the wall.

- Gotcha! - Pyrrha says confidently trying to attack with her spear in the short form, launching several aura blades in Neo's direction, who gracefully dodges them like a circus artist. Jumping back, picking up one of the soldiers' rifles on the ground and shooting at Pyrrha, the girl took a shot right in the middle of her chest, but thanks to her aura, she protected herself from most of the damage. But it was enough to stun Neo so that he could run to his umbrella, getting his gun back.

- Arf... good. - Pyrrha says, getting up from the ground, seeing Neo walking towards her.

- But... - Pyrrha moves her finger a little, almost with a gesture of "come here". Pyrrha's shield that was stuck to the wall is surrounded again by the purple aura and then leaves where it was and flies, hitting Neo in the head, knocking her to the ground.

Yang was really getting irritated, this guy always seemed to be one step ahead of her while she fights.

- Who the hell is this crazy guy?! Why is a guy like that wearing a normal soldier's uniform?! - Ruby's sister thinks. Crouching quickly to dodge a double spinning kick from her opponent, she runs to the wall on her right side, using it as a platform to jump towards the silver-haired soldier, giving him a superman punch in the middle of his face. Making him stagger back a little.

Yang shoots her opponent with two bullets from her gauntlets, managing to put a little more pressure than she was able to before. The girl then approaches and grabs the man by both shoulders.

- You're a fighter with kicks, apparently! You like to keep your distance, so keep your distance from this one! - Yang shouts, pulling her head back and then hitting her opponent's face as hard as she could, using her semblance to increase the impact of the blow.

- Argh, damn... it seems like she has a semblance that reinforces her attributes somehow. - The soldier thinks, spitting some blood on the floor.

- Well, I guess I underestimated you a little, but now things are really going to get good. – Says the silver-haired soldier, starting to jump slightly as if he was starting to do a different footwork.

- Uhm, change of posture, huh? Since it's like that, I'll go all out for sure! – Says Yang with a big smile.

The Fighter seemed to be ready to return to the fight against Yang, but then he seems to have heard something on his communicator and then looks out the window realizing something.

- Sorry, friends, but I think I'm going to have to leave. – Says the soldier.

- Do you think I'm going to let you leave like that?! – Asks Yang, advancing towards that White Fang soldier, but he realizes that next to him was a body of a soldier with a smoke grenade on his waist. He kicks the body right where the grenade was, throwing it towards Yang, thus making that smoke grenade explode.

- Oh shit! Where's that coward! – Shouts Yang, shaking off the smoke that exploded on his body at point-blank range.

- Yang?! What happened?! - Asks Pyrrha, seeing the room they were in now completely filled with smoke. She had lost track of where her peculiar opponent was, but kept her guard up.

...

- Very well, put this machine here. - Says Adam, ordering his soldiers to place a film camera in front of where Weiss was kneeling. The Schnee girl had a lifeless and hopeless expression. Which Adam noticed and seemed to love.

- Don't be so sad, after all you will serve a purpose, a purpose that will redeem everything your family did to our species. - Says Adam, kneeling in front of Weiss and lifting her face.

- Your death will become a martyr for both sides, and this will finally break out the war I long for, and then we will be able to see which race is the superior one on this planet! The fauns will dominate! - Says Adam. As a last message to Weiss before brutally dropping her to the ground. 

- Sir, everything is ready! - Said one of the White Fang soldiers, maneuvering the camera while others were taking care of other devices for this broadcast.

- Uhmmm an execution of a rich girl, it wasn't the kind of thing I would think to see at the moment. - Said Roman sitting in the back, at a table while drinking some tea.

- Very well, time to start the broadcast! - Said Adam.

Chapter Text

- Ren... this person in front of us gives off a strange feeling... - Nora said with a slightly frightened expression. Which was something very difficult to see.

- You felt that too, didn't you, Nora? That the person in front of us... is not of a normal level... - Ren said, a drop of sweat running down his face and falling to the ground.

The two partners responsible for the letters N and R of the JNPR team were facing an enigmatic figure. She was wearing one of the White Fang masks but not the organization's uniform. Just a large white cape that blocked practically any clothes underneath that she was wearing. All that could be seen was a bit of straight black hair and that her skin was white.

- Are you the ones causing trouble here? Well, you're just kids playing at being heroes. - The woman said with a slow and seductive voice, but also mocking to Ren and Nora.

- We didn't come here to play! We're here to save our friend Weiss! And you're going to tell us where she is now! – Nora screams, running towards that woman. Ren wanted to stop Nora from advancing so recklessly, but he could never really do it, so he just followed Nora.

Nora tries to attack with Maghild, trying to smash that person's head into the ground with a blow from above. But just one step back makes that person dodge Nora's attack, and she gives a medium kick right in one of the hands where Nora was holding her hammer, and then immediately kicks the handle of the hammer, throwing it away from Nora.

- WHAT?! – Nora screams in surprise, but what surprised her most was an explosion of flames at close range in her face, which exploded with such force that it threw her back, making her hit her back against a door of a room, breaking it.

- An elemental semblance?! – Ren thinks, using the Stormflower's shots to gain propulsion towards another wall of the corridor. Using that wall as a platform to advance in a zigzag towards the mysterious woman and tries to attack with his blades. But the woman grabs Ren by his wrist with impressive agility, and redirects him to hit him head first on the ground. Ren tries to get up with an acrobatic somersault over the woman and aims his Uzis in her direction. But before he can throw a wall of flames blocks his vision and from that wall of flames that woman appears with a flaming punch to Ren's face, making him spit blood with the attack and hit his back against the wall. Cracking it slightly with the blow.

- Silly children, it didn't have to be like this. - Says the woman, placing her hand on Ren's neck. Who was immobile due to the pain he was feeling.

- But I will eliminate anyone who gets in my way.

- Before delivering the final blow to Ren, the woman seems to notice something, an electrical noise next to her. She looks to her right and notices a female shadow holding a large sledgehammer.

- Hehe... I must say that in the room you threw me... - Nora had small wires of electricity coming out of her.

-... WHERE THERE WAS AN PLUG! – Shouts the red-haired girl, brandishing her sledgehammer and advancing at a speed 5x faster than the woman remembered Nora having.

Nora attacks the woman with a sledgehammer from the side, aiming to hit her ribs, but the woman quickly crouches down and throws two punches towards Nora's stomach. With her Fire powers, flames come out of her fists that hit Nora. But the girl resists the pain and then manages to turn her body to try to hit the woman with another sledgehammer, who jumps back, narrowly dodging it and seeing Nora hit the ground hard, with the entire floor cracking and the cracks reaching the walls of the rooms in that corridor.

- Impressive, probably the girl's semblance has something to do with the reinforcement of her body... that electricity... - The woman stared thoughtfully at Nora. Not noticing Ren's presence growing behind her. The monk of the group then slashes his weapon towards the woman's face, which is fortunately hit by Ren, but luckily for her, the White Fang mask had protected her from his attack.

- Damn... damn limiting situation... if only I didn't need to hide my identity... - The woman says with a hand on her face, preventing Ren and Nora from seeing who she really was.

- GOOD REN! LET'S END THIS! - Nora shouts with more electricity emanating from her being.

- BRATS! - The woman slightly raises her face, with Ren and Nora being able to see amber eyes. She raises the palm of her hand and from it comes a large blaze of flames, one so large that it managed to cover the entire hallway where they were fighting.

- NORA! - Ren pulls the girl and quickly jumps around a curve that was in the place. Managing to escape being charred alive by that woman's attack.

- Ui... we almost turned into fried chicken. - Nora says, giving a suggestive smile realizing how close she and Ren were on the floor, lying together.

Ren quickly gets up and arms his machine guns, rolling in the hallway and aiming at where the woman could be. But she wasn't in the hallway.

- Did she run away? - Ren thinks.

- I don't know, but it sure is strange that she ran away. She was literally wiping the floor with us. – Nora says, walking next to Ren.

- That's not how you use the word "literally" Nora... uhmmm. – Ren notices a small light coming from a room and finds it suspicious. He opens the door with the Stormflower in his hands and with his guard up. But there was no one there, just a television, a television showing something that worried Ren.

- Nora.

- Yes, Renny! – Nora shouts affectionately, appearing from under Ren out of nowhere.

- We have a problem here... - Ren says, his eyes on the television. Nora looks at the television and realizes that it was Adam on it.

- People of all Remnant! I am Adam Tauros, leader of the White Fang! And this is a declaration of war against the human race! – Adam says.

However, it wasn't just on that television that Adam's broadcast was taking place. The White Fang had hacked several places, several channels, several places on the internet so they could broadcast their message worldwide. People from Atlas, Mistral, Vacul and Vale were watching the broadcast that the White Fang was making. Even on large screens that were in some shopping centers in the largest cities.

- Everyone must know about the crimes that the Schnee industries committed against the Faunus race! They enslaved us to extract dust from their mines, conquered based on theft and lies! But today, my brothers! Today we are going to send them a message! - Adam says, stepping out of the camera and showing none other than Weiss Schnee tied to the floor. The girl had a hopeless and lifeless expression on her face.

- I know you are seeing, you damned wretches of the Schnee family, see what years and years of abuse to the Faunus have led to. - Adam says, placing his red blade on Weiss's neck.

- Maybe... in the end I deserve this... - Weiss thinks, looking around. Seeing five soldiers who operated the filming machines treated her execution as a spectacle. Roman in the background, not seeming to care about what was happening.

- Any last words, Schnee? – Adam asks, with an acidic tone in his voice. Looking down to face Weiss.

- I... - Weiss raises her face to the camera, if she was going to die she at least wanted her team, her friends to know how she felt.

- Blake... I'm sorry for being an idiot to you... I was scared... scared that a friend of mine would try to betray me again and I couldn't stand it... guys... Ruby, Yang... Pyrrha, Ren, Nora... J-Jaune... I'm sorry... I'm sorry for leaving early. – Weiss says, unable to control the tears that were falling non-stop from her eyes. People from all over the world couldn't help but stare at the scene in horror, despite there being other more radical people who were thrilled with the death of a member of the Schnee family. 

- Last pathetic message of a pathetic life... NOW... - Adam raises his katana in the air ready to cut off Weiss's head.

"BANG"

Someone shot the blade of Adam's gun, making it fall a little far from the man. The other soldiers try to react, but are quickly eliminated by precise shots.

- Shit, I know the sound of that rifle. - Roman says irritably, getting up from his desk, grabbing his gun and adjusting his hat, irritated by the situation.

- ADAM! YOU STOP THIS NOW! - Jaune shouts, appearing at the entrance of that room with his sword and shield in hand. With Ruby at his side with Crescent Rose in Rifle mode. Removing the capsule from inside the barrel.

- WE CAME TO RESCUE MY PARTNER! - Ruby shouts. She looks at Weiss, who still seems shocked. She never imagined that they would be able to find her, or that they would care so much about her to come looking for her personally.

- Ruby... J-jaune? - Weiss whispers, blinking a few times to see if she wasn't dreaming. 

- You followed me here, Red!  you're an ingrown toenail that I can't get out! - Roman says, walking until he's in the middle of the room.

- Ruby... you already have experience dealing with this guy, don't you? - Jaune asks.

- Yes, twice already.

- So you're going to fight him, I'm going to fight Adam.

- Jaune, no offense at this point, but Adam is clearly the strongest here. - Ruby says. The leader of the White Fang calmly walks to where his katana fell to pick it up.

- I know! We know that between the two of us, I'm the one who can take the most beating, I need you to be able to defeat Roman, I'm going to hold Adam back as long as I can until the others can get here. I was creating a map and it must have already been sent to them. - Jaune says.

- Heh... you're the king of plans but... BE CAREFUL! - Ruby says, using her speed semblance to advance towards Roman. The two clash their weapons. Jaune and Adam stand face to face with each other. Ruby's shots caused one of the White Fang soldiers to bump into that camera, making the footage catch an angle of almost the entire room, transmitting Jaune and Adam facing each other.

- You're pathetic for trying to think that someone of your level can deal with me, human. - Says the leader of the White Fang.

- I don't care who you are, if we're on the same level or whatever... I'm going to get Weiss out of here... because I made a promise and AN ARC NEVER GOES BACK FROM HIS WORD! - Jaune shouts, advancing with his shield raised, ready to begin his final battle against Adam.

Chapter Text

- What do you want by stealing so much Dust?! - Ruby asks, trying to strike Roman from below and then from above. But the professional thief easily blocks them with his cane.

Roman extends his arms and lines controlled by his semblance come out of his sleeve that tie Ruby's two legs together. When the girl tries to run to strike another blow, she trips and falls to the ground, realizing her legs are tied together.

- Sorry Red, but I'm not the kind of supervillain who reveals his plans to the protagonist just because he asked. - Roman says, pointing the tip of his cane, ready to shoot Ruby in the head. But the girl with the silver eyes manages to touch the tip of her foot on the fallen chair behind her, gaining a small boost to use her semblance and go after Roman like a torpedo, headbutting him in the chest, throwing him across the room.

Ruby manages to free herself from Roman's lines using the blade of her scythe and quickly switches it to rifle mode, pointing it at where Roman was. The two shoot at each other at the same time, causing an explosion in the middle of the two with the fire Dust bullets they shot.

- You helped kidnap my best friend! And you would still execute her and show it to the whole world! - Ruby appears amidst the flames attacking Roman with a blow from above. Ruby's scythe almost hits Roman's head, who sweats coldly when he realizes how close he has come to death now.

However, Ruby doesn't give up, she uses Roman's own cane as a base to make a move that uses her scythe as leverage to spin over Roman and go to the man's back. Roman's semblance lines go crazy, coming out of his clothes and flying towards Ruby to grab the girl while Roman turns to attack, but Ruby's speed was insane and she ducks, advancing crouched, but using her semblance to advance at high speed and managing to cut Roman's thigh.

- I WILL NEVER FORGIVE THIS! – Ruby screams, a very rare fury in her voice.

- SHUT UP RED! – Roman manages to get his lines wrapped around Ruby's left wrist and pulls them with his strength, throwing Ruby's body against the wall with such force that it cracks a little.

- I'm not exactly with them, you know? We're allies at the moment and that's it, and you want to know more? A thief like me who has always been poor, being able to see one of the richest people in the world who has never done anything to deserve what he has perish is a great opportunity, it just so happens that she's your friend, by the way, what horrible taste in friends you have. – Roman says, walking towards Ruby with an ironic smile on his face.

- Don't you dare talk about Weiss like that... - Ruby says almost whispering, standing up and squeezing Crescent Rose even tighter.

- Or what are you going to do? – Roman asks defiantly. 

Ruby shoots with her Scythe, keeping it in scythe mode, towards the chair behind Roman, causing it to burst into several pieces of wood. With that, Roman unconsciously closes his eyes so that no splinter gets into his eyes. The girl advances with this gap. Ruby uses her own scythe as an Olympic pole to jump with a flying kick, hitting Roman's face, throwing him into the air. Ruby uses this speed to follow him on the right and try to cut him in half with her scythe, but Roman manages to defend his belly using his cane, barely making Ruby's blow only throw him to the ground. The professional thief from Vale throws one of his hands towards Ruby with the threads of his semblance advancing towards the girl and with the other hand begins to shoot tirelessly towards Ruby.

- COME BACK HERE! YOU'RE ALWAYS! GETTING IN THE WAY OF ME! - Roman shouts with each shot he was firing at Ruby, who dodged with her semblance. The girl then shoots again at Roman with her sniper rifle, but the man quickly manages to duck to the ground and dodge it.

- IDIOT! Don't they teach you how to aim at your school?! - Asks the red-haired thief with disdain, but Ruby doesn't say anything. Ruby wasn't aiming at Roman, there was a shelf with some boxes above him and she shot right at the support, causing the shelf to collapse and all the boxes above to fall on top of Roman, quickly stunning him, giving Ruby the opportunity to advance and land a strong blow with the scythe on Roman, cutting his torso and then Ruby turns her body and hits him with a piercing attack with the other part of the handle of her weapon, the part without a blade, hitting Roman in the head, making him fall unconscious.

- Don't touch my friends, under any circumstances... - Ruby says, her silver eyes shining with an aura different from her normal aura. Now Ruby was ready to help Jaune against Adam, she hoped that he had managed to hold him back until now, but...

"KABOW!!!".

...

- HA! – Jaune advances with a slash from above, but Adam dodges it by moving sideways without any problems. Jaune tries to cut him aiming for his neck with another blow from the Crocea Mors, but Adam dodges it by throwing his torso back a little. And so it goes on with Jaune attacking non-stop and Adam dodging.

- Slow, no agility, weak grip, what is someone of your level doing in front of me? – Adam asks with slight curiosity.

- Shut your mouth! – Jaune shouts with a piercing blow, but Adam holds the Crocea Mors with one hand, with his hand completely bare except for his glove and his aura protecting him.

- We know that we shouldn't be intimidated by the amount of aura an opponent has, but your amount is atypical so I thought it could be a bigger challenge, but I guess I was wrong about that. – Adam comments.

- IS IT?! – The blond shouts, advancing with his shield, aiming to hit Adam's face with it, but Jaune stops, he is feeling a huge, piercing pain, coming from his stomach and spreading throughout his body. The blond looks down and realizes that Adam hit him with the handle of his katana.

- STOP IT JAUNE! YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO FIGHT HIM! – Weiss shouts, begging Jaune in her own way to run away.

- That boy is one of your friends, isn't he? – Adam says.

- D-damn it! – Jaune manages to recover from the pain and attacks Adam again, but this time the leader of the White Fang pulls his katana from its sheath and defends the blow from Crocea Mors' blade with his own blade, Wilt.

- Weiss... don't worry, I'll bring you back! – Jaune says, smiling at the girl. Weiss was feeling bad, really bad, seeing Jaune and Ruby fighting for her life with everything they had, she wasn't worth all this effort, as much as she wanted to run away from it, Adam's speech wasn't wrong, she was as responsible as all her family for the suffering of the Faunus.

- P-please... g-go away... - Weiss said bowing down, tears starting to appear in her eyes, she was the one who should die, not her two friends.

- It can't be... how can I advance in defending this guy?! I can't find any gap like Pyrrha taught me. - Jaune said attacking Adam non-stop, but he always managed to defend Jaune's blows with his red blade without any problem. The monotonous expression on the White Fang leader's face showed that this was nothing more than a game to him, and he was bored.

- If he doesn't give me any gap, I'll do it like in the initiation... I'll create a gap! – Jaune thought, raising his arm that held his shield in the air and then hitting the ground with all his strength. Jaune, having one of the best physical strengths of the first year, caused him to raise a large cloud of dust, rocks and debris with this attack.

- What are you planning? – Adam asked, his voice completely disinterested. He felt the movement of the wind beside him and quickly pulled out his katana to defend himself, but it was just a rock. Several rocks began to be thrown from all sides in Adam's direction, several entities advancing at the same time, confusing his perception.

- That's it... he won't know where I'm coming from... his defense may be perfect, but if he doesn't know what to defend himself against... IT'S USELESS! – Jaune thought, hiding behind a wooden table that rose with the force of the impact of his shield's blow. He then waited for the moment he thought was right and advanced towards Adam with the Crocea mors in his hands. Jaune jumps and pulls his sword back, aiming to attack Adam's head.

- Hump, you don't seem to understand Jaune. – Says Adam.

Jaune couldn't even see properly, all he saw was a big red blur for a second or so, that one second was enough for Adam to be able to surround himself, cutting everything in a 360 degree radius around himself, even hitting Jaune himself, who got a cut on his chest, barely protected by his metal plate and his aura, but still getting a superficial cut.

- But... my plan he... - Jaune didn't have time to think and took a straight kick in the middle of his chest, throwing him against the wall, with Adam's strength making Jaune create a crater in the wall as he hit it with his back.

- It doesn't matter your plan, it doesn't matter your strategy, it doesn't matter any of that, the level difference is so great between the two of us that there's nothing you can do that I can't get around using only my strength. - Adam said.

People all over the world were watching Adam and Jaune's fight being broadcast, it was like watching a baby trying to fight a professional fighter. The confrontation had been one-sided since the beginning, even with the little hope that Jaune gave using this strategy, it was completely crushed by Adam's strength.

- Jaune... - Velvet said worriedly, she was in her dorm, watching the broadcast on the television they had. Watching along with her team who stared at the television with equal concern.

- Bastard... don't you dare lose... - Cardin said watching on his cell phone while he was in Vale, he still had scores to settle with Jaune, he couldn't die before the two truly understood each other.

- It's okay Jaune... I just need to hold him off until Ruby finishes with Roman and the others arrive, I can do that without any problems. - Jaune thought optimistically, attacking Adam non-stop, he defended again without any problems using his blade.

- That... is strange... why is he just defending? - Jaune started to get suspicious and then jumped back, looking at Adam cautiously.

- Fufu, it seems like you realized something, inferior creature, but I'm afraid it's too late for you. – Adam says, red rays were starting to come out of his katana and it glowed an even brighter red.

- But now it's too late, this is my semblance, "Moonslice" – Adam says, placing both hands on his katana.

And then Adam cuts the air, but from his sword comes out a blade of aura, just like he used to stop Penny's rays, a gigantic blade of aura that flies towards Jaune.

- OH SHI- Jaune tries to cover himself with his shield but it was no use, he was completely consumed by that massive energy attack.

- JAUNE NO! – Weiss screams desperately seeing her friend disappear amidst a red ray that, upon hitting the wall, basically exploded, creating a small cave in the basement of that building. Even the entire building shook with this attack from Adama.

- Here they are for sure! – Blake said, turning the corner with Sun and finally arriving at the room where they were filming Weiss's execution, but when she felt the tremor and a red glow, she knew very well what it was. Blake ran without warning Sun, heading towards that glow, and found a sight that left her completely terrified, but not only her, Weiss, Sun and Ruby, who had just knocked out Roman, saw it and their hearts quickly tightened.

Jaune looked like a zombie. His entire armor had been vaporized by Adam's attack, his remaining clothes were torn and there was a lot, a lot of blood all over his body, totally serious injuries that wouldn't stop bleeding all over his body, forming a pool of blood below him. Cuts, many cuts all over his body, in some parts, even being able to see Jaune's bones and muscles.

- This is the difference in level between me and you human...

- JAUNEEEE! – Weiss, Blake and Ruby screamed, desperate that perhaps it was too late for their friend.

Chapter Text

- NO! NO! NO! IT WASN'T SUPPOSED TO BE LIKE THIS! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO LEAVE ME! YOU WERE NOT SUPPOSED TO DIE LIKE THIS! - Weiss screamed, struggling desperately on the floor. But the damn handcuffs on her legs and arms kept her from doing anything.

- I AM A SCHNEE, I CAUSED PAIN TO MANY PEOPLE JUST BY EXISTING! YOU ARE INNOCENT JAUNE! YOU WERE INNOCENT! YOU WERE NEVER PART OF ALL THIS! IT WASN'T SUPPOSED TO BE YOU! IT WASN'T SUPPOSED TO BE YOU! - Weiss was desperate, her voice showing a pain that they had never seen the girl heiress show in all her time in Beacon.

- Do you see, Schnee, do you see your friend dead in front of you? Many of our race have been in your place now, watching our friends die in front of us, and for what reason? Simply because we are different! None of that has changed and all of you, including you Blake, will see the end of your friends in front of you. - Adam said, turning to look Blake in the eyes, having heard her scream Jaune's name when she entered that room.

It was as if everyone there had lost the will to fight, the shock was still in their bodies, leaving them tense, unable to move. Jaune's state, Weiss's screams of despair, was like a nightmare coming true, and something needed to happen to get them all out of this nightmare.

- Adam...

Adam heard a whisper calling his name and when he turned around he was faced with a fist flying right in the middle of his face. The punch was so strong that it broke the mask he was wearing and sent him rolling on the floor.

- WHAT?! – Adam stands up, lifting his face with one of his eyes blue and the other closed, with the large burn scar near his blind eye.

- Don't say that again... do you understand? – Jaune says, walking unsteadily towards Weiss who is staring at Jaune in surprise and fright.

- DON'T SAY THAT AGAIN, DO YOU UNDERSTAND?! – Jaune screams, blood coming out of his mouth due to the wounds. Jaune almost falls to the ground on his knees but gets up with difficulty.

- Not coming after you... are you... kidding me?! WHAT KIND OF FRIENDS WOULD WE BE IF WE DIDN'T COME AFTER YOU! WE ALL KNOW YOU WOULD DO THE SAME FOR US!

- B-but I deserve... t-to be here...

- YOU DON'T DESERVE IT! Argh... - Jaune holds onto the ground with his sword, falling to his knees in front of Weiss.

- Bastard argh... I'm going to end this now! – Adam said, but then Ruby and Sun appeared in front of Adam, with Ruby blocking the movement of the White Fang leader's katana.

- YOU DON'T TOUCH HIM! – Ruby screamed, her eyes shining abnormally.

- I'm going to avenge my blond brother for the shit you did! – Sun screamed, advancing with Ruby against Adam.

- I don't know... much about the world and I don't know what your family did to the fauns but... I know you're not like that! I know you're Weiss! Our annoying and grumpy friend who wants the best for all of us! In her own way! Arf... How can someone who wants to do the right thing be guilty?! – Jaune said, he extended his bloody hand and placed it on Weiss's head, stroking her affectionately.

- You feel guilty for something you didn't even do, heh, you're definitely not the problem here. – Jaune said, smiling at Weiss. The girl was still unresponsive to Jaune's words, seeing him stand up and seeing Jaune have enough strength to break her handcuffs with the Crocea Mors, even in the critical state he was in now.

- Adam! I don't care what happened to you, I WILL NOT LET YOU END YEARS OF FIGHTING BETWEEN FAUNOS AND HUMANS TO LIVE TOGETHER IN HARMONY! - Jaune shouted, advancing in the fight against Adam with a piercing attack from the Crocea Mors, which Adam defended with the sheath of his katana, which was already occupied by Sun, and then kicked Jaune away, but he got up staggering and returned to the fight.

Weiss looks at her arms and legs that are now free, without the handcuffs to block her aura. She can move, she can fight. She notices a familiar blade in front of her and looks up. It's Blake, holding out the Myrtenaster.

- I wanted to apologize, but we don't have time for that right now. - Blake says. In the short time they've spent looking at each other, the two have already understood each other and said everything they needed to say at the moment. Weiss grabs her signature weapon back and stands up, refreshed and ready for the fight.

Adam unleashes a "Moonslice" on three Sun clones that were heading towards him from the right. He quickly turns to his left and manages to grab a Ruby who tried to catch him off guard with her super speed. Grabbing her by the neck and throwing her to the ground, suffocating her, but Jaune appears, kicking Adam in the face, throwing him up a little and letting go of Ruby, then attacking Jaune with a slash of his katana. 

- ARE YOU IMMORTAL BY CHANCE?! - Adam shouts, outraged that Jaune was still standing and fighting, someone of his level shouldn't be able to survive one of his attacks.

- I WILL NOT FALL UNTIL ALL MY FRIENDS ARE SAFE! - Jaune says, getting up again and jumping in front of a "moonslice" that was heading towards Sun, defending it with his shield.

- YOU'RE CRAZY, MAN! YOU WERE GOING TO EXECUTE A CHILD FOR SOMETHING THAT ISN'T HER FAULT! - Sun shouts, passing under Jaune's legs with great agility and hitting Adam in the face with a combo of his two nunchakus, Adam crouches and shoots at Sun with the shotgun that he had in his sheath, knocking him back a little and then advancing with a dash towards him with a piercing blow, throwing Sun further or further into the room.

- SHE'S A SCHNEE! – Adam shouts. Blake appears as a shadow in front of him, clashing their two katanas.

- A SCHNEE WHO IS TRYING TO DO THE RIGHT THING! YOU ARE KILLING INNOCENT HUMANS! GOOD HUMANS! – Blake says, pleadingly, as if she still had some shred of hope that Adam would stop.

- There are no good humans, Blake! And it is this corrupted thought that made you a traitor! – Adam says, coming face to face with Blake, the girl could only see unbridled hatred in Adam's only eye, how could she not have seen that before?

Adam pushes Blake and throws a cut in her direction. But glyphs appear in front of Blake that defend her from Adam's attack, being materialized by Weiss who makes more Glyphs that throw ice stakes in the man's direction.

- You... YOU WILL DIE TODAY, SCHNEE! – Adam hits Blake with his katana, but she manages to defend herself, but even so, she is thrown to the ground. And attacks Jaune with his scabbard, hitting the bloodied knight's chest, opening a path for him to advance towards Weiss, who no longer seemed so fearful of his presence.

Adam throws a “Moonslice” towards Weiss, but Ruby appears in front of his partner with a cloud of rose petals and with surprising strength she cuts Adam's energy cut in half, surprising the current leader of the White Fang.

- Don't even think about hurting my partner anymore! – Ruby replies, something in that girl's eyes made Adam feel a shiver down his spine, it was like looking into the eyes of an ancient warrior.

- FOR MY RACE SHE HAS TO DIE! – Adam doesn't give up and goes towards Ruby, but Jaune appears, charging at him with his shield, arriving on his right side.

- SHE DOESN'T HAVE TO DIE! WE CAN ALL LIVE TOGETHER! YOU JUST HAVE TO TRY! - Jaune shouts, clashing his blade with Adam's blade.

- THERE IS NO HOPE FOR HUMANS AND FAUNOS TOGETHER!

- THERE'S ALWAYS HOPE! - Jaune replies.

The entire conflict with Adam was still being broadcast to everyone in Remnant, some channels had already been recovered but people just switched to one that was still showing because they were curious about how it would end, and what message would prevail for the world.

- Velvet… I know this isn't the right time, but I have to say, your boyfriend is fucking awesome. – Fox says, even though he couldn't see the images on TV, with his sharp perception he knew very well what was happening.

- I don't know how he's still managing to fight but… but I hope he comes back alive… - Velvet says with her hands together, praying for everyone's safety there, but mainly for Jaune's who was in a critical condition and still insisted on fighting.

- ENOUGH! – Adam shouts, sticking his katana into the ground. It starts to glow red and from its center comes a pulse of aura that throws the five hunters away, one to each side with this destructive blow.

- Arf… I don't care how much you say! Reality will always turn out differently! We're not in a damn fairy tale where we can all get along! – Adam shouts, walking towards Weiss who had fallen to the ground, far from her weapon. But Jaune stands in front of her again.

- AND WHY NOT?! We can fight together! For a better future for everyone! – Jaune says, his shield and sword raised to continue the fight.

- I AM FIGHTING FOR MY PEOPLE! – Adam shouts, pointing his katana at Jaune's forehead.

- AND I AM FIGHTING FOR EVERYONE! NO MATTER THE RACE! – Jaune shouts, pointing his long sword at Adam's forehead, two opposing ideas that could not coexist, separation and union.

- I think you've played with my students too much. – Says a calm voice, but familiar to everyone in the room.

Suddenly soldiers began to invade all the entrances of that room. Pointing their weapons in the direction of Adam Tauros. A group of soldiers went to where Roman was lying, quickly handcuffing him, and from the middle of these soldiers a figure appeared, the one from Beacon, Ozpin.

- Shit... Ozpin... - Adam says in a whisper.

- How did you... find us? - Sun asks, surprised to see the director of Beacon.

- Let's say a friend of yours contacted me. - Ozpin says with a smile.

- Penny! - Ruby says excitedly, knowing that it was the work of her friend who had gone out to get help.

- Now Adam Tauros, I'm going to ask you to surrender without hurting my students anymore, or I'll have to... use other means to stop you. - Ozpin says, showing that he's armed with his cane. The Long Memory.

- I won't leave here until I kill THAT SCHNEE! - Adam shouts, threatening to advance, Jaune goes on guard but it proved not to be necessary.

Ozpin was already in front of Adam, having attacked his chest without anyone noticing his speed. Surprising even the team's speedster who almost couldn't keep up with him. A green electric impulse came out of Adam's back after Ozpin's impact and then he falls to the ground unconscious. 

- We'll take over from here, good job. - Ozpin says with his hand on Jaune's shoulder. The blond's gaze leaves combat mode and becomes lighter.

- So... w-will everyone be okay?

- Yes, we found the rest of your teams around the building, they're fine. - Ozpin says with a smile to Jaune. The blond boy returns it with a weak smile and then falls to the ground, losing consciousness.

- Attention! Paramedics, quick! This student is in serious condition and at risk of death! - Ozpin shouts urgently, five medical soldiers appearing to help Jaune.

Chapter Text

- Inject the serum quickly!

- Place his neck at a ninety-degree angle so he doesn't suffocate!

- We're going to have to open a slit in his trachea.

The entire situation with the White Fang had been resolved. Adam Tauros and Roman Torchwick were currently being escorted to prison. However, the most critical situation at the moment was inside a Bullhead where Jaune and the medical team that Ozpin brought were. The entire team RWBY and JNPR, plus Sun, were inside the Bullhead, looking at the situation worriedly. Jaune was bandaged from head to toe, but the bandages were no longer white due to the amount of blood and injuries the blond knight had.

- We won't have enough blood!

- What happened?! What do you mean they won't have enough blood?! - Asks Weiss, getting up from her seat, worried about her savior. 

- He lost a huge amount of blood, more than 60% of all the blood in his body... but his blood is -O which means he only receives one type of blood... and the bags we have here are not enough to do the transfusion until we get to a hospital. - Says one of the medical soldiers, administering a bag of blood.

- CAN'T YOU USE MY BLOOD?! IT'S RED TOO! - Says Nora, innocently but with good intentions, showing her pulse.

- Are any of you O type blood? - Asks the doctor, none of the students answered. They started to get more and more scared, without a donor now Jaune would die.

- I'm a universal donor, you can take my blood. - Says Ozpin passing between the two teams and sitting next to Jaune, pulling up the sleeve of his shirt.

- Sir, we're going to have to extract a lot of blood.

- It doesn't matter, extract as much blood as necessary, what kind of principal would I be if I let a hunter with such potential die in front of me? - Ozpin asks, looking the doctor in the eyes. The man nods and prepares the equipment to extract Ozpin's blood.

- T-thank you very much Ozpin, I-I... we wouldn't know what to do if Jaune...

- He's not going to die, don't worry about it. - Ozpin says, interrupting Pyrrha, noticing that the girl seemed unable to speak properly due to the tension of her friend's likely death.

- I have a word for all of you about what happened today. - Ozpin says, and it was then that all the members of team RWBY and team JNPR realized what they had done.

- Look, Ozpin, I take responsibility for this! - Ruby says, taking the lead, pointing to herself.

- What?! No! This is entirely my fault, principal! I ran away and decided to look for the White Fang! – Blake says, also standing up.

- I was the one who let my guard down and was kidnapped! If someone has to take responsibility, it will have to be me! – Weiss says.

- You are a team, what you do together is everyone's responsibility, I can see what you are trying to do here and I must say that I am glad that you are so close to taking the blame for each other, but you will not get into trouble. – Ozpin says, not even reacting to the needle piercing his vein and taking his blood.

- I know who you are, Blake Belladonna, and I can imagine your reasons for going after the White Fang, just as I can also imagine and understand the reasons for all of you to start this fight... but I want to remind you again that you are still children, Huntsmen in training, what you did today could have made your dreams end here, just like it almost happened to your friend. – Ozpin says, turning his face to look at Jaune's body. 

- I just hope you wait until you start acting like huntsmen, wait until you have the necessary training and experience, you will still go on missions this year and missions will go from Grade 4 to Grade 0 for reasons, gradual and safe progress is the correct path that every educator wants for their students. - Ozpin says. The two teams lower their heads a little discouraged, knowing that what they did was something reckless and irresponsible, so much so that one of their number is in danger of death now because of it.

- I shouldn't say this, but I personally like what you did.

- WHAT?! - Everyone shouts at the same time.

- Yes, this kind of determination to save a teammate is not something we see every day, especially in teams as young as yours. Today you showed that you not only have strong convictions, but that you have the right convictions. You may not have meant to do it, but today you sent a message to the world, a very positive message, and as your principal, I am proud of you all. - Ozpin says, giving a calming smile to the two teams who look at each other a little uncertainly. But their expressions soon soften, knowing that everything would be fine.

...

A large police truck was being escorted through the streets of Vale. Escorted by about five police cars in front and five cars behind. All this security is because Adam Tauros and Roman Torchwick were inside this truck, handcuffed with Dust's metal alloy to block their aura and going straight to prison.

- And who would have thought that the great thief of Vale, Roman Torchwick would have such an idiotic end like this, because of that girl in the red hood and her friends! - Says the red-haired thief, being without his hat at the moment and throwing his head back.

- Hey, on the bright side I think you and I are going to be kings in jail, huh, since we're in this together we can, for sure, continue with our alliance behind bars, right? I mean... if you're not executed for this whole plan and so on. - Says Roman with an ironic smile to Adam, who was just sitting staring at the wall, seeming not to hear the man speak.

- OH COME ON! Are you listening to me by any chance?! - Asks Roman, struggling like a child who has just been contradicted. The guards who were with them both seemed to be getting more and more tired of being inside.

It was then that everyone inside the truck heard an explosion happening. Everyone was scared, the guards held their rifles ready to fight.

- Oh, it looks like our cavalry has arrived. - Roman comments, showing calm about the situation that was happening.

- What is this?! - One of the police officers looks out the window and notices fireballs falling from the sky, hitting each of the cars behind them, exploding them. Just like what was happening in front.

- OH DAMN! - The truck driver screams, trying to avoid one of the police cars that exploded in front of him. But when he tries to avoid it, the truck loses control and due to its weight on an extremely narrow curve, it ends up falling to the ground.

The guards inside the truck were lying down, one of them tries to get up but Adam steps on his neck hard, leaving him falling to the ground. The back door begins to open, revealing that same woman in red clothes and amber eyes. 

- You know, you could have made a more elegant rescue. - Torchwick comments, standing up irritably. Neo enters the truck using his umbrella to break Roman and Adam's handcuffs, and hands the thief's hat back to him, who puts it back on his head with a big smile.

- Jaune... - Adam couldn't get the blond knight's face out of his mind, how he had opposed everything he said, almost like an antithesis of him appearing in front of him, a weak antithesis that Adam still couldn't eliminate.

- Here's your weapon, it's your weapon, isn't it? - Asks a silver-haired teenager, handing Adam's katana to him. The White Fang leader takes his katana with a strong grip.

- Jaune... you won't get out alive the next time we meet, I'll make sure to make you pay for all this humiliation. – Adam Tauros thinks, opening his katana and seeing his reflection in his own red blade, noticing the large scar from his past on his face.

...

It was already night in Vale, but even though it was night, none of Jaune's friends left the hospital where they were until they heard from the leader of Team JNPR.

- They've been in the operating room for hours! - Nora said, sitting on the floor.

- The condition he was in was very serious, even with Director Ozpin's donation, he still suffered a lot of trauma, cuts and bruises. - Ren said, standing against the wall next to Nora, with his arms crossed.

- But it's already been six hours... I'm starting to get worried... the doctor said it was a high-risk surgery. - Ruby said, sitting on the floor, hugging her own legs. With her sister Yang by her side, who had an arm around Ruby's shoulder in a comforting way.

- He'll be fine, little sister, if there's one thing Jaune is good at, it's taking a beating and staying on his feet. - Yang said, in a relaxed way to try to liven up the mood a little. Right after this, one of the doctors leaves the surgery room and is quickly bombarded with questions.

- How is he?! - Pyrrha asks, standing up almost instantly.

- Will he be okay? Will there be any after-effects? I can pay for anything here and now! Don't worry about the cost! - Weiss says, almost as if she were demanding that Jaune be okay.

- Please tell me the news is good... - Blake says.

- Everyone calm down, please. - The surgeon says. Everyone in the room slowly takes a deep breath and begins to calm down.

- We have good news, the surgery was a success and your friend will survive without any after-effects. - The man says with a smile on his face.

- REALLY?! REALLY?! - Ruby screams, practically jumping off the floor excitedly, her eyes shining as if she had seen the biggest cookie ever made in history. 

- Yes, it's even bizarre that he won't really have any after-effects other than a few scars, your friend's body is more resistant than I've ever seen. surpassing many Huntmans who passed through here with serious injuries inflicted by Grimm. He will probably stay in a coma for some time due to the mental and physical effort he had to keep standing during the conflict, but we guarantee that he will wake up. - Says the surgeon.

- He'll be fine... that's great... he really will... he really will be fine... - Says Weiss, losing some strength in her legs and almost falling, if it weren't for Blake holding the heiress girl.

- Can we go see him? - Asks Ren, getting closer to the surgeon.

- Sure, you can come in. - Says the man, making room for the entire group to enter the place.

- Yeah, he's exactly as I thought he would be. - Says Sun. Jaune was basically a big bandaged mummy at the moment, lying on a bed with several devices connected all over his body, helping him breathe and keep him alive. 

- His heart rate shows that he's fine. - Ren comments, seeing Jaune's heartbeat at a normal rhythm.

- Jaune... - Blake stands next to him, taking his hand and squeezing it lightly. A tender smile can't help but appear on her face.

- You keep your promises, don't you?

...

- So, what do you think about this? - Ozpin asks, currently in his office with Qrow, showing him the results of Adam Tauros and Roman Torchwick's escape.

- Don't they have recordings during the incident? Like, fuck, they're filming us even when we're going to take a shit. - Qrow says in an irritated tone, turning over his bottle of drink.

- Somehow the cameras stopped working as soon as the incident started, but I want to analyze it, do you think it could be them? - Ozpin asks. Qrow takes a closer look at the destruction caused. 

- Burn marks as if grenades had hit the ground, yeah, it's a big possibility, I'd say. - Qrow says.

- So if that's true, I'm afraid your niece and her friends may have made common enemies with us. - Ozpin says, taking his notebook back.

- Are you trying to involve those kids in this?! Ozpin, this was an isolated incident, they certainly don't know more than they told us. - Qrow says.

- No, I won't tell them anything right now, but I see them as potential allies in the future, Qrow, I think you felt the same way when you saw the broadcast, right?

- Yeah... the same feeling I had with my team... - Qrow thinks, with a slight tone of nostalgia, looking at the bottom of his bottle.

Chapter Text

- When do you think he'll wake up? - Nora asks Ren. With her face close to Jaune who was in the hospital bed in her room, still unconscious.

- Nora, don't get too close to him like that. - Ren says, pulling the girl by the collar of her shirt like a mother cat picking up her kitten.

- Ahwwww Renny, but I miss him! When will he wake up? - Nora asks, sitting back down in the chair next to Ren, watching Jaune.

- The doctors don't have an exact estimate, but they say he'll wake up soon... - Ren comments, looking at Jaune with silent concern, something that Nora can notice, after all, years living together traveling from one place to another, she learned to read someone who doesn't express themselves as well as Ren. Nora grabs his hand, intertwining her fingers with his. Ren looks at his best friend with a neutral expression and Nora just gives him a cute smile. 

- They say that when people are in a coma they can still hear what their friends and loved ones say to them. - Ren comments.

- Is that true? - Nora asks.

- I'm skeptical about it, but I think it's something we can try, right?

- Hehehehe of course! Jaune, Jaune! Get up already! We have a lot of physical training to do and Professor Nora here doesn't take it easy! - Nora says, standing up again and jumping in front of Jaune's bed, banging her fists together.

- Knowing our leader, the first thing he'll do when he gets up is try to make up for lost training time, we'll need to make him relax too. - Says the monk from team JNPR, turning to face Jaune again.

- Come on Jaune, everyone is waiting for you to come back... I don't want the first person who reached out to us to stay in bed forever...

- That's it! So get better soon, fearless leader! Nora wants to go back to having fun with you and Ren! – Nora says, sitting down next to her best friend again. She rests her head on Ren's shoulder to get more comfortable. 

The two stayed in Jaune's room for a few more hours.

...

- You're going to be worried about the lessons you're missing, right? Don't worry about that because I'm copying them in your notebook too, I mean... our handwriting is very different, I can barely understand what's written in your notebooks, but I think that in this specific case the teachers won't mind, right? – Pyrrha asks, sitting alone in front of Jaune's bed. She stays silent for a few minutes, just staring at the floor.

- It's been... weird without you with us... in combat classes, in the cafeteria... in our free time... everyone's trying to act the way you wanted us to act in your absence, you know? Continuing on with our lives, having fun and training to be stronger, but... it's not the same without you... - Pyrrha says, holding one of Jaune's hands, squeezing it gently with both of hers. 

- You're not just the leader of our team, Jaune, you're our precious friend... and also one of the most precious people in my life... without you with us I can't feel as... as normal as I felt when I was with you... so please get better soon... - Pyrrha says, pulling Jaune's hand closer to her face, giving her a gentle kiss on the back.

...

- No, Ruby! You shouldn't eat those cookies! They're for Jaune when he wakes up! - Yang says, lifting a plate in the air.

- Ahwww, but he would definitely let me eat one! - Ruby says, trying to jump a little to reach the cookies, but she was much shorter than her older sister.

- Yes, he would definitely let me! But that's for him to decide! - Yang says, leaving the sweets next to a shelf that was next to Jaune's bed.

- Hmm... if that's the case, I hope he wakes up soon... - Ruby says, playing with her fingers as she looks down.

- He will, sis. Jaune is the toughest guy I've ever met in my entire life and you can bet that I've already beaten up a lot of people. - Yang comments with a mischievous smile on her face.

- Like that time you destroyed an entire nightclub? - Ruby asks.

- H-Hey! Those guys were idiots! And yes, Jaune is much tougher than those guys. - Yang says, puffing out her chest and crossing her arms.

- Hehe, he is but... I'm afraid that maybe it's too much for him...

- What do you mean?

- It's just... he was the first person to reach out to me here in Beacon... when I arrived I was just a directionless kid who had skipped two grades... I didn't fit in but then... Jaune came to help me and became my friend just because... yes? And now I have a great group of friends who helped me save my partner... he's always giving his all for all of us and... I'm afraid it'll seem like we're taking advantage of him. - Ruby comments, looking at her sister with insecure and sad eyes.

- Rubes... I highly doubt Jaune thinks that about any of us.

- It's not about him thinking, I know he would never think, but it's about me thinking... I want to do more for him just like he does so much for me... - The silver-eyed girl says, looking at Jaune sleeping peacefully.

- Well... so when he wakes up, we'll make sure to be as nice to him as he is to us, right? - Yang asks, putting her arm around Ruby's neck and pulling her closer to her.

- Hehe, sure! L-let's do this!

- You're trying to sneak a cookie again, aren't you? 

- NOOOooooooooo... - Ruby says, with her arm reaching behind Yang, but quickly pulling it back after her blonde sister's comment.

...

- What do you think he'll do when he wakes up? – Blake asks, sitting next to Weiss. The two are the last ones to be with Jaune this week.

- I bet the first thing he'll say when he wakes up will be to ask if everyone is okay, and soon after that same day he'll want to go back to training. – Weiss says, sitting in the chair with her legs crossed.

- Yeah, that's just like him... I've known Jaune since I was about 7 years old. – Blake comments.

- Seriously? – Weiss asks in surprise.

- Yes, the others already know, but I told this story on the way to the White Fang base... in a protest several years ago, a group of anti-faunus humans almost got me, but Jaune showed up and defended me from them. Of course, he was a child like me and had no chance against armed adults, but no matter how many blows he took, he always stood up and stood in front of me like a shield.

- Wow... he seems to have had this habit since he was a child, then... but why did you two act like you didn't know each other? - Weiss asks.

- It's just that after that, a woman in a white cloak saved us and well... I ended up losing contact with Jaune before I could even thank him, but after a conversation we confirmed our events, he really was that brave blond boy who saved me... I think it's mainly because of him that I'm not like Adam... that I don't hate humans... because if a child can give his all to save an unknown fauno, then people can be good, right? - Blake asks, turning to Weiss. Who remained silent for a few seconds.

- Do you... know how I got this scar? - Weiss asks, touching her own face, near the scar on her eye. Blake remains silent but a slight look of guilt appears on the faunus girl's expression.

- Four years ago, my family hired a butler my age so that I wouldn't feel so alone... it was something specifically from my mother because all the singing, language, tutoring, and fencing lessons took up my time and well... she was worried that my mental health would be compromised heh... as if they cared about that. - Weiss says, lowering her head, with the melancholic memory.

- Little by little we got... close... he was my age and played with me... he didn't act with me as if I were superior to him, but rather as... as a friend but...

- But he was Striker, wasn't he? - Blake asks, Weiss nods.

- The ferret Faunos, who was wanting to see my execution today was my butler and friend 4 years ago... he was an infiltrator of the White Fang and was trying to gain my trust so he could kill me when I least expected it... - Weiss says, with memories starting to invade her mind.

...

- S-STRIKER?! WHAT IS THIS?! – Weiss shouted, a little smaller, wearing a different combat dress but similar to her current one. She had her hair loose and was armed with a common saber. The girl was holding her eye that wouldn't stop bleeding from a large cut she had.

A ferret faunos boy approached her. They were both in what looked like a training room with Greco-Roman architecture. He had a butler's uniform and was holding two tonfas, one in each hand.

- Now... it's your end, Schnee, this will be for all my brothers who die in your Dust mines. – Striker said. Weiss almost didn't recognize her friend, seeing that look of pure hatred being directed at her. Her heart dropped.

- B-but... I didn't do anything... we... we're friends, remember?! We played together! We sang together! W-why are you doing this to me?! – Weiss screams, feeling tears form in her only good eye at the moment.

- Schnee, I've never had such a friend in my life. – Striker says, pointing his tonfas at Weiss, who had a betrayed look on her face, she was completely broken.

- Now die!! – Striker screams.

...

- I was almost saved but I ended up with this scar on my face... and since that day I've had... difficulty trusting Fauns... I swear I try not to see them that way but... but whenever there's one near me, fear consumes me...

- Are you... afraid of me now? – Blake asks with great guilt in her being, now knowing Weiss's reasons.

- No... I'm not afraid of you. – Weiss says, smiling at Blake, who caught her off guard. 

- Just like Jaune taught you that not all humans are bad, you taught me that not all Faunus are bad... there are only people in the world... good people and bad people... this thing about humans and Faunus is so stupid. - Weiss says. Blake can't help but give Weiss a big hug, catching her a little off guard, but the girl heiress soon returns the hug to the former White Fang.

- I'm sorry for everything the White Fang did to you... - Blake says.

- And I'm sorry for everything my family may have done to you. - Weiss says.

- Hehe, I'm really glad you kept your part of the promise, Blake.

The voice pulled Blake and Weiss out of the hug faster than a Ruby on a sugar high. The two stared in surprise and scared that this could have been a hallucination, but it wasn't. Jaune was standing, staring at the scene of the two with a smile on his face. -

 It's so good to see my friends reconciled! And is everyone fine, right? - Asks the Knight radiantly. Weiss and Blake smiled in relief but seemed to be trying their best to hold back their tears. Until they let it roll.

- You idiot!  you scared us! You almost died! Idiot! Irresponsible! Y-you selfless suicidal piece of shit! - Weiss says, practically throwing herself on Jaune's bed, burying her face in it while lightly punching Jaune's leg in frustration.

- S-sorry about that, Weiss! I-I didn't think that guy was that strong, I-I-I didn't die, I'm here! - The blond knight says, a little nervous, not knowing how to deal with the explosion of feelings from the girl heiress.

- Jaune... - Blake calls the boy's attention, she looks at him from above with a stern expression and Jaune is already expecting to get the biggest lecture he's ever had in his life. But instead, Blake just hugs him, burying her face in the knight's chest.

- Don't... don't leave us, please... I don't want to live in a world where my childhood hero isn't with me... - Blake says, letting tears come out of her eyes, tears of relief.

- N-neither do I! N-now you've won my affection! Take responsibility for this, you idiot! - Weiss said, raising her head a little to look at Jaune, her face a little dirty with makeup from the tears.

- Guys, don't worry, I promise I won't die and I won't go anywhere. - Jaune said, stroking both of their heads as a way of showing affection and also to try to calm them down.

- A-ah, sorry Blake, there's this thing about not touching the animal part of Fauns, right? - Jaune said, quickly taking his hand off Blake's ears out of respect. Only for her to make a dissatisfied expression and pick it back up, putting it back where it was.

- Not now! You... you can, okay?

- Ah... w-wow, w-well... okay... y-you're the boss. - Jaune said, blushing a little at the intimate action.

- Puurrr... v-very good, knight~

Chapter Text

A man stops in front of the hospital. This man had long blond hair thrown back, an unshaven beard and was wearing heavy black armor with a greatsword on his back. The man exuded Huntsman wherever he went. The possible Huntsman enters the hospital, drawing people's eyes to his imposing figure as he heads towards the reception.

- Excuse me, I'd like to know which room Jaune Arc is in. - The man asks the receptionist.

…

- What?! D-don't tell me that's true! - Jaune says, still in the hospital. He no longer had the bandages on his body, with his injuries completely healed.

- Yes, man, you practically became a celebrity outside of here! You should see what they're saying about you on social media. - Kai says, sitting on Jaune's bed with his cell phone in his hands. 

- Yes, it is, Jaune. While you were fighting Adam, the cameras were still recording you and broadcasting it to all of Vale. People are seeing you as a hero of the faunus and humans. - Said a blonde adult woman with channel-style hair. She was wearing a modest blue dress and had a golden retriever tail, showing that she was a Faunus. Next to her was a man her age with very short black hair who was wearing a white dress shirt with a loose red tie and black dress pants. He had some green scales on his skin, showing that he was also a faunus. They were both Kai's adoptive parents.

- I-I don't deserve all this! I got beaten up during the whole fight against Adam! The ones who did most of the work were my friends. - Said Jaune with a confused and nervous expression, pointing to himself.

- I'm telling you, bro, these hashtags have been trending on Twitter for a long time. – Kai says, showing Jaune on his cell phone several posts with hashtags like “JauneArc”, “theresawayshope” and “humans&faunostogether”.

- Whether you like it or not, you have become a symbol of hope in the relationship between humans and faunos, Jaune. Knowing that there is a human willing to go so far for anyone is something that has touched people's hearts, and that's a good thing, most are willing to follow a path of forgiveness and hope. – Kai's father says, smiling at Jaune.

- I just... I don't think I deserve all this kind of attention, b-but thank you for the ahm... compliments, Mr. and Mrs. Hashimoto, I... I'm not used to being complimented like this. – Jaune says, scratching the back of his neck, blushing a little.

Then someone knocks on Jaune's bedroom door. Kai's mother goes to the door and opens it, coming face to face with the man in black armor.

- W-who are you? – Asks the woman, a little intimidated by the armor and the large sword on the man's back.

- Dad?! – Jaune says, surprised to see his father.

- You have a dad?! – Kai asks, surprised.

- OF COURSE I HAVE A DAD! WHY ARE YOU SURPRISED BY THIS?!

- I believe you are friends of Jaune... I am his father, Jonas Arc... could you have a moment with my son? – Asks the man in armor with a respectful smile.

- Of course, I believe that after what happened you would like to spend some time with your son. – Says Kai's father, leaving the room with his wife. Kai gives one last wave to Jaune before leaving his room, closing the door and leaving him alone with his father.

- You must have seen me on television, right? I found out a little while ago that everything was broadcast by accident. – Jaune says with a somewhat neutral expression, but he was happy to see his father again.

- Yes, I must say that was quite a show. – The man said, sitting down on the chair next to Jaune's bed.

For a moment, the two were silent, neither of them really knew how to start talking, after all, Jaune had run away from home and left only a message that he would follow his dream no matter what, in addition to stealing the family treasure.

- The Crocea Mors was made precisely for this. – Jonas said, catching Jaune's attention.

- Yellow Death... do you know why Julius Arc gave it that name? Because he believed that this blade would lead him to death, because he would wield it to solve any injustice in this world, no matter if he would die in the process. - Says Jaune's father.

- ... How is the rest of the family? - Asks Jaune.

- Your mother and sisters are worried about you, Jaune. Unfortunately, everyone is busy going on a big trip to Vale at the moment. If it weren't for Ozpin informing us that you are fine, there would probably be chaos at home. - Says Jaune's father with a stern look.

- I'm sorry about that... I didn't mean to... worry you all... I...

- But you did, and you know that's what matters right now. What you want doesn't mean much when your actions say otherwise. A man is made of his actions, Jaune. – Jonas says, Jaune is a little sad with this speech but he knows that his father is right, he knows that deep down, even with the support of his friends, his action of running away on a suicide mission to become a Huntsman was a stupid decision.

But still, it was his decision.

- I'm not going back, dad, I'm going to fulfill my dream of becoming a hero, of becoming a Huntsman. – Jaune says, staring at his father with a determined expression on his face.

- … You're going to leave today, right? – The man asks.

- Yes.

- So tonight, you and I are going to fight. – Jonas says, getting up from his seat and leaving Jaune's room, leaving him thoughtful.

…

- WAIT, IS THIS SERIOUS?! – Yang shouts with an irritated expression and disbelief on her face. Team JNPR and RWBY were leaving the hospital, accompanying Jaune, who seemed to be much more serious than he should be for someone being discharged from a hospital. 

- Yes... I don't know what his goals are with this, but I'm going to fight him. - Jaune says.

- And if you lose, you'll have to leave? Jaune, that's not fair... - Ruby says, afraid of losing her first friend in Beacon.

- After so much, you won't give up, will you?! It would be stupid of Beacon to let a student like you leave! - Says the Schnee heiress with her arms crossed, dissatisfied with Jaune's decision.

- Guys... I know what it looks like, but he's still my father. - Jaune says, taking a few steps in front of his group and turning to face them.

- I ran away from home, I stole my family's inheritance... I know you see me in a certain way, but I'm not someone completely innocent. I have a score to settle with him. - Jaune says, clenching his fists. His posture showed that he had no interest in really changing his mind about the conflict.

- Well... then you better win, Jaune. – Ren says, giving a weak but confident smile to his leader.

- THAT'S IT! SHOW HIM HOW STRONG YOU'VE BECOME! AND BOOM, KAPOW, ATTACK HIM LIKE THIS! BREAK HIS LEGS! - Nora shouts, punching and kicking the air, fighting an invisible enemy.

- Look, maybe... breaking his legs is too much, but you'll beat him. I trust you and remember our training. – Pyrrha says, placing a friendly hand on Jaune's shoulder.

- The Vytal festival is coming up. Leaving your team with 3 people just to compete would be a disadvantage, so you can't afford to lose Jaune. – Blake says with a playful smile.

- I told you, I'll never leave any of you, I promised, and an Arc doesn't go back on his word! – Jaune says confidently, raising his fist.

…

It was already night all over Vale. But on this particular night in a park not far from the hospital where Jaune resided. Father and Son were facing each other. Unfortunately Jaune's armor had been destroyed in his fight against Adam leaving him with only his black t-shirt and jeans and combat gloves.

- These are your friends, by the looks of it, aren't they? - Asks Jonas, looking to the side. Noticing Team JNPR and Team RWBY staring at the confrontation between the two with expectation.

- Yes, they're the ones who helped me get to where I am now! Without them, I'm not half the man I am. - Jaune says sincerely, not realizing that his words were heard and that they had an effect on his friends.

- WE LOVE YOU TOO, FEARLESS LEADER! - Nora shouts in the background, jumping with cheerleader pom-poms that she got from who knows where.

- Go, Jaune! Beat him, but don't break his legs! - Ruby shouts, cheering for her friend. Blake had a flag with Jaune's picture waving it in silence.

- That's good, a huntsman has to have reliable teammates in his profession. - Says Jonas, removing his great sword from his back and standing guard. Jaune removes the Crocea Mors and places its sheath and his hand, transforming it into a shield, and enters a combat stance.

- Uhm… that really is a good stance. – Jaune's father thinks, noticing that his son's expression was completely different now. He had the posture and look of a strong fighter, confident in his abilities, something that impressed him firsthand.

Jaune decided to be the first to advance this time, surprising everyone a little by seeing Jaune take a more aggressive stance.

Jonas attacks with a downward strike with his great sword, but Jaune defends with the shield of the Crocea Mors and then opens his arm, deflecting his father's strike to the left side.

- Is that… aura?! He has a lot of it! – Jaune's father thinks with wide eyes, watching his son strike a blow with the Crocea Mors towards his abdomen. If it weren't for Jonas' speed and reflexes to jump back, he would have taken that blow. Jaune didn't stop, he was totally focused on this fight, advancing towards his father, striking more blows with his sword. Jaune's father was able to counterattack with his greatsword easily. The difference in weight of the weapons meant that Jaune's weapon didn't have much impact on his, something that Jaune realized and pretended to attack with his sword from above, aiming at the back of Jonas' neck, who quickly positioned his weapon to defend himself. However, Jaune actually turned his body and lowered it, kicking Jonas' legs.

- Trying to destabilize me when he saw that my defense wouldn't give in to his attacks... - The man thought, watching his son get up and advance with a piercing attack directly to his chest. But Jaune's father dropped his weapon on the ground and quickly slapped the hand that was using the Crocea Mors, deflecting Jaune's attack to the right side.

- Damn! - Jaune thought.

- Oh no, that's not a good sign. – Yang comments, watching the man grab Jaune's arm with both hands and throw him over himself to the ground.

Jaune closes his eyes in pain as he feels his back hit the grass. If there's one thing Jaune knew, it was that his father was a monster when it came to brute strength. He probably got that part from him.

When he opens his eyes, Jaune quickly gets up, throwing his body up, and going back on guard.

- Ready to give up? – Jonas asks, staring at Jaune with a mysterious expression.

- Never... I won't leave my friends! I'll never leave the people who believe in me! – Jaune says, his aura emanating with an unstoppable force from his body.

- Uhm... I see. – The man says, grabbing his greatsword and placing it on his back. Jaune stops and looks at his father, confused, seeing him walking towards him and placing both hands on his son's shoulder. 

- You are strong, son, you are stronger than I could have imagined you would be... I... you know I lost my team a long time ago... I just... I was just afraid... so afraid that you weren't strong enough and I ended up depriving you of your dreams... dreams that you fought so hard to achieve since you were a child! I was afraid! Ever since the incident with that anti-faunus gang, I was afraid of losing you. - Jaune's father said, a melancholic face of sadness and remorse for what he had done to his son was apparent, his tears starting to fall.

- A… Crocea Mors has no better bearer than you, son… I would never come here to deny you the right to be a Huntsman. I just… needed to know that you are strong, and thank God you are strong! Could you please… forgive your old man? For everything I said to you these past few years? – Jonas asks, crying openly in front of his son. Jaune knew that his father regretted what he had said to him, what he had decided for him. He knew that his father was a good man and denying his son his dreams was something that probably kept him awake at night. But people do things they don't want to do for the fear of losing those they love.

- Dad, it's okay. – Jaune says, hugging his father tightly.

- I forgive you. 

Jaune's father certainly came to Vale to check if his son was okay, but perhaps the deeper reasons for his coming to his son who ran away from home was to finally redeem himself, and show for the first time in a long time that yes, he supported Jaune's decision to be a Huntsman, to be a hero.

Chapter Text

- Uhm… ahwww! – Jaune wakes up to another day in Beacon. He had finally slept in his bed after his little fight with his father who, after talking a lot, had returned to his village. Jaune promised that now that things were settled he would call his mother and sisters to ease their worries.

- Ready to start the day, fearless leader?! – Nora asks, already awake, wearing her workout clothes.

- Oh man, you bet! I missed this! – Jaune says, jumping out of bed and going to the bathroom to take a drink and get ready to return to his training routine in Beacon. Ready to be just another student, another huntsman in training.

Or that's what he thought.

…

- Uhm… Nora… I don't want to make you uncomfortable, but I think you're attracting too much attention. – Jaune says, finishing a few bench press sessions with weights that he certainly wouldn't have been able to handle at the beginning of the year.

- Uhm? What? Why? My outfit isn't even very provocative. – Nora says, confused, looking at herself. She was only wearing a white t-shirt with orange shorts that went a little above her knees.

- I don't know, but every time I look around I see people staring at us. – Jaune says, looking around. Seeing some of the Beacon students staring at them over their shoulders until they try to hide it.

- Oh... hehehe Jaune, are you sure they're staring at me? – Nora asks.

- The pretty girl here is you then... yes? – Jaune asks with a confused face, not understanding where Nora was going with this.

- First of all, you're cute, secondly, not even I'm that oblivious. – The red-haired girl says.

- Huh?

…

- Damn! Damn! Damn! Everyone must be in Oobleck's class by now and I'm late! Damn soda machine that doesn't work properly! - Jaune says irritably, turning over a soda can and throwing it accurately into a trash can next to a bench in the hallway.

- PROFESSOR OOBLECK I'M SO SORRY! I'M SORRY FOR BEING LATE! - Jaune shouts, practically breaking down the door, hyperventilating after having run a long way to get to the classroom.

- Oh Jaune, please sit down. - Oobleck says, giving the blond a rare smile, something that made Jaune afraid at first. Oobleck would never smile at a problem student like him.

- First of all, I would like to congratulate Mr. Arc for his conduct during the situation with the White Fang, you may have your problems as a student, but as a Huntsman I can see that you have your principles in the right place. – Said the green-haired teacher as Jaune sat next to Velvet and Ruby.

- I-it was nothing sir, I actually didn't do much. – Jaune said scratching the back of his head, he noticed that people around him were looking at him with admiration, he now understood what Nora meant earlier today.

- Nonsense Jaune, as Huntsmen we are people's last line of defense against the Grimms! We must always set an example of what good conduct and good morals are for the people around us! That is one of the roles of a Huntsman! That said, let's get back to talking about the legal obligations of a Huntsman… – Oobleck said, taking advantage of the subject as a hook to continue giving his class.

- Uhf… at least he didn't fight with me… - Jaune said falling into his seat, he was then nudged by someone next to him and noticed Velvet, a little nervous.

- Uhm… I just wanted to say that you were really cool on TV and… people haven't been bullying me because of you anymore, I guess, so, t-thanks for everything, Jaune. – Valvet says, looking away from Jaune as if he couldn't look him in the eye.

- Well, that's definitely good news, Velvet! If I helped you in any way, I'm really happy about it. – Jaune replies with his usual bright smile.

Finishing Oobleck's class, Jaune jumps from his seat and heads towards his team and Team RWBY.

- Hey guys, what do you guys have planned today? – Yang asks, stretching, getting up from her chair.

- Oh, I'm going to train all day, I have to make up for lost time. – Jaune says, slamming his fist into the palm of his hand.

- Sorry, leader, but that's not going to happen. – Ren replies, turning to face a confused Jaune. 

- What? What do you mean? Something wrong? - Jaune asks.

- We've all decided, we're going to go out and have fun in Vale and especially for YOU to have fun. - Yang says, pointing an accusing finger at Jaune, accusing him of not having fun.

- What?! Guys, I'm fine! - Jaune says, raising his hands, surrendered.

- No, sir! As much as I always approve of your effort and how seriously you're always taking being a Huntsman, in order to have good health you also need time to rest and relax, Jaune Arc, and you're going to rest and relax today, even if I have to tie you to a chair to do it. - Weiss says with her hands on her hips, sounding very bossy and aggressive, but Jaune knew it was just her way of showing concern.

- Come on, Jaune, you just got out of a near-death experience. It'll be good for you to remember that you're not just a soldier to fight. – Pyrrha says, holding one of Jaune's hands, speaking with her usual gentle voice. How could Jaune refuse that?

- Well... if my trainers think I should have a little more fun then I'll do it! I needed to go to Vale to buy new issues of X-Ray and Vav. – Jaune says walking towards the door.

- DO YOU ALSO LIKE X-RAY AND VAV?! I HAVE ALL THE ISSUES WITH ME! I MADE SURE TO BRING THEM TO BEACON! – Ruby says jumping on Jaune's back, he only didn't fall because besides the girl being very light he holds her, having fun and more than happy to give her a piggyback ride.

- Do you have them? Because I'll steal them all when we get back from Vale! – Jaune says, faking an evil smile on his face.

- NYOOOOOO! DON'T DO THIS! IT TOOK ME SO LONG TO GET THEM ALL! – Ruby says, making a cute and tearful expression to convince Jaune.

- She keeps them under the bed inside her suitcase. – Says Weiss.

- TRAITOR! You were supposed to be my partner! – Ruby shouts in a judgmental way, she and Weiss start a “slap fight” as if they were two sisters.

- Ruby! You'll fall off my back! Stop it! – Jaune shouts, staggering from side to side because of Ruby's movements.

…

To start their day, the group decided to go to a bookstore to buy Jaune's magazines and also at the insistence of Blake, Ren and Weiss who were interested in certain types of books to complete their collections. Even with Yang and especially Nora protesting about going to a nerdy place in their free time.

- Uhm, so this is the place? – Ren asks, looking at the bookstore with the title Tukson's Book Trade. 

- Trust me, reading buddy, this place will have every kind of book you're looking for. – Blake comments with a small smile.

- Encyclopedia of Herbs for Cooking and Poisoning Volume 3? – Ren asks.

- In the recipe section in the fifth aisle on the third shelf. - Blake answers professionally.

- Is it a coincidence that the black-haired people in our group are tremendous bookworms? - Nora asks, looking at her friend Ren and Blake with a suspicious expression, scratching her chin.

- I... I don't think hair pigmentation has anything to do with a taste for books, Nora. - Pyrrha answers, next to the hyperactive girl on her team.

- You're so naive, Pyrrha! This is clearly a conspiracy! Black-haired people exist only to make the world more boring with their books! And lectures! - Nora screams, shaking Pyrrha by her shoulders.

- WAAAAHA! B-B-BUT WHAT ABOUT WEISS?! - Pyrrha asks, her eyes rolling like in a cartoon from being shaken at such a fast speed. Nora lets go of the gladiator, letting her fall dizzy on the floor and looks at Weiss, who was staring at her with a confused expression, waiting for Nora to say something.

- Nah, Weiss is their leader, that's why her hair is white.

- Excuse me?! What are you talking about behind my back?! – Asks the heiress.

- Uhmm… oh Blake, it's good to see you. – Says a tall, strong man behind the counter. He had hazel eyes and a small beard and sideburn-style hair.

- Hi Tukson, I'm stopping by to buy some books with my friends from Beacon. – Blake says with a smile, going to the counter, she was followed by Jaune right behind with a Ruby at her side.

- Hi, how are you? Where's the comic section? – Asks Jaune.

- Oh, you're Jaune Arc, aren't you? I'm glad Blake has such loyal and proactive friends like you, I saw the broadcast and I must say it would be nice if all humans were like you. – Says Tukson. 

- T-thanks for that but I didn't do anything wrong, if it weren't for my friends, Blake and Ruby here I would have definitely died. - Jaune says looking at the two girls.

- You're too humble Jaune. - Blake says giving Jaune a little affectionate flick on the nose and turning to look for the books he wanted.

- It's hard for someone to win Blake's affection, kid, feel lucky. But answer your question, the comic section is right there, on the first shelf. - Tukson says, pointing to the right of Jaune and Ruby.

- I'LL GET IT FIRST! - The excited girl shouts using her speed semblance.

- WAIT! WE AGREED THAT IF THERE WAS A RARE ONE IT WOULD BE MINE! - Jaune shouts running to try to keep up with Ruby.

- Let's see... it must be around here somewhere. - Blake says. The hot girl waited for her friends to be distracted to go to a slightly darker section of the bookstore. She was looking for a new release, a new release of her favorite book series.

- It has to be here, I know she recently released a new volume... come on, come on... - Blake says to herself, looking from shelf to shelf, standing on tiptoe.

- This one! - The cat girl thinks with an excited feline smile, as if she were a cat that had just seen the biggest fish in history in front of her. There was the book that the girl so coveted. The new edition of Ninjas of Love was in front of her. Blake reaches out to take it, but someone else's hand reaches the book faster.

- Heh, but of course you'd be after that. - Yang comments with a provocative smile, with one of her hands on her hip.

- Y-Yang?! C-could you give me my book back?! - Blake asks, blushing heavily, being caught red-handed in the "adult" literature section.

- Of course, of course Blake, fufufu, it seems that what they say about quiet girls is true. - Yang says, flipping through that book. 

- G-give it back here! – Blake shouts, advancing on Yang, but the girl tries to push Blake away as much as possible, holding the book as high as she can and forcing Blake's face away from her.

- Come on! Girls can talk about these things, I bet you imagine your shining knight in many of these scenes here~

- YANG!

Before the blonde girl could make fun of Blake's face even more, someone takes the book from her hands, someone taller.

- Hey, why are you two fighting over this book? - Jaune asks.

- JAUNE! THIS BOOK IS MINE! YANG WAS BOTHERING ME! - Blake says, begging with her eyes for Jaune to give the book back.

- Oh, if it's yours then it must be good! I was looking for books to read, I think reading just comics  isn't very good. - Jaune says, opening the book to a random page.

- My god, this is going to be great! - Yang says in the corner, holding back the laughter in her mouth. Seeing Blake's expression fall when she sees that Jaune opened the forbidden book. 

The altruistic blond knight of the group starts reading, but with each paragraph he reads his expression becomes more serious, until his cheeks start to get pinker, his eyes widen and his jaw drops.

- W-woah I... wow... d-d-do you guys read this? - Jaune asks, pointing to the book with a shaking hand. Judging by his reaction and expression, he probably ended up reading one of the parts that made the book worthy of being in the "adult" section.

- W-w-well... l-look at the book... - Blake was a blushing and nervous mess, her cat ears were drooping and she was playing with her fingers, trying to find a way to explain to Jaune that she wasn't a pervert... at least not that much. And the fact that Yang was almost bursting out laughing in the background didn't help at all.

- Yeah... I read this book... - Blake says with her head down in defeat.

- HAHAHAHAHAHAH! MAN THIS IS HILARIOUS! – Yang shouts, finally letting out a laugh while laughing with her hands on her stomach.

- W-well… I-I-I can understand, I-I-I lived with s-seven sisters so I-s-know that a girl has her needs and you know… - Jaune says, handing the book to Blake, while scratching the back of his neck.

- Y-yes… o-of course. – Blake says, taking her book back. They were silent for a few seconds, just listening to Yang fall to the floor while laughing at the expense of both of their embarrassment.

- Look… I'll tell you something in return, but keep it a secret. – Jaune says, not finding it fair that he now knows something so… intimate about Blake.

Jaune goes to the fauno girl's ear and starts to whisper something. Yang finally stops laughing and stands up, wiping a tear from her face. She notices Jaune whispering something to Blake, who for a moment seems serious until her eyes widen and she starts to blush, then looks at Jaune in disbelief, who is also blushing.

- Y-Y-YOU?!

- Y-yes?! W-what's wrong?! don't judge me!

- No, it's okay but... wow! This is a surprise, you're always so kind and cute... and... and nothing like someone who would be like that when gonna have...

- Hey, what did he tell you? - Yang asks curiously. Jaune and Blake look at each other and then smile at each other.

- It's our secret~ - They both say in unison.

- COME ON! I'M IN TOO, TELL ME! - Yang shouts. Jaune and Blake just laugh at Yang's desperation to know what Jaune had whispered.

Chapter Text

- Tell me! I saw Blake's face! I NEED TO KNOW IF THIS IS THAT MATTER! - Ruby's blonde sister says, practically clinging to Jaune's arm, begging him to tell her the secret.

- Ahm... what happened for Yang to be like this with you? - Pyrrha asks.

- Just ignore her, she deserves it. - Jaune says, sharing a smile with Blake.

- I appreciate the bookstore recommendation, Blake. - Ren says, calmly leaving with two bags with astronomical and unhealthy amounts of books, acting as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

- I... I think I'm starting to believe in your conspiracy, Nora. - Pyrrha says, staring at Ren with a blank expression.

- THAT'S IT! Finally someone takes my intelligence seriously! We have to eliminate Weiss before the world is consumed by nerds! - Pyrrha's red-haired partner says, pulling her closer to her while pointing at Weiss. 

- Ren… I feel like Nora is looking at me too much today. – Weiss says.

- She'll leave you alone… at some point. – Ren replies.

- AT SOME POINT?! Argh, right, we have a second objective here in Vale, remember guys! – Weiss says, getting the group's attention.

- What would the mission be? – Jaune asks.

- Duh, we have to get you a new armor! How are you going to be a knight without armor? – Ruby comments, very happy with the idea of ​​choosing a new armor for her fellow leader.

- Ah… sorry guys, but I don't have any money, speaking of which, when are we going to be able to do missions? I'm tired of walking around broke without money. – Jaune replies.

- You don't have to worry about that, because I'll pay for your armor. – Weiss says, showing a credit card, which could certainly buy not only Jaune's armor but Jaune's person literally. 

- W-Weiss, I appreciate it but I can't let you pay for this. - Jaune says with his hands in front of his body, making Weiss roll her eyes.

- Oh please Jaune, it's not like I'm going to miss the money! Besides, it's one of the ways I can thank you for being my hero... I-I-I mean, you're also an important part of our team! Your defense is essential when we're in battle! S-s-so taking care of your equipment is something that benefits me. - Weiss says blushing and showing no affection for Jaune and quickly trying to mask herself. Yang nudges her sister with her shoulder and they look at them with provocative expressions.

- W-WHAT ARE YOU ALL LOOKING AT!? WHAT I SAID MAKES SENSE! - The heiress shouts defensively.

- Hah nothing, but it's nice that you consider not only us as a team but also Jaune's team as one. - Ruby says sincerely, catching Weiss off guard. 

- Well... it's just... well, I guess we are, right?

- We can take on higher missions if we go together as two teams, so we can work as one when they start giving us contracts. - Pyrrha says.

- YES! WE ARE ALL TEAM JNPRRWBY! WHICH MEANS... ahm... it means...

- Nora, I don't know if there's a word for that. - Ren comments.

- W-WELL! You get my point! Don't think you're getting special treatment or anything, Jaune! Let's go! - Weiss says, turning around and following a path to look for a store that sells armor, and also to be able to escape any provocation from the two teams.

The group of Huntsmen in training ended up finding a store more towards the center of the city that specialized in weapons and clothing for Huntsmen. Entering the place, one could see several weapons on display as well as pieces of clothing such as leather armor, combat dresses and, for Jaune, heavy plate armor. 

- OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! LOOK AT ALL THESE AWESOME WEAPONS! I NEED TO SEE THEM ALL! - Ruby screams, jumping with excitement like a kid at an amusement park. The girl almost flies away if it weren't for her sister holding her by her red cape.

- Pyrrha, since you are the second person on our team who wears armor and has a lot of experience in the arena, I'm counting on you to find a good armor for our knight. - Weiss says, as if she was promoting Pyrrha to a job.

- What? Me? - Pyrrha asks, pointing to herself, a little uncertain. She looks at Jaune for approval and her partner just gives her a thumbs up and a confident smile.

- Well... first we have to know your tastes, Jaune, what kind of armor do you prefer? - Pyrrha asks.

- Uhm... well, I ended up getting used to using those plates, so I kind of prefer an armor that isn't so heavy and that protects mainly the main parts... OH, I wish they had more protection on the arms too! - Jaune says.

- That makes sense, but I would like to know why specifically on the arms. - Ren comments curiously. 

- Well... there are times when my shield may not be with me, so in order to defend people I usually use my own arms. - Jaune answers.

- Okay, so we're looking for a set that doesn't need to have complete protection, but only the vital parts like the chest, shoulders and especially arms... even though there's little material, armors like this tend to be quite expensive to be of good quality. - Pyrrha says.

- I already said that money doesn't matter. - Weiss says, reaffirming that she would even buy this entire store if necessary.

- Alright team, our new mission is to spread out and look for a new armor for Jaune! Let's go! - Ruby says, announcing the start of the search. Everyone goes their separate ways and Jaune stands still in place, confused if he should help look or just wait to see what his friends have for him.

After some time searching, the team finds themselves back where they were. Nora and Yang carrying extremely heavy pairs of armor as if they were nothing.

- Am I... going to have to prove all of this? - Jaune asks with his mouth open. 

- YES! - Everyone said at the same time.

Heading towards the dressing room, our hero had to try on several armors, from an outfit that looked like it would make him look like a fairy tale prince, a shiny white armor full of pearls and other jewels that Weiss seemed to approve with a big smile, looking at her friends hoping they would have the same reaction. But unfortunately, Jaune didn't find it comfortable. The next armor was much more... dark, being a set of black plates with a giant black cape that left Jaune looking like he had just come out of a dark fantasy manga where his best friend had betrayed him and sacrificed his entire gang. Blake looked extremely excited with her eyes shining. Pyrrha also seemed to like the more... rustic look that this armor gave Jaune, blushing a little, but unfortunately it limited Jaune's movement a lot and he wasn't the fastest student in his class. The third one was perfect for Jaune but it was literally the Pegasus armor, although Ruby and Nora were extremely excited about this reference we wouldn't keep this armor as Jaune's main armor so he changed it.

- Well... what do you think? - Asks Jaune coming out with the fourth armor, everyone looks at him up and down.

He was wearing an armor that matched him, it was silver with gold details. It had a strong chest and shoulder pads. It had gauntlets that went almost to Jaune's elbows. It had knee pads and protection for the tibia and fibula on the legs.

- This armor is definitely for you. - Says Ren with a satisfied expression.

- You look really badass with it, fearless leader! Nora approves! - Says the red-haired gremlin jumping with excitement.

- You really look like an arena champion with it, Jaune. - Says Pyrrha with a proud smile. Her leader was really evolving in an impressive way, this armor was almost a reflection of that.

- This armor is just like you, Jaune! You look so hot in it! - Yang says, shamelessly giving the leader of Team JNPR a thumbs up.

- Like Yang said, it's just like you and that's what matters most. - Blake says, even though she liked Jaune's "dark" version, this was the best version of him.

- Uhm... as much as I preferred the first one... this armor has formidable protection from the description we saw and its design... it suits you quite well. - Weiss says, with a softer expression, even though her choice wasn't made.

- You look like a hero straight out of a book! That looks so good! Please tell me this is the one you're going to buy! - Ruby says, anxious about Jaune's choice.

- Well... I like it, I feel free to move around and it's not heavy at all. - Jaune says, jumping up and down, moving his arms as if he were holding his sword and shield. 

- Yeah, I think I'll take this one. - Jaune said confidently with his new armor.

After buying Jaune's new armor (which was quite expensive and Jaune kept apologizing to Weiss the whole time until she swiped her credit card and politely asked him to shut up) the two teams from Beacon's first year went to a few more places so they could relax more and enjoy this day off, like going to a small fair that was taking place not far from the store where they had bought the armor. Nora ended up becoming a mortal enemy of one of the owners of the Game stalls because she simply couldn't guess the amount of cans to win a prize of a giant teddy bear that, for sure, wouldn't fit in the bed with her. Afterwards, they walked in a park that had a big lake with some ducks that Ruby almost died of cuteness and wanted to feed them with a snack she was eating. The speedstar girl of the group would have almost lost her balance and fallen into the lake if it weren't for Jaune grabbing her by her cape and pulling her back, but because of that, he was the one who fell into the lake... and the ducks attacked him.

- ARE YOU GUYS GOING TO KEEP LAUGHING ABOUT THIS FOR HOW LONG?! - Asks the blond knight with an irritated expression. Team JNPR and RWBY were in a restaurant, taking a break to eat something before returning to Beacon.

- Sorry man, but that was great! "Hur, I'm the knight Jaune Arc! I don't go back on my word and I'll jump in front of a missile for anyone in this world! BUT MY WEAKNESS IS CUTE BABY DUCKS" HAHAHAHAHA! - Says Yang, bursting out laughing after doing a very bad imitation of Jaune.

- Ugh... at least my partner Ren doesn't laugh at me, he understands me. – Jaune says, leaning his head depressedly on Ren's shoulder. He looks up and notices his "partner" sweating coldly to keep his expression serious.

- … You're just pretending... you're no good either. – Jaune says.

- I still wanted to turn them into stew, but you held me back. – Nora says, grabbing a gigantic piece of steak, shoving it into her mouth at once and swallowing it like a cartoon.

- Nora, the ducks are from the park... I think we'd get in trouble if we killed them. – Pyrrha replies.

- You say that, but when the duck almost bit Jaune's eye, your "weak punch" sent him into the stratosphere. – Yang says with a provocative smile, making Pyrrha blush with embarrassment.

- W-We're still working on h-how I can punch as a joke...

- Uhm, I should mention, Weiss, this restaurant really is very good. – Blake says, cutting a piece of her fish and eating it. No one has dared to comment on the fact that she is a cat fauno and likes fish (Nora just didn't notice, because if she did, she would definitely say something).

- Just because I'm rich doesn't mean I don't know good places! Whenever I came to Vale with my sister, we would eat here together. There are other places I can show you another day. – Weiss says, proud of her knowledge.

- OOOooh, have we met at some point in the past and we don't know? Like Jaune and Blake? - Ruby asks, imagining the scenario. She then realizes that the cookies Jaune ordered had arrived and stares at them, drooling. The blond boy was about to take a bite when he noticed Ruby and just smiled at her, handing her his plate so she could eat most of them, something she happily accepts.

- It's unlikely but not impossible. Jaune and Blake managed to remember because it was a very chaotic event for them. - Weiss answers.

- I imagine it must have been terrifying for you two. - Ren says empathetically, especially because he and Nora were once children who experienced traumas at a very early age.

- Well, I was shaking all over! I really thought it would be my time! - Jaune says, getting goosebumps just remembering that moment.

- So... you didn't break their legs?

- Nora, I was a child.

- If they made you angry, I'm sure you could do it. - Blake says with an amused smile. Despite being a memory of a bad time, it was a memory that she met Jaune.

- Hah, you're overestimating me but... guys... - Jaune then drew the attention of both teams to him, he had his face lowered with his bangs covering his eyes.

- I grew up in a small village so I never had many friends my age and you know... I was a strange boy... I think that since I entered Beacon the only thing I really thought about was training and becoming stronger to be as amazing and cool as all of you, mainly so that I wouldn't be a burden and put you in danger. But today I managed to have a lot of fun! And now I have many wonderful friends like you! I feel very lucky to have all of you with me! - Says the knight of the group finishing his "speech" with his bright and pure smile. Leaving the table in a comfortable and cozy atmosphere because of his words, the two teams didn't know how to react becoming shy. 

- W-WOA! Calm down Vomit Boy, or I'll have to take you to bed sooner than you think~ - Yang replies with a lewd look and biting her lip, Jaune didn't understand why that gave him a shiver.

- G-go to bed? But I'm not sleepy yet…

- DON'T LISTEN TO HER JAUNE! THIS FLIRTING WITCH IS NOT TALKING ABOUT SLEEPING! - Weiss shouts looking at Yang with a competitive expression.

- I KNEW IT! I KNEW THAT TALK WAS SOMETHING DIRTY! IT ALWAYS IS! - Ruby says, her mouth full of cookies with crumbs falling from her lips with each muffled speech.

- W-we're not taking anyone to anyone's bed! And technically since he's MY partner I would take him. - Pyrrha says, blushing hard realizing what this subject was about, but trying to keep her point firm. 

- Ooooh, I see we have warrior girls here, but I must say that I WILL NOT GIVE HIM UP EASILY! - Yang says, banging on the table, not intimidated by the competition, in fact, liking it A LOT.

- Just to let you know that I'm way ahead of you all, and you don't even know it. - Blake comments.

- What do you mean? - The girls ask in unison, Blake just gives a feline smile and goes back to looking at her scroll.

- I KNEW IT! WHAT HE TOLD YOU IN YOUR EAR WAS SOMETHING ABOUT THAT! TELL ME! - Yang demands.

- Excuse me! Jaune is a classic knight and would definitely prefer a delicate lady who was like a princess! Just like in the oldest fairy tales in the history of humanity. - Weiss says with her nose in the air.

- Princesses aren't usually grumpy, Weiss. - Ruby says.

- oh you damn…

- IF YOU WANT MY FEARLESS LEADER YOU HAVE TO FIGHT! COME ON REN WE HAVE TO ORGANIZE A TOURNAMENT! SEVEN OF US! KILL-MATE! ONLY ONE LEAVES ALIVE! - Nora says, breaking a bone in her T-Bone to illustrate her brutality.

- I think... we can reach a consensus with conversation. - Ren says, not knowing how to react to the chaos that has turned the tables.

Despite the "fight" happening in the background, Jaune felt at home with these people, it was like being with his family, it was like a new family. He almost lost Weiss because he was weak, he wouldn't let something like that happen again.

- Never again... I can't lose ever again... for them. - Jaune thinks.

Chapter Text

Ruby advances towards Ren, attacking him with a blow from above, but the monk from Team JNPR manages to defend himself by crossing the blades of the Storm Flowers, turning his body and managing to land a kick on the side of Ruby's stomach that almost sends her out of the arena, if the girl hadn't managed to stick her scythe in the ground. Ruby takes the opportunity to shoot with the Crescent Rose still in scythe mode towards Ren, who tries to run in a circle to dodge, but one of the shots ends up hitting the monk. Ruby uses her super speed and hits the bladeless tip of the scythe in the middle of Ren's chest with a piercing blow.

- Okay, this match is over! - Says Glynda using her telokinesis powers to separate the two.

- As you can see, Miss Ruby Rose managed to pull Lie Ren to the red of her aura. - Says Glynda, pointing to the aura meters of the two opponents, Ruby's was in the yellow almost going to red, while Ren's had reached red. 

- Great performance, Miss Rose. I can tell you had a lot of training to combine your skills with your scythe and your super speed. - Glynda says, nodding positively to Ruby.

- As for you, Mr. Ren, you are an exceptional fighter, but the fact that you don't have a combat semblance puts you at a disadvantage against Ruby. I recommend that you focus a lot on training to avoid blows due to your amount of aura. - Glynda says, giving her feedback to Ren, who nods positively.

The two return to their places and are greeted by their teammates.

- Well done, Ren. Ruby almost got screwed with that attack. - Says the leader of Team JNPR.

- YES! You with that kick was BOOM! - Nora says, jumping in her chair, gesturing exaggeratedly.

- It was a really balanced fight. - Pyrrha says, giving a gentle smile, much more restrained than Nora.

- Thanks guys, I think long-range weapons can be a small weakness for me. – Ren said thoughtfully, thinking about how to get around this weakness.

- THAT'S IT! This is our leader! – Yang said, pulling Ruby's head into a strong hug while ruffling the silver-eyed girl's hair.

- Yaaaaang! Stop it! – Ruby said, trying to get free.

- Your performance was really satisfactory. – Weiss said, stopping to write something down in her notebook to “congratulate” Ruby.

- Wow, even your compliments have to be in an aristocratic way? – Blake asked.

- - Now are we going to even get involved in how I compliment?! – The heiress asked, slightly indignant.

- Very well, if no one has any challenges to ask, we can end our class. – Glynda said.

- Professor Goodwitch! I have a challenge to make! – Cardin said, getting up from his seat.

- And here we go again. – Yang said, rolling her eyes.

- And who would you like to challenge? – Asks Glynda, but she already knew who he would challenge.

- I want to challenge Jaune Arc! – Says Cardin, staring at Jaune, who had a serious expression.

- I accept Cardin's challenge. – Says Jaune, getting up from his seat.

- When did the two of you start to... you know? Go from being victims and bullies to rivals? This is the tenth time that Cardin and Jaune have challenged each other. – Says Pyrrha, looking at the two knights going up to the arena.

- For now, it's five to four for Cardin, let's see if Jaune can defeat him this time so he can tie again. – Says Ren.

- FINISH HIM, FEARLESS LEADER! – Shouts Nora with her classic excitement. Jaune gives a confident expression to his team, waving to them and then goes back to focusing on the opponent in front of him.

- You two already know the rules, right?

- Yes

- Yes, we do.

- So... let's begin!

Cardin advances first, jumping into the air holding the Executioner up and then hammering it hard, adding to his fall towards Jaune, who defends himself with his shield. However, Cardin's strength was too much, Jaune felt the impact all over his body.

- URHG... come on! - Jaune grunted in pain but managed to throw his shield a little to the side and advance with a piercing blow of his blade towards Cardin, who barely managed to throw his face to the side, with the edge of Jaune's blade only making a small cut on his cheek.

Even though he missed, Jaune's attack was enough to make Cardin lose his balance and fall rolling to the right side. The black knight quickly got up and noticed Jaune in front of him attacking him with the blade of the Crocea Mors, which he defended with the handle of his large mace.

- It seems that you have gotten stronger, Jaune Boy! – Cardin says with a defiant smile.

- I can say the same, Cardin! – Jaune says, responding in the same way.

Cardin moves the Executioner's handle upwards, hitting Jaune's head, quickly stunning him, and then delivers a direct blow to Jaune's torso, making him scream in pain and be thrown back. However, Jaune's durability was something that impressed even professional Huntsmen. He remained standing and resisted falling from the arena.

- Now that Jaune is in the top two of grade 3, he and Cardin have entered into a strange rivalry, don't you think? – Yang asks, without taking her eyes off the fight.

- The only thing I find strange is that he's not more... aggressive? Cardin and Jaune were already enemies before, since Jaune was the only one who opposed him being a big jerk, but they only fight and interact in combat classes. – Blake says thoughtfully.

- Speaking of Cardin, I haven't noticed him being more... Cardin lately. – Weiss says.

- That's true, it seems he's done with the bully nonsense... maybe Ozpin pulled his ear too hard, heheh. – Ruby says.

Jaune dodges one of Cardin's blows and hits him in the face with a blow from his shield, then immediately cuts the black knight's thigh in front of him. Jaune spins around Cardin, trying to catch him from behind, but the leader of the CDRL team spins like a beyblade and hits Jaune with another blow from his mace, making him spin his body in the air with great force.

- Damn it! I can't fall! – Jaune thinks, he opens his arms, making the centrifugal force become heavier and he stops spinning, thus managing to stay at the edge of the arena. However, Cardin advances towards him and hits him with a charge, knocking him off the arena.

- Match over! – Glynda says, not needing to use their powers to separate them. 

- As always, a good tactic to take down your opponent, Cardin, but I recommend thinking of other types of tactics. It's clear that Arc is managing to adapt to your style, as we see in the fierce matches you're having. - Glynda says, Cardin just lets out an irritated grunt, resting his weight on her shoulder.

- And Jaune, your improvement is admirable and notable, but you still need to have more agility in combat and skill, I recommend that you improve your technique. - Glynda says.

- Yes, ma'am. - Jaune says, getting up from the ground, he looks at Cardin with a serious expression, just as he looks at Jaune in the same way, they knew that this match had not decided anything.

- Class dismissed.

…

- But seriously, what's the deal with you and Cardin? - Yang asks, taking a bite of her burger. Team JNPR and RWBY, as always, were eating together in the Beacon cafeteria.

- Between Cardin and me? Nothing's happening, why? – Jaune asks, looking at Yang in confusion.

- Jaune, you and Cardin have been fighting each other tirelessly for days, of course something is going on. – Ruby says, looking suspiciously at her fellow leader, pointing a cookie accusingly at him.

- Jaune, I want to reiterate that if he's bothering you again, you can always count on our help. Don't always try to solve things on your own. - Pyrrha said, a little worried, leaning forward in her seat next to Jaune so she could look at the blond's face better.

- Yeah, you have a slight habit of putting the weight of the world on your shoulders. - Blake said, sitting next to Jaune, placing her head on the knight's shoulder. Her cat ears twitched slightly as she felt Jaune's skin.

- Guys, I'm telling the truth. It's not like Cardin and I made a contract about always going out with each other because... it just... it feels right. - Jaune said, stroking Blake's ears, making her purr. For some reason, the faunus girl in the group always seemed to get closer to Jaune, wanting to do this. Not that he would complain, he thought it was really cute.

-  it feels right? - Ren asked curiously. 

- Yeah, just... I can't explain it, guys, but it seems like he and I can understand each other better when we're fighting each other... in fact, it seems like that since we fought those ursas in Forever Fall. - Jaune says, a little thoughtfully.

- It seems to be genuine to me, Jaune is terrible at lying, the last time he tried to pretend nothing was happening he got all tangled up. - Weiss says without taking her eyes off her salad.

- Yeah, yeah, keep talking about what I don't know how to do... by the way, Ruby, can I talk to you after class? - Jaune asks, attracting the attention of the cookie-eating girl.

- UUUUUUuuh, so Ruby will be the first one you'll make advances on, Vomit Boy?~ - Yang asks with a suggestive tone in her voice.

- YAAAANG! IT'S NOT LIKE THAT! - Ruby says, blushing heavily, accidentally breaking her last cookie into little pieces because she was tense. 

- I-I-I JUST NEED HER HELP WITH SOMETHING! L-L-LEADER STUFF! W-W-WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE FIRST ONE?! THERE'S ANOTHER ONE?!?! - Jaune says, also blushing, understanding Yang's insinuation.

- Sure, sure, just remember to use a condom, okay? - Yang says, insisting on teasing.

- YAAAAAAAAAANG! STOPAAAAAAAAAA! - Ruby screams, starting to lightly slap her sister, Yang just laughs at the situation while Jaune looks confused.

…

- Well... he told us to meet in front of the soda machine on the north side of the courtyard... - Ruby thinks, walking outside Beacon.

- What do you think he wants to talk to me about? I-I wonder if it could be something personal? - Ruby thinks, blushing at the possibility. 

- AAAAAAAAH WHY DID MY SISTER HAVE TO PUT THOSE PERVERTED THOUGHTS IN ME KYAAAAAH! - Screams the gothic girl, almost pulling out her own hair to try to put her mind somewhere else. Until Ruby starts to hear a noise like someone attacking a machine.

- WHY DO YOU HATE ME, YOU DAMN SODA MACHINE! - Screams Jaune, shaking and kicking the machine. Until he gives up and falls to the ground defeated.

- I think I've already lost about twenty bucks in this thing... - Jaune says to himself, sad and defeated. He then hears the sound of money being put into the machine and looks at black and red boots in front of him. He hears the sound of two cans falling from the machine.

- Here. - Says Ruby with a cute smile, handing one of the soda cans to Jaune.

- … I hate my life. – Jaune says, sighing and taking the drink gratefully.

- So... what did you want to talk to me about? – Ruby asks, a little anxious.

- Oh well... out of all the people I know, you're the only one who can help me with this. – Jaune says, taking a sip of his drink.

- Heh, and what would that be? If it's to help you train against Cardin, I think Nora would be a better fit, my fighting style is very different from his. – Ruby says.

- No, I want to improve Crocea Mors. – Jaune says. Ruby was quickly shocked by the word "improve".

- R-really?

- Yes! I mean, you're the most brilliant girl when it comes to weapons and stuff, if there's anyone I trust Crocea Mors with, it's definitely you. - Jaune says with complete confidence in Ruby.

- AAAAAAAAAAH! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! JAUNE THANK YOU SO MUCH! - Ruby screams, jumping and hugging Jaune, hanging onto him because of the height difference.

- R-Ruby... y-y-you're suffocating me...

- H-hehe, sorry! Well, let's go! Let's start working on it now! - Ruby says, grabbing Jaune's hand and using her super speed to get out of there. The only thing that could be heard was Jaune's scream of agony and fear in the distance.

…

- Okay, this train here looks big~ - Roman Torchwick says, writing down some things on a large blackboard. Probably making his new plan. Neo was just sitting at the table next to her, enjoying a good Neapolitan ice cream, seeming to enjoy watching her partner/boss making a new plan.

- If this is going to make our plans go faster, then so be it, my subordinates and I are already very busy with the second part of the plan. - Cinder said, watching Roman, with her arms crossed.

- HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! LET ME SEE IF I UNDERSTAND…

Footsteps could be heard in the hallway, a male voice with a maniacal laugh was getting closer. Roman seemed to tense up, even sweating a little cold, Neo was on guard and Cinder looked suspiciously at whoever was approaching.

- Did you lose to… teenagers? - Said a man with an extremely heavy and evil aura entering the place, he had long brown, almost black hair curled into a large braid behind his head, a braid that resembled the scorpion tail he had. His clothes were an open white tank top showing a body full of scars, wide white pants with combat boots and a holster like suspenders to store his weapons. He had leather armbands and yellow eyes that showed madness.

- What are you doing here… Tyrian? – Cinder asks in a harsh voice.

- Me? I'm just taking a walk, our boss sent me here after seeing your FAILURE on live TV fufufufu and also because she realized that it seems there wasn't just one warrior with silver eyes. – Tyran says, walking through that dark room with his hands behind his back, surrounding and analyzing each of the three who were there as if they were toys, and he was a child who liked to have fun with those toys.

- Phew… so-so you didn't come here to eliminate us, did you? – Roman asks. 

- Silly Roman, if I wanted to kill each one of you I would have done it in the last seven seconds fufufu, I just stopped by to say hi, I won't stay long, because I have more fun things to do. - Tyrian says, finishing intimidating everyone in the room and returning to the door he came from.

- Oh, and the festival is coming, you better have your part done. - The man says in a threatening way, leaving the room.

- Should we... leave a guy like that walking around? - Roman asks.

- He's not our responsibility, and besides, he's a special grade, and probably one of the most powerful ever documented in history, so he knows how to take care of himself. - Cinder says, still staring at where Tyrian came from. If he decided to fight, would she be able to contain him?

Chapter Text

- Very well! First we must decide what you want in Crocea Mors. - Ruby says, arriving with Jaune at the Beacon workshop. It was like a kind of science lab but replacing all the chemistry stuff with blacksmith machines, tools and parts for people to use in their own weapons.

- Ruby... just... just a moment, I need to recover here... - Jaune says with his eyes rolling, staggering from side to side. He then feels that damn sensation coming and quickly runs to the trash can in the place, sticking his face inside it.

- Hehe... s-sorry about that, I forget that most people are not used to my speed. - Ruby says, blushing awkwardly for leaving Jaune in this situation.

- Argh... i-it's okay, I need to get used to this somehow... I think I'll do some intensive training to overcome the motion sickness. – Jaune says, taking his face out of the trash can, then slapping his own cheeks twice to focus on his objective.

- Well... before I let my hyperfocus reach the Crocea Mors, I need to ask what you want to add to it? So that I don't exceed your expectations. The last thing I want is to turn your weapon into my own weapon just because I got too excited building it. – Ruby says, starting to fiddle with a tool case that was nearby.

- Well... first of all, you already know that I don't want any gun attached to it. – Jaune says.

- Booooooring. – Ruby says in a joking tone, making Jaune let out a light laugh.

- And I also don't want anything to do with Dust right now.

- Wait... without Dust? – Ruby stops fiddling and looks at Jaune, with a confused expression. 

- Well... I still don't feel confident about using Dust, it would be a new type of training and even though I've improved my combat skills a lot, I think I still want to focus more on them... - Jaune says, taking a seat to sit next to Ruby.

- So... what do you have in mind? - Asks the leader of team RWBY.

- Well... look, I don't know, you know, in the fights against Cardin I realized that in solo fights I don't have much to do, you know?

- What do you mean, Jaune? - Ruby asks, leaning closer to the group's knight, interested.

- I use sword and shield and armor, I like to protect people and have a defensive role on our team, you know? But... but I won't always be with my team and I feel that my fighting style and weapon aren't good for solo fights, look at Phyrra for example, because she has a spear that she uses with two hands whenever she wants, a shield that can be thrown and is sharp as hell, and she also has a rifle as a last resort, her shield is something much more complementary to her style than the whole thing. - Jaune says.

- Uhm... so you're looking for a way to get a more aggressive weapon? - Ruby asks thoughtfully.

- Cardin...

- What?

- Whenever I'm fighting Cardin I realize this, he's all about the attack and I'm all about the defense, I can't compete with him if I want to, there's no way Crocea Mors' blade could stand up to the weight of Executioner... Ruby, what I want is for Crocea Mors to have the possibility of giving me more power in 1-on-1 combat. - Jaune says looking the girl in the eyes. 

- Uhmmm... no guns and no dust... but... - Ruby looks at the table where Jaune had left his weapon, she becomes a little thoughtful until she seems to remember an interesting peculiarity of the Crocea Mors.

- The sheath...

- What?

- JAUNE I HAD A BRILLIANT IDEA! – Ruby says, jumping excitedly.

- What? What is it? – Jaune asks.

- Nah, this will be a surprise for you, fearless leader~ but you know that any change in your weapon will make you have to train new techniques with it, you know that right? – Ruby asks.

- I know Ruby, I don't want to stay in my comfort zone, that's why I came to the most brilliant person I know in weapons. - Jaune says, giving a genuine smile to the younger girl.

- Ahwwwwwww you're just being super nice to me! - Ruby says, blushing slightly, holding her own face.

- Ruby... have I told you that you remind me of someone? - Jaune asks, looking at Ruby's face more closely.

- What? Seriously? - Ruby asks, staring at Jaune, realizing that his face was very close. The girl starts to blush more seeing Jaune staring at her so closely.

- You... now that I noticed, you have silver eyes. - Jaune says.

- Oh... are you kidding that you noticed that now... - Ruby says, with a blank expression.

- Sorry! But... I've never seen anyone with silver eyes. 

- Haha everyone tells me that, they came from my mother... my father says I look a lot like her... - Ruby says, seeming to be sad about the topic.

- Yeah I imagine, Yang already told me that your mother left... I'm sorry, but if you look more like your mother then I imagine Yang took after your father more, right?

- Hehe Jaune, Yang and I are sisters with different mothers. - Ruby says.

- Eh... s-seriously?

- You really never realized that we are EXTREMELY different?!

- SORRY OKAY! I see you two acting exactly like sisters that I ended up not questioning such a basic thing! - Jaune says, this time he blushes with embarrassment for not realizing something so obvious in front of him.

- You... you really can be the most dense and perceptive guy at the same time, you know?

- Was that a compliment? 

- Maybe... but my mother was a legendary huntress... - Ruby says, taking the Crocea Mors and removing its sheath.

- She was a special grade huntress, and from the stories my father tells about her, she was also an extraordinary leader... but she's probably dead... - Ruby says sadly.

- I'm sorry about that Ruby... if she could see you now, at fifteen years old, being in Beacon and leading your own team, being one of the best in the class, she would definitely be proud of you. - Jaune says with a friendly hand on Ruby's shoulder.

- Thank you Jaune... can I hug you? - Ruby asks a little awkwardly. She looks at Jaune with just open arms and a big comforting smile that he always gives to his friends and then hugs him tightly.

- Ruby... what I'm going to say may be stupid, but if there's any chance your mother is still alive, just like I promised Yang to help find hers, I can help you try to find yours too. 

- ... Yang is right, you really have the best hugs.

...

- Oh man! I'm dead! – Russel screams, falling to the ground, panting.

Team CRDL was in one of the training rooms in Beacon, Dove and Sky leaning on each other while Cardin was standing with a stoic expression, sweat dripping from his face and falling to the ground, showing that he had tried as hard as the rest of his team.

- You idiots did well today, but we need to work on your physical conditioning better. – Cardin says, supporting his large mace on his shoulder.

- Arf... do we need to train so hard? I don't see the other students here as hard as us, man. – Sky Lark says, Dove just drops him on the ground, seeming to have gotten tired of holding him.

- If Cardin thinks we should train then I have no objections, he is our leader after all. – Dove says, keeping a serious expression. 

- Arf... I think we did too much Cardin, what do you think we leave here to play some pranks? Maybe put Fire Dust in Jaune's locker. - Russel says with a mischievous expression, but he receives a deadly look from Cardin making him shrink in fear.

- Don't you guys... think things have gotten too trivial? - Cardin asks, he doesn't look at any of his team members as he asks them.

- What do you mean, Cardin? We're in the best gym in Vale and we've managed to maintain pretty good positions, what's wrong? - Sky asks, not understanding her leader's question.

- ... Nothing, if you want to do something you can go, I'll keep training. - Cardin says with his back to his team. The three look at each other slightly worried about Cardin, normally they only did what they did because they thought it was cool to have fun with him.

- Oh, oops, sorry! I didn't know this room was occupied! - A male voice shouts from the entrance to the training room. Cardin looks back and realizes it was Sun along with the rest of his team.

- HEY WAIT! - Cardin shouts, self-sufficient for Sun's team to hear. He walks towards the monkey faun.

- You're Sun Wukong, aren't you? The leader of the SNNN team who is here on exchange for the Vytal festival, right? – Asks Cardin, face to face with the team leader.

- Hehehe look at that guys! I'm already getting famous here in Beacon! – Says Sun with a smug smile.

- Just don't start flying in the air because of your ego. – Says a red-haired boy, with a demanding expression as he looks at Sun.

- The guy with the ability to glide here is you, isn't it? – Says another one with blue hair, with an ironic smile at the one with red hair.

- Could I talk to you alone? – Asks Cardin. His expression was serious and Sun realized that it could be a sensitive subject. He looks at his teammates and nods positively.

...

- Well, man, I have to say, you don't have a very good reputation, especially when it comes to Faunos. – Says Sun, walking in front of Cardin with his hands behind his neck.

- Tsk, just stupid rumors. – Cardin said, letting out an irritated grumble. Despite the fact that these rumors were true, he was no longer bothering fauns or other people. It's not like he had magically turned the key and now enjoyed their presence, but... things seemed futile to him at the moment.

- Well, I don't judge people based on rumors! You and I can be friends anytime, if you don't mind me having a monkey tail. – Sun said playfully, but he noticed that Cardin continued to maintain that serious expression.

- You were in the conflict against the White Fang, weren't you?

- Oh, that? Yes, I think it ended up being transmitted unintentionally throughout Remnant. Hehehe, the plan backfired for sure. The transmission that was supposed to generate terror and despair between fauns and humans ended up generating unity and strength thanks to Jaune. – Sun said.

- It's about him that I want to talk.

- Who?

- Jaune. – Cardin said, his fist clenching tightly without him realizing it. 

- He was the weakest student in our entire school not long ago, he was the last in Grade 4, he's a clumsy, nervous guy, and he clearly doesn't have much fighting experience... how did he fight? - Cardin asks.

- ... First of all, I wanted to say that it's a SURPRISE to me that guy was a Grade 4 one day, it just... it doesn't seem right and well... I agree with you in a way. - Sun says, Cardin raises his head and looks at the faun in front of him.

- He really seems like an amateur compared to everyone on his team and Blake's team but... there's something about that guy that really scares me... taking that attack he received would kill any of us who were there for sure but... he not only resisted but continued to fight and take blows, defending us from more attacks from Adam. - Sun says, looking more thoughtful as he describes.

- He's not the strongest, you know? But in a hypothetical scenario where I would have to fight someone to  death, I certainly wouldn't choose to fight Jaune. - Sun says.

- I see... - Cardin says, walking forward, passing by Sun without even saying anything to him.

- Wow... what a rude guy...

- That's why... that's why all our confrontations don't seem to solve anything! - Cardin thinks, his teeth grinding and his fists clenching even tighter.

- I want to be strong, I seek true strength... he has what I want.

Chapter Text

Jaune and Pyrrha clashed their blades on the roof of Beacon. The armored duo of Team JNPR were practicing their training again on the roof of Beacon. Pyrrha was always amazed and proud of the progression her leader was making in combat, little by little it was as if she no longer needed to hold back against him.

- Let's see if this works this time! - Jaune said, jumping back and launching an aura blade in Pyrrha's direction, which caught her off guard, but the girl placed her shield in front of her, easily defending her, and then the moment she raised her shield, her spear turned into her rifle and she fired two shots at Jaune's legs, making him fall face down on the ground.

- Oh crap! I thought I had mastered this! - Jaune said frustrated, he looked up to see a welcoming hand from Pyrrha, offering to help him get up, which he gladly accepted. 

- You know that aura release techniques have become a bit obsolete since firearms were invented, especially with the various elemental dusts. - Pyrrha says, lifting Jaune off the ground with ease.

- I imagine, but I can still see them as something that can be used... especially for someone who doesn't want to use gun... But damn, controlling aura is a lot harder than you all make it seem. - Jaune says, giving Pyrrha a slight, tired smile.

- Well, as Ren already said, you have a large aura reserve, almost as large as Team JNPR and RWBY together, so it's harder for you to make efficient use of all that aura. - Pyrrha says.

- Well, I have to start somewhere. - Jaune says, standing up, grabbing his sword and shield, which weren't the Crocea Mors.

- Jaune... can I ask why you're not using your weapon in training today?

- Oh, that's it? I was with Ruby in the lab to see if there would be any improvements for Crocea Mors... I need to get stronger, Pyrrha. - Jaune says, looking at his arm, which had a scar he had recently acquired from the fight against Adam. The scars on his body were a reminder of his weakness. They always seemed to hurt more than when they were open wounds.

- Jaune... you are strong. In four months, you went from the last rank of Grade 4 to the second rank of Grade 3. Your efforts are paying off. - Pyrrha says with a gentle air, sitting down next to Jaune.

- I just know... I can't think of what could have happened... everything... in the conflict against the White Fang could have gone wrong... Weiss could have died if one little thing had gone wrong... I can't help but think that if it had been you in my place, everything would have been simpler. - Jaune says with his head down. 

- He always tortures himself so much because of his strength... Jaune, if you only knew how strong everyone thinks you are... - Pyrrha thinks, looking at the knight with a tender expression. She lowers her hand to hold his.

- If everyone is fine now, it's because of you, Jaune. Maybe I wouldn't be able to resist Adam's attacks like you did, maybe Blake wouldn't be able to destabilize him like you did... the message the world received wouldn't have been sent without you, you make us all proud. - Pyrrha says, peting Jaune's hair.

- If you knew how essential you are to our group, you wouldn't say these things... strength as a fighting force can be acquired... but the strength of the soul isn't something you can find just anywhere. - Pyrrha says, the girl's gentle and calm voice was relaxing to hear, leaving Jaune with fewer doubts.

- You know, Pyrrha... you'd make a great mother. - Jaune comments without thinking about what he said.

- W-WHAT?! – The red-haired girl quickly blushes at the comment, not knowing what that could mean to Jaune.

- Well, it's just that you have this maternal, mature and caring aura around you... you make me feel better about myself and well... I-I really like that... thank you for making me feel good.. – Jaune says a little awkwardly, not knowing how to put what he feels into words.

- Oh Jaune… it's nothing big, after all we are partners, aren't we? – Pyrrha says with a smile, Jaune returns that smile to her.

- Damn, he had to be so adorable and pure!!! Maybe... maybe he can say something now... - Pyrrha thinks, feeling that the moment was getting more and more intimate.

But before anything could happen, Jaune notices something strange in the background on the brick walkways of Beacon, there was a figure coming out of the forest and walking through the school. It was too late for anyone to leave the forest, especially with Grimms around... but Jaune can see that the man had a crimson liquid running down his hands.

- Pyrrha... I-I need to do something! I think we trained enough today! - Jaune says, getting up quickly and running off the roof.

- Jaune... did I have bad breath? - Pyrrha says to herself, breathing on her own hand and smelling it.

...

- Tsk... drones and simulations, that's not enough. - Cardin says, walking outside Beacon with his armor and mace resting on his shoulder. He had just come out of a solo training session. Ever since Jaune reached the top two of grid 3, he practically finds himself forced to defend his title, but he knows that doesn't matter right now, nothing matters, he needs strength, he needs true strength.

- As if he knows what true strength is! That damn Jaune... all he's had so far is luck! Just luck! DAMN IT! - Cardin slams his mace on the ground in frustration, opening a slight crater in the concrete of Beacon, he doesn't know why he's feeling so angry.

- Oh... is that Jaune? - Cardin thinks, seeing Jaune a little in the distance turning right, he was wearing his new armor and a sword and shield that, for sure, weren't the Crocea Mors.

- Come on... that guy must have come this way... - Jaune says to himself, looking around. Beacon had cameras and he knew Ozpin was always watching them, but maybe just the possibility of him letting an injured student walk around Beacon without help made his stomach churn, he couldn't deny someone help.

- Wait... how do I know that was a student? -- Jaune's expression fell now, he didn't know if that was really an ally or an enemy. It could be an invader, that blood couldn't even be that person's. Things were getting darker.

- Well, well, it seems I'm not the only one who has night training habits.

Jaune turns to face Cardin approaching, with a smug smile on his face and with his signature weapon on his shoulders.

- Cardin? Was that you who's wandering around? - Jaune asks.

- Probably, I usually train at night when there's no one to bother me... it also helps me sleep, and you seem to be the same way, don't you? Jaune Boy~ - Cardin says, he has a mischief in his voice. Despite Jaune and Cardin's change, they still hadn't completely resolved themselves, they just knew they had to fight each other.

- Well, are you hurt? Did something happen? - Jaune asks, he was cautious with Cardin, after all it was just him and the former bully from Beacon, both of them were armed.

- Nah... you know what Jaune, I think you and I meeting tonight was no coincidence. - Cardin says, removing the mace from his shoulder and pointing it at Jaune.

- Let's fight, here and now, Jaune. - Cardin says, getting straight to the point, Jaune's expression doesn't falter.

- Do you want to fight me, here and now?

- YES! Without Goodwitch interrupting us, without an aura meter, without ANY OF THAT SHIT YOU KNOW IS USELESS! - Cardin shouts.

- You understand me, don't you? All of this is nothing more than a farce, what we are doing here is no different from children playing with dolls! It's just a simulation, if we want to really resolve things between you and me we have to do this for real! - Cardin shouts. Jaune kept a stoic expression on his face, staring at the black knight in front of him without showing fear. In the past, this lack of fear would have made Cardin angry, but now, it only makes him more excited for the fight between the two, he needed to prove himself.

- Why are we like this, Cardin? - Jaune asks, Cardin lowers his guard a little with the question from the hero of Beacon, he doesn't know how to answer.

- What do you mean?

- Why do you and I always have to fight? I'm not against our duels, but I don't understand why we always do this, what attracts us so much to combat?

- AND DOES THAT MATTER?! WE HAVE TO REALLY FIGHT TO FIND THIS OUT! - Cardin shouts, he was running out of patience, he wouldn't have another opportunity like this to have a fight against Jaune.

- Cardin... why did you decide to become a Huntsman? - Jaune asks.

- What?

- Why did you decide to become a Huntsman? Tell me and then we can fight. - Jaune says with conviction in his voice.

- Why... did I decide to become a Huntsman? – Cardin thought, looking at Executioner… many thoughts were going through his head now, but nothing was really clear, his family, those faces… those damn faces…

- If you can't tell me why, I have no interest in fighting you now. – Jaune said, turning his back and walking back to his dorm.

Cardin gritted his teeth in anger, gripping the handle of his mace with abnormal force.

- You won't have a choice, Jaune… - Cardin said, jumping high. Jaune barely managed to react, placing his shield in front of Cardin's devastating blow.

- ARE YOU CRAZY?! – Jaune shouted.

- YOU'RE GOING TO FIGHT WHETHER YOU WANT TO OR NOT!

Jaune threw his shield down, making Cardin fall, and then grabbed him by the arm that was holding the Executioner and threw him against the wall. It didn't do much damage to Cardin, but it was enough to create some distance between the two.

- That's right, hehehe, that's something that class can't provide, Jaune, and you know that! You experienced that in the White Fang! That's real combat! - Cardin said, with an almost psychotic smile on his face.

- Hahahahaahah bravo! Bravo! Bravo!

Someone approached the two teenagers who were fighting, and that person clapped their hands at the scene they were seeing. Cardin and Jaune turned their faces to face a scorpion faun approaching the two.

- I must say, my friends, I agree with you both! None of this here is real... none of this here can show what the world out there really is... nothing in Beacon will really show you the TERROR that real combat is. - That man said, crouching in front of the two, pointing his finger in the shape of a pistol at his own head and pretending to shoot it, laughing at his own "joke".

- You... who are you? - Cardin asked suspiciously. Jaune looks at the man from below, analyzing him, then he notices that his hands were dry red, as if they had recently cleaned themselves... recently cleaned blood.

- Who are you?! What are you doing here in Beacon?! - The blond knight shouts, his expression completely changing and his aura emanating from his body. That seemed to make the man more and more excited. His sadistic smile widens and his aura leaves his body, but that was no ordinary aura... it was full of pure evil, pure malice, there was no purpose, no form, there was nothing there other than an intense desire to destroy everything.

- THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO SEE, BOY! I WANT TO SEE YOUR AURA! SHOW ME HOW FAR THIS PURITY GOES! - Tyrian shouts, laughing like a maniac. With the blades of his arms opening, ready for combat.

Chapter Text

- This guy... who is this guy... my body... my body won't stop shaking... - Cardin thinks, with an expression of terror and hesitation. Realizing that the grip of his hands on his weapon was loosening. His legs and arms were getting weaker, more shaky just feeling the presence of Tyrian's aura. He looks at Jaune, hoping the blond has some idea of ​​how to defeat the enemy in front of him, but Jaune's situation was not the least bit different from Cardin's.

- This aura... I've never seen anything like it... it's completely different from Adam's... there's no compassion... good feelings... the only thing I can see in this guy is pure destruction... - Jaune thinks, his heart seemed like it was going to jump out of his chest from the fear he felt for Tyrian at that moment. He grips the handle of the long sword he was using to replace the Crocea Mors at the moment.

- But... but... I can't let this bastard get to where my friends are! - Jaune thinks. The blond knight is the first to advance towards Tyran. Jaune kicks a loose brick on the Beacon floor towards Tyrian to distract him and then flank him on the right, aiming to cut his back. But Tyrian just smiles and catches the brick with his hands and turns his body, hitting Jaune's head with the brick he had thrown.

- YOU'RE SLOW, KID! - The sadistic man shouts, giving Jaune a straight kick to the stomach, which was strong enough to send him flying into one of the columns, making him hit his back hard against it, going through that solid concrete column.

- What strength... I... I can't breathe... - Jaune thinks, his eyes were wide and he was sweating cold.

- Let's go, Mr. Arc. I have high expectations for you~ - Tyrian says, walking towards Jaune, grabbing him by his hood and lifting him off the ground.

- You don't want to disappoint me in our first little meeting. - Tyrian says, running the blades of his arm across Jaune's cheek, causing a small trickle of blood to run down the cut on the blond's face.

Tyrian quickly reacts to a blow from Cardin, defending the impact of the Executioner with one of his bladed hands.

- YOU BETTER LET GO OF HIM NOW! - Cardin shouts, pressing a purple button on the handle of his mace, causing a wave of gravity dust to push Tyrian away, thus freeing Jaune from his grip.

- Arf... thanks Cardin. - Jaune says, standing up, coughing a little to recover from what happened.

- Don't thank me. I'm not going to let you get all the glory this time... besides, to defeat this guy, we're going to have to work together. - Cardin says, turning to face Tyrian again.

- Oh, are you guys planning a plan? Okay, I'll give you two some time. – Says the psychopath, crossing his arms while keeping a disdainful smile on his face.

- He's convinced he can defeat us... we can use that to our advantage somehow... he has two blades on each arm... I'll try to keep both of his arms busy and you try to attack him with the Executioner... between the two of us you're the one with the greatest attack power. – Says Jaune, getting into a fighting stance, raising his shield.

- Very well then... create a gap that he can't turn around... I'll attack from behind. – Says Cardin.

The two knights of Beacon advance at the same time towards the enemy. Jaune runs straight while Cardin tries to flank Tyrian on his right side. The sadistic faun doesn't seem to care so much about Cardin and advances straight towards Jaune, slashing from top to bottom with the blades on his right arm. But Jaune manages to put the shield in front of him to defend himself, however Tiryan's strength was so great that Jaune sinks his feet into the concrete of Beacon and feels his defending arm hurt like hell, it was as if his bones were going to break.

- You know, kid... you have a gigantic amount of aura, you know? You're the second person with the most aura I've ever met in my life~ - Tyrian says, trying to land a cross punch on Jaune's face, but the blond puts his sword in front of him and manages to get it tangled in Tyrian's two blades, thus trapping him close to him.

- But no matter how much aura you have, I can always tear it apart~ - Tyrian says, bringing his face closer to Jaune's, his sadistic smile growing. Jaune feels a shiver just seeing that man's expression, why does he fight? Why is he acting like this?

- FUCK YOU IDIOT! - Cardin shouts, standing behind Tiryan, he channels as much aura as possible into his weapon. He pulls the Executionar with all his strength from top to bottom as if he were hammering a nail into a railroad track. Tiryan's guard was completely open, it was the perfect plan. - Hehe, you two are still amateurs.

Then Cardin feels a sharp pain in his stomach, he looks down and realizes that he was pierced, he was pierced by Tiryan's scorpion tail.

- How... my aura... didn't protect me? - Cardin thinks, starting to sweat.

- NO! - Jaune shouts, dropping his sword and punching Tiryan in the face. It didn't hurt the crazy man, but it was enough for him to be able to free himself from the strength competition between the two.

The blond knight takes a big leap into the air and jumps, hitting Tyrian's tail with the tip of his shield, making the faun's part contract and pull back from Cardin's belly.

- Are you okay?! - Jaune asks, going to his rival.

- Arf... damn faun... I'll be fine! We need to think of a way to finish him off! - Cardin says, holding his wound. For some reason, his aura wasn't working, it wasn't able to heal the wound in his stomach.

- You can try all you want, but aura is such a futile concept to me~ - Tyrian says with a smile, his scorpion tail writhing in the air and the tip of the stinger approaching his face. He licks the tip of his stinger where there was some of Cardin's blood.

- Your aura won't save you from my attacks, boy, be ready to feel real pain~

- WHAT DO YOU WANT?! - Jaune shouts.

- Huh?

- WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?! WHAT IS YOUR GOAL HERE IN BEACON?! WHY… WHY DID YOU KILL THE GUARDS?! - Jaune shouts, walking towards Tyrian.

- I don't know… I don't know what Beacon could have done to you! But whatever happened, we can solve this in another way! We don't need to fight! - Jaune shouted, his voice soft and hopeful that maybe this conflict could have another outcome.

- Ahm... listen boy, beacon didn't do anything to me. - Tyrian said, seeming uninterested in what Jaune had to say, cleaning his ear with his little finger.

- W... what?

- Don't you get it yet? I'm not here for revenge, I'm not here because I want to prove a point, I'm not here because I'm a misunderstood victim of society who didn't have opportunities in life... fufufufu I'm here because I simply want to kill!

Jaune had never felt this in his life, he didn't feel this fighting Roman, he didn't feel this fighting Adam, he didn't feel this confronting Cardin... this man in front of him. Who smiled sinisterly, approached as if he had come out of a horror movie. That wasn't a normal person. No... he could no longer be called a person, this man was a complete monster. 

- You still don't seem to want to show me what I saw on the broadcast... so how about I give you some motivation. - Tiryan says.

- What?

- That's right, hehehe, maybe if I bring your silver-eyed friend here I can show you what true terror really is. - Tyrian says with his finger on his chin thoughtfully. The simple mention of Ruby made Jaune's appearance change. He no longer seemed skittish and defensive, he stood straight, with his face on guard, a calm expression that hid something.

- What did you say about Ruby? - Jaune asks, his aura starting to leave his body, getting stronger and stronger.

- What are these two talking about? Is he trying to buy time? Damn... I'm starting to feel weak... - Cardin thinks, leaning on his own mace to keep himself standing.

- Oh, so her name is Ruby, isn't it? Is her last name Rose too? - The scorpion man asks, having fun teasing Jaune in this way.

- WHAT DO YOU WANT WITH RUBY?! - Jaune shouts.

- Me?! I don't know fufuffuu that girl is very special Jaune~ I think I'll want to have those rare eyes and a collection. I think I'll rip them out when I kill and deflower that little girl's body in front of you and then put them in a preservative~

- You... bastard... touch... touch my friends... - Jaune's teeth were grinding hard, his aura was growing stronger and stronger. It was getting very intense and a peculiarity was happening, small black rays materialized as it got stronger, this interested Tiryan a lot.

- TOUCH ANY OF MY FRIENDS AND I'LL KILL YOU!! - Jaune shouts advancing towards Tyrian like a ferocious beast.

- THAT! THAT'S WHAT I CAME HERE LOOKING FOR! - Tiryan says, his excitement with Jaune has fully returned and they clash their blows. Tyrian hits Jaune's shield and Jaune manages to grab the other hand of the Beacon invader.

- THAT LOOK! THAT LOOK! THAT'S WHAT I WANTED TO SEE! YOU'RE NOT UNBREAKABLE, KID! - Tyrian shouts, kneeing Jaune in the stomach and throwing him into another support column, breaking it. But Jaune automatically gets up and runs towards Tiryan, not caring about his injuries.

- This is insane... this is total insanity... how... how are you fighting this?! How do you do this?! JAUNE ARC! - Cardin thinks, watching Jaune keep trying and trying to fight Tiryan, being punched, cut, kicked, thrown everywhere. But Jaune always got up and attacked Tyrian again, it was like seeing the unstoppable force trying to move the immovable object, who would stop first?

- It's like seeing a great jewel in the middle of the dirty! Ready to be cut! Fufufu, kid, you're not as pure as you think you are! - Tyrian thinks, taking a punch from Jaune.

- I'M GOING TO RIP OUT THE DARKNESS THAT LIVES IN YOU! - SHUT UP!

Before Tiryan could attack Jaune, someone appeared in front of him quickly. Almost as if the person had teleported to stand between Jaune and Tyrian. As the dust slowly settled, Jaune and Cardin could see the white hair flying in the wind, and they knew who had saved Jaune from this blow.

- I must say, I didn't expect to see you here... Tyrian. - Ozpin said, adjusting his glasses. He had his weapon, The Long Memory, blocking one of Tyrian's fists.

- Director Ozpin fufufufaahhahah today must definitely be my lucky day! I expected to find you only after finishing off these two boys here. - Tyrian said, forcing more of his aura on Ozpin, but Beacon's right wing counterattacked the man with the same absurd amount of strength as his aura. It was suffocating to be in the presence of those two people competing in raw power with each other. 

- I imagine you have an interest in two of my students, but I'm afraid your search will end here, because I can't allow a monster like you to leave Beacon alive. - Ozpin said, looking sharp.

- So... COME TRY TO STOP ME! - Tyrian said in a distorted and sinister voice.

The confrontation between two individuals who were categorized as Special Grade had just begun in Beacon.

Chapter Text

- Ozpin?! - Jaune said a little quietly, just to himself. He looked impressed by his director's strength and wondered where he had come from? And how could he be so fast?

- I'm not in the mood to destroy Beacon. So I'm counting on you and Cardin to deal with the Grimms. - Ozpin said, looking at Jaune.

- How?

Before the blond could react in any way, Ozpin turned his body at an impressive speed and gave Tyrian a spinning kick in the face with such force that he sent him flying at high speed towards the forest and Ozpin dashed forward following Tyrian.

- What did he mean by Grimms? - Cardin asked, hand on his stomach. It was then that they looked at the forest where Ozpin and Tyrian had gone to fight. Red eyes and black silhouettes appeared and began walking towards the two. 

- Damn... Tyrian's negative emotions and mine must have caught their attention... - Jaune says, arming himself again with his sword and shield that were replacing the Crocea Mors.

- Well... I'm not going down now! If Ozpin wants us to take care of these bastards while he destroys that guy, we'll do it! - Cardin shouts, but then he starts coughing up blood nonstop. Jaune looks at his combat partner worriedly.

- That wound... he was a scorpion faun, right? He must have poison! - Jaune thinks, reasoning that Cardin's situation may be worse than he thinks.

- Shut... up Jaune! Arf... I'll be fine! Let's divide the tasks just like in Forever Fall... I'll take care of the ones on the right and you take care of the ones on the left. - Cardin says, wiping the blood from his lips and getting into a combat stance. Despite his tired look and cold sweat running down his face. 

- Cardin... why do you try so hard... - Jaune thinks, he had no choice anyway. The two knights advance again to battle the Grimms that were lured to Beacon. 

Tyrian uses the trees to move quickly, jumping from one to the other as if he were a monkey. While Ozpin follows him, flying as if he were on skates that flew in the sky. His feet glided through the air emanating green electricity. Tyrian hits a tree and uses it to propel himself towards Ozpin, knocking the tree down with the strength of his legs. But Beacon's right was extremely quick in his reaction and defended Tyrian's blow with his weapon and guided him to the ground. Tyrian falls to the grass, rolling but quickly gets up, dodging an aura blade from Ozpin imbued with several green rays, which crossed cutting in half several dozen trees along the way. Tyrian's blades glowed with his purple aura and then he began to attack the air as if he were shadow boxing, but he was sending a storm of aura blades towards Ozpin. Beacon's right hand lands on the ground and sticks his club into the grass as if it were King Arthur's sword and in front of him a large green force field appears blocking all the attacks from the psychopath who couldn't stop smiling.

- This isn't just a semblance, is it? - Tyrian asks, surrounding Ozpin.

- I don't think there's any point in hiding anymore, Tyrian. My investigations into you have already been enough to conclude who you're working for. - Ozpin says, maintaining a stoic and calm expression despite the conflicting situation.

- Working? Hahaha you would call that work, wouldn't you... but I'm not doing anything special... all that woman does is just give me freedom to do whatever I want! - The psychopath replies.

-— So that's why you're working for Salem? Just to cause whatever chaos you want? Well, I doubt she'll approve of this behavior for long. When you're no longer useful to her and no longer compatible with her worldview... she'll eliminate you without mercy. — Ozpin says, narrowing his eyes in deep hurt.

- Then that's great, so we'll have the biggest battle ever seen in the history of all of Remnant! You don't understand, do you? I just want to see where all this WILL END! - Tyrian shouts, a gigantic aura with murderous intent emanating from his body. It was as if the entire forest suddenly turned purple with Tyrian's colors.

Special Grade is not an easy classification. The best huntsmen in the world have a maximum of grade 0 as the possible grade to achieve. Generally, Special Grade is not something you can achieve with training. You are born that way, destined for greatness, for power. And only Special Grades have this peculiarity with their aura. The power to emanate it for several kilometers and subdue those weaker than them with just the weight of their aura. Making people faint, convulse, or, the strongest, become immobile.

- Please... this won't work on me. fight with class. - Ozpin says, hitting The Long Memory on the ground and creating his own Aura field. Competing forces with Tyrian's aura. The forest was divided between Ozpin's green with lightning and Tyrian's purple aura of darkness. Ozpin knew that a fight of aura pressure was a possibility, so he went to fight Tyrian far away, so as not to harm the entire Beacon with the pressure confrontation. 

- Fight with class? I wanted to test myself, especially against pressure as strong as yours... but you're right... THIS IS NOT ENOUGH! - Tyrian shouts, disappearing just as Ozpin also disappears from where he was.

The two clash their blows again in the center of that forest. The attack of the two blows causes a large crater to open around them just with the shock wave created by the collision of their weapons.

- You seem to be having fun, principal. I bet you feel the same way I do! THE MONOTONY OF BEING THE STRONGEST! - Tyrian says, smiling sadistically as he competes forces against Ozpin, who also surprisingly had a smile on his face, a smile that he had never displayed at any time while working at Beacon, he was enjoying the fight.

Ozpin and Tyrian began to exchange attacks at an absurd speed and almost imperceptible to the naked eye. Each blow of their weapons that collided caused a shock wave that destroyed the surrounding environment.

Ozpin gets a cut in the middle of his belly but is quickly stitched up by the magical electricity he is emitting. He pulls Tyrian by his arm and spins him around, throwing him against a tree. Ozpin stomps hard on the ground, lifting several rocks and throwing them towards Tyrian with his powers. The assassin punches and kicks each of the colossal sized rocks without any problems. Only to realize that Ozpin had flanked him on the left and ducked.

- THIS WILL NOT WORK, PRINCIPAL! - Tyran shouts, turning quickly and giving an axe kick to Ozpin, who manages to defend himself with Long Memory. However, it was a distraction for one of the rocks controlled by Ozpin to attack Tyrian from behind. However, the scorpion faun seemed to have expected this and his tail pierces the rock with force, destroying it.

- What?! - Tyrian quickly dodges a gigantic blast of fire flying towards him. He jumps back a few meters away from Ozpin.

- Well, I wouldn't expect a serial killer with over a hundred murders to show up here at our school. - Oobleck says with his Antiquity's Roast weapon in hand. Resting it on his shoulders.

- Pfft, I think if more teachers show up I won't be able to stay here... it was fun while it lasted, Ozpin, but I have to leave. - Tyrian says, shaking the dust off his pants.

- Do you think we're just going to let you walk out of here? - Ozpin asks.

- Hhehehehhahahahahhaahhahaha! You... you won't have a choice... BECAUSE OTHERWISE YOUR STUDENTS WILL DIE! - Tyrian shouts, laughing like a maniac and then pointing at Beacon. From behind him a group of ten gigantic Nevermore appeared flying in the direction of where Cardin and Jaune were fighting.

- Damn it... OOBLECK! LET'S GO! - Ozpin shouts, as much as he hated to let Tyrian go. He had a higher priority, his students.

- Yes sir. – Oobleck says, as if he were talking to his army general and the two of them are on their way.

- That boy Jaune, he has so much potential heheehhehahhahahaha! I can't wait for him to be at his full power! IT WILL BE MAGNIFICENT TO CRUSH SUCH A PURE AND GOOD AURA IN THIS WORLD HHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! - Tyrian laughs like a maniac as he disappears into the forest, his laughter slowly fading into the darkness.

...

Jaune cuts off the head of a Beowolf with ease and quickly turns around, crouching down from the attack of a bear. He pushes the grimm with his shield, knocking it to the ground and plunging his sword into its head.

Cardin manages to crush a boarbatusk with his club and quickly turns around, hitting a bear in its face. Squeezing the trigger of his mace, he makes it explode with dust fire. Cardin leans on his own weapon, panting.

- Arf... arf... who would have thought... that damn thing would actually have poison... - Cardin thinks, his vision is getting blurry. His body is getting weak. He feels chills. He notices a group of Beowolfs heading towards him and tries to get up to attack them. But Jaune appears in front of him, advancing and cutting each one of them with extreme skill.

- CARDIN! YOU NEED TO STOP! YOUR STOMACH IS TURNING PURPLE! – Jaune shouts worriedly.

- Purple? Arf... I can't see that, you idiot... - Cardin says, coughing up more blood on the ground. Falling to his knees. Jaune runs to the black knight and helps him up. Putting his arm over his shoulder.

- They're all gone... we have to take you to the infirmary. – Jaune says. He notices that Cardin was staring at the sky with wide eyes. The blond looks where his knight partner was looking and notices a large flock of Nevermores heading towards him. 

- So that's it... Cardin... the loser of the Winchester house is going to die like this... - Cardin says in a weak voice. He forces himself to get out of Cardin's support and grabs his gun again.

- If I'm going to die here... I'M GOING TO DIE FIGHTING! SHOWING ALL THE STRENGTH I HAVE! I'M GOING TO PROVE! I'M GOING TO PROVE THAT I'M NOT HERE JUST BECAUSE I'M A WINCHESTER! - Cardin shouts, vomiting even more blood but not seeming to care.

- Cardin... - Jaune saw a strong determination in him. One that he knew well, because he was like him, he wanted to prove himself, prove that he wasn't a burden, prove that he wasn't someone weak, he wanted to prove that he belonged here.

Then the pack of Nevermores began to fall one by one. Cardin and Jaune stared without understanding, only seeing green lightning and flames in the sky, taking down each of the Grimm with tremendous ease.

- You two did well. – Ozpin says, coming from the skies, gliding with green electricity on his feet. Oobleck followed the man using his super speed on the ground.

- But... how did you... - Before Cardin could continue speaking he collapses on the ground.

- HURRY UP HE'S POISONED! – Jaune shouts urgently.

- I'm going to take him to the infirmary, we should have antidotes for most of the poisons here. If we don't, I'll go to the city and be back in minutes. – Oobleck says, picking up Cardin and putting him on his back, disappearing from the scene like a ghost.

- Ozpin... what about that man? – Jaune asks.

- Unfortunately he ran away... but now everything is fine Juane, he was just an intruder.

- No he wasn't! He's after Ruby! He knows something about her and for some reason he's interested in her eyes! – Jaune says. When mentioning Ruby and her eyes Ozpin seemed to change his expression slightly. 

- I... I've never seen people with silver eyes... I thought it might be a rare thing, but maybe that's why Ruby could be in danger!

- I understand your fear for your friend Jaune. We're going to reinforce security even more and keep an eye on any activity that might occur. – Ozpin says.

- Principal... Ruby was accepted here in advance... she is talented but... it seems like you accepted her to make sure she was in a safe place in case people like that come after her through your eyes... - Jaune says, starting to turn on his logical reasoning, looking at Ozpin with a suspicious and dark expression. The man had his back to Jaune at this moment.

- You... you are not hiding anything from me or Ruby that we should know, are you?

- Mr. Arc, I understand that you may be in shock at the moment and worried about your friend. However, I assure you that we have nothing to do with this... and we will take measures to protect Ruby because she is a Beacon student, nothing more. - Ozpin says, walking away from Jaune. He knew the blond was staring at him. 

- I hope that one day you can forgive me Jaune, but it is not yet time for children like you to get involved in this war... as your principal, I want to give you as much of a normal life as possible... in the future I know that you will be a great ally. - Ozpin thinks.

Chapter Text

- You've got to be kidding us, right, Ozpin? - Qrow asks, turning his flask of alcohol.

Ozpin was in his principal's office. But he was also with a group of people in his office for a small meeting. These people were Port, Oobleck, Glynda and Qrow.

- It's no wonder our guards couldn't defend the school, after all it's not a common event for a special grade to invade an environment like this. - Glynda says, adjusting her glasses.

- Our priority has to be to protect our students! If there's a danger of someone like Tyrian appearing here, it means we have to take our work as huntsmen and Huntresses more seriously. - Port says with his hands behind his back and his chest puffed out, like a proud huntsman.

- I'm afraid that unfortunately this time our students are not our priority. - Ozpin says, surprising everyone with his speech. 

- It seems that Tyrian came here with an interest in two specific students… Jaune Arc and Ruby Rose. – Ozpin says.

- Bastard… they've already started coming after my niece. – Qrow thinks, gritting his teeth in irritation.

- I can understand the Rose girl… but Jaune Arc? He's just an ordinary student in our facilities. He's improving at an impressive speed but he still doesn't have anything in him that's of value to her like the girl with the silver eyes. – Glynda asks.

- The transmission that occurred from the White Fang. – Ozpin says, answering Glynda's question.

- Jaune Arc may not have something like silver eyes, magical powers or being a chosen hero… but in the transmission with the White Fang he created something in the population on a global scale that the Grimms hate. – Oobleck says, raising his finger like a teacher explaining some formula.

- The boy created hope. Thanks to him, movements in favor of the union of humans and fauns gained a lot of strength. The leader of the White Fang, Adam Tauros, was humiliated on an international network, morally speaking. Negative feelings attract Grimms, make them stronger. And I'm a very observant person, the boy Jaune is basically a walking problem solver. He's a classic hero. - Ozpin says, with a certain pride in his voice. But quickly his expression turned dark.

- However, there's one thing we shouldn't let get into Salem's hands.

- The fall maiden... - Qrow says.

- The Beacon Games will start in three weeks... do you think we should worry that much, Ozpin? We don't have that many people on our side. - Glynda asks.

- I don't think anything will happen during the Beacon Games. - Ozpin says.

- I agree with our director, after all it's just a school competition. If there's going to be an attack against the maiden, it will probably happen during the Vytal festival. It's the most fragile moment our nation will be in. - Port says.

- Exactly, but we won't let our guard down. Remember, the enemy could be lurking anywhere... even among our students. - Ozpin speaks.

...

- Are you okay, Jaune? - Pyrrha asks, looking at the boy worriedly. He hadn't woken up early to train with Nora and he was sitting on his own bed, staring into space with a worried expression.

- Pancakes? Ren makes the best pancakes in all of Remnant! - Nora asks, offering a gigantic plate of pancakes, looking like she had taken them from a cartoon.

- For Nora to be offering you something like this, it's because she's really worried about you. - Ren comments with a slight smile at Jaune.

- Guys... we need to talk to team RWBY. - Jaune says, keeping that worried expression. Standing up and walking towards the door. The rest of team JNPR look at each other with confused looks.

- So girls, what's your bet for the Beacon Games? - Yang asks, taking off her pajama top and placing it on the floor.

- Huh? Of course us! We're all going to win! - Ruby says excitedly, putting on her uniform skirt.

- Ruby, the fights will be one on one, not between teams. - Blake answers.

- Oh... wait a minute! Does that mean we might end up having to face each other?! - Ruby asks, not seeming to like that idea.

- Yes Ruby, even though we're on the same team we might have to face each other. The first phase of the Beacon Games will probably be like a treasure hunt. We don't know the details yet, but it might even end up being something similar to initiation. The second phase is always a one on one tournament for those who managed to pass the first phase. - Weiss says in an explanatory way so Ruby can understand. Taking her uniform top and putting it on first.

- OOOooooh, so can we be allies in the first phase? - Ruby asks. - That will depend on what the first phase will be like. - Blake says, pulling down her pajama pants.

- Guys, I need to talk to you. - Jaune says, forgetting to knock on the door and opening it.

Accidentally, the blond boy ends up catching the entire RWBY team changing clothes. However, despite this, the girls' reaction was not exactly what he would normally expect.

- Come on Vomit boy, if you wanted to see something you could have asked me~ - Yang says in a playful tone, sticking out her tongue as she lifts her semi-naked bust so Jaune can get a better look.

- Jaune?! Could you close the door? It's rude to see girls like that. - Weiss says, definitely with the lowest and calmest voice she would have in a situation like this. Just covering herself with her own clothes and blushing, looking away.

- Oh... uh.. h-hey Jaune, how are you? - Ruby asks, not knowing how to react and not knowing if she should shout, close the door, invite him in. It's not like she felt too bothered by Jaune seeing her like that, he was a good boy and would never do anything to her.

- Well... I don't think there's anything left to hide from you, right? Nyahahah~ - Blake said with a shy, feline smile, jokingly making a movement with her hand that resembled a cat's paw.

However, the strange and "relaxed" atmosphere in the room stopped when they realized that Jaune's reaction wasn't to blush and shout for forgiveness, closing the door awkwardly, maybe even tripping. He stood there with a serious expression for a few seconds, until he realized he had come in at the wrong time.

- Sorry about that. You can go back to changing and call me when you're ready. I need to talk to you about something very serious. - Jaune said, closing the door.

- ... Okay, there's definitely something wrong with him. - Weiss said.

- EXACTLY! THE JAUNE I KNOW WOULDN'T RESIST MY BREASTS LIKE THIS! – Yang said, almost offended.

- He seemed worried about something… - Blake said, turning back to the door, wondering what could be tormenting Jaune's mind so early.

- Let's get changed and see what Jaune would like to talk to us about. This isn't the time to be offended by something like that. – Ruby said with a serious expression.

- After getting changed, Team RWBY and Team JNPR were gathered in Ruby's dorm. They were sitting in a makeshift circle on the floor, and some were sitting on the beds (which were definitely against Beacon's health and safety regulations).

- So Jaune, what happened? – Ruby asked.

- Yes! We hate seeing you with that serious face! It's like you met a serial killer last night. – Yang said in a joking tone, but that didn't ease Jaune's expression, who was staring at the floor, looking worried.

- Pyrrha… do you remember that I left our training session early yesterday?

- Yes… I didn't do anything wrong, right? – Asks the Mistral champion.

- No, you didn't... I saw something suspicious coming out of the forest... it looked like a man with bloody hands... when I went to investigate I ended up finding Cardin. - Jaune says.

- Wait... Cardin didn't do anything to you, did he? - Weiss asks with an irritated expression. She seems ready to use her political power to end the Winchester house.

- No, actually thanks to him we can fight this person... a guy invaded Beacon... a very strong guy named Tyrian who ended me and Cardin as if we were nothing. - Jaune says.

- Tyrian Callows?! The serial killer?! Are you telling me that a special grade invaded Beacon?! - Ren asks, the information seeming to have shaken the monk's stoic posture.

- Himself... if it weren't for Ozpin showing up to fight him we wouldn't have a chance... Cardin and I would probably be dead... but that doesn't matter to me, what matters is something he told me. – Jaune then looks at Ruby, straight into the girl's eyes.

- He mentioned your name Ruby, he mentioned that he wanted to go after your eyes. – Jaune says. The information leaves the room with a heavier and more frightening tone, Ruby has a shocked expression.

- He... he's after my eyes? But why?! – Asks the leader of team RWBY, obviously the evident fear of having a serial killer after her was expressed on her face.

- I don't know Ruby... the only thing I know is this... but it doesn't make sense to me that a girl would draw so much attention from a Serial Killer just because of her eyes... I mean... I researched Tyrian's attack pattern and read about his cases all night and it doesn't fit... so I came to a conclusion. – Jaune speaks.

- And... what would it be? – Blake asks. 

- I've never seen eyes like Ruby's and even if you search the internet you won't find anything, just lenses... in our world it's not hard to find people with eyes of the most varied colors as well as hair, but silver eyes? I think Ruby might have rare eyes that could probably be worth a lot of money on the black market or something close to that. - Jaune says.

- But... but no one has come after me in my entire life! Why now?! Why me?! - Ruby screams, getting up from the ground, as if she needed to move to calm down.

- I think Ozpin might know that... that's why he wanted you to get to Beacon as soon as possible. - Jaune says.

- After all... being close to where a special grade is would be safer for Ruby... if your theory is true. - Weiss says, with a finger on her chin, seeing that the pieces were really falling into place. 

- Damn… I just wanted to be a normal student, damn it… - Ruby says, sitting on the floor, lowering her head and hugging her own legs.

- Oh Rubes… - Yang sits next to Ruby and hugs her sister, stroking her hair.

- Ruby… I want you to listen to me. Please lift your face. - Jaune says, walking towards Ruby and kneeling in front of her. The girl lifts her face to look at the blond knight.

- You don't have an enemy, do you understand? WE HAVE AN ENEMY! If he has a problem with you, he has a problem with all of us! You have your team at your disposal! You have my team at your disposal! And you have me by your side as your right arm to fight against these people! You are not alone and you shouldn't feel alone with this problem! We will overcome this as we always overcome everything. Together! As Huntsmen and Huntress. - He says, taking Ruby's hand and offering a comforting squeeze. 

- Jaune… I… - Ruby had no other reaction than to jump into the arms of the taller blonde. Squeezing him in a hug. As if if she let go of him she would return to a dark world without safety. Jaune hugged back. It was a beautiful scene that couldn't help but warm the hearts of the members of both teams when they saw it.

- I don't know what I would do without you here… - Ruby says, almost whispering in Jaune's ear.

- Heh, you would find a way to move on, you are Ruby Rose, leader of team RWBY. - Jaune says, breaking away from the hug. Ruby quickly wipes her own tears and stands up.

- Okay! If a Special Grade is behind me, that means we all have to get stronger! I decree here that team RWBY and team JNPR are forbidden from not being classified for the fights in the second phase of the Beacon games! - Ruby says, pointing to the ceiling.

- YEAH! – Everyone shouted, punching the air with their newly acquired team determination. They knew that even among all these problems, they would always have each other. Jaune would never let them feel alone.

Chapter Text

- Uhm, this is weird. - Ruby says, looking around, realizing that she was in a dark place. The girl starts walking in that place, feeling slightly apprehensive and scared of where she was going. Each step on the ground made small waves in the water below her resonate. But she couldn't see the ground either. It was a very strange place.

- Oh? Jaune? - Ruby thinks, looking ahead, seeing the blond boy with his back to her. He was wearing his armor in that strange place. But she is happy to see a familiar face and runs towards Jaune.

- Hey Jaune! It's me! Ruby! - Ruby shouts, waving to Jaune. He turns around, looking surprised to see the girl, but soon smiles, noticing Ruby's presence.

However, the happiness of the Beacon reaper doesn't last long. Something pierces Jaune's stomach. A black blade emerges from the ground.

- JAUNE! - Ruby screams, her face horrified, seeing the scene. The knight falls to the ground lifeless and that blade comes out of his stomach. It seems to be a tentacle of darkness that emerged from the ground.

He then advances towards Ruby. The girl tries to run away as fast as she can but that tentacle was much faster. More and more tentacles began to appear around Ruby surrounding her and approaching her.

- NO! NO! NO PLEASE NO! - Ruby screams struggling, the darkness was slowly pulling her into the ground. It seemed like they were getting closer to her eyes wanting her eyes. Ruby sank deeper and deeper into the beams with only her eyes in pure terror remaining on the surface.

- NO! - The leader of team RWBY screams getting up from her bed screaming.

- RUBY?! WHAT HAPPENED?! - Yang gets up quickly to see what had happened to her sister. Weiss and Blake woke up alert because of the scream getting up from their beds too, staring at their team leader with concern. Ruby looks around. As if she were seeking approval that she is in the real world. It takes her a few good seconds to start calming down. Her breathing slowly returns to normal.

- S-sorry guys... I had a nightmare... - Ruby says, sitting down, wiping away the light tears that threatened to form in her eyes.

- It's okay Ruby, there's nothing to be ashamed of. I had a lot of nightmares when I first left the White Fang. - Blake says, sitting down next to Ruby, stroking the girl's back in a circular motion to try to calm her down.

- If it makes you feel better, can you talk to us about it? I mean, if you remember, of course. Many people don't remember their nightmares. - Weiss comments.

- Well... I was in a dark place... like when they lock you in a dark room and your vision doesn't adapt? Everything goes 100% dark... it was more or less like that and well... when I was walking through this place I found Jaune. - Ruby says. 

- Oh, I didn't expect you to have a nightmare with Jaune in it, Vomit boy knows how to make someone feel safe. - Yang comments, in a relaxed way to try to lighten the mood.

- Yeah... he really knows how to do that... so much so that when I met him I felt myself calm down almost instantly... but then something pierced him in the stomach... and... and he died. - Ruby says, her voice failing as she remembers the events of the dream.

- Hump, I'm not surprised you ended up dreaming about something like that. That idiot puts himself in life or death situations all the time. - Weiss says with her arms crossed.

- He doesn't do it on purpose, Weiss. - Blake says.

- I know! But I also don't like seeing him risking himself the way he does!

- I can understand how Weiss feels about this... then the shadows of that place started to consume me more and more... I felt like they were behind my eyes... - Ruby says. 

- The Tyrian thing really got you, didn't it, Rubes... don't worry about it, we won't let some idiot, eye-crazed maniac get yours! - Comments the older sister, hugging Ruby tightly, almost leaving the smaller girl breathless. But Ruby liked that.

- Hehe, I know... I think what I was most afraid of in that dream was losing Jaune... he was the one who fought against Tyrian and according to him, if it weren't for Ozpin saving him and Cardin, they would probably have died... Jaune could have died because of a guy who was behind me...

- It's really weird how a clumsy blond boy can mess with us so much... in the initiation when I was talking to Pyrrha, I never thought of him as someone who... who would be important in my life. - Weiss says thoughtfully.

- YES! It's because you don't remember the pajamas he wore! Remembering that now, he seemed really cute. - Yang says, having fun as she remembers Jaune with the jumpsuit.

- Or him trying to break up your fight with Ruby, he was knocked out almost at the same time. I have to admit that I hid my smile under the book because it was really funny... back then he already reminded me of that boy who saved me from the Faunus hunters. - Blake says with a small smile. 

- Do you remember when I accidentally blew up all your dust? – Ruby asks Weiss.

- I remember that and well... sorry for being such a jerk to you back then... actually, thinking about it, it's kind of impressive that you got out of there without any injuries that day. – Weiss says.

- That's the kind of luck you don't get all the time. – Blake says.

- Yeah... while MY SISTER left me alone in the middle of a crater, he went and helped me... made me feel comfortable in Beacon when I was a weird girl who skipped two years of Signal and went straight to Beacon... I really hope he likes the weapon I made for him. – Ruby says, thinking out loud.

- WAIT, YOU MADE A WEAPON FOR JAUNE?! – Yang shouts excitedly. Weiss and Blake make a silence signal to the outgoing blonde girl. If they were caught awake on one of Glynda's rounds, they would be in trouble. 

- Yes. That day he wanted to talk to me, he wanted me to improve the Crocea Mors. Didn't you notice that he's using a common sword and shield in combat training? - Ruby asks in disbelief.

- Hey, we're not the weapons fanatics here, you are. - Weiss says defensively.

- What did he ask for? Jaune doesn't look like he'd like to use a gun. - Blake says.

- It's not a gun and it doesn't have dust either... it's more of a second option in the middle of combat... I hope he really likes it and that I didn't do something that pleases me instead of something that pleases him. - Ruby says, a little nervous, remembering that the next day she would show the new Crocea Mors to Jaune.

- We're talking about Jaune here, Ruby! He's sure to love what you did with the Crocea Mors. - Yang says with a comforting smile.

- The Crocea Mors is a family heirloom for Jaune, it's something very important to him. And if he trusts something like that in your hands, it's because he knows your capabilities. - Weiss says.

- Are you trying to comfort me? Snow Angel? - Ruby asks with a provocative smile at Weiss.

- I-I-I'm just stating a fact here!! - Weiss shouts defensively.

- Stating a fact doesn't change the fact that you're comforting her, the two instances can coexist. - Blake comments. Weiss looks at her with a sharp look.

- I hate that you're smart too.

- I love you too, Weiss. - Blake says with an ironic tone.

- Hahaha... wait, did you guys realize that we're up at dawn... t-talking about Jaune? - Ruby asks, realizing the situation and blushing hard.

Team RWBY's room fell into complete silence after Ruby mentioned the situation they were in. Now the whole team felt like a bunch of teenage fangirls talking about some boy band member that Yang likes.

- ... I'm warning you that I'm not going to give him up that easily! Even though you're on my team! – Yang shouts.

- WHAT?! Do you think you have a chance?! - Asks Weiss.

- I don't know, Snow Angel, I have certain attributes that you lack~ - Yang says provocatively, showing off her body to Weiss, who blushes with irritation, knowing very well what Yang meant.

- If we're talking about this, I not only have "weapons" but I also know something very personal about him that you don't! In addition to knowing him as a child. - Says Blake, turning up her nose victoriously.

- BLAKE! Please tell me what he told you! I'm sure it's some fetish he has! - Says Yang, practically kneeling in front of Blake, begging.

- So you can have my weapons? None of that, my dear, this is war. - Says Blake with an amused smile, enjoying the situation.

- H-he was my first friend here! And he entrusted me with his family's inheritance! And we are fellow leaders! A-A-And he always gives me all the cookies when they're giving them out in the cafeteria! - Ruby says a little awkwardly, I don't understand what they're competing about but she still felt the need to prove herself.

- Yes, little sister, but he accepts me the way I am and would never abandon me! He even promised to help me find my mother! - Yang answers.

- He would do that to any of us! If that's the case he's the only one in Beacon who doesn't care or have any interest in me because I'm a schnee! There wouldn't be any other good options for someone like me than a real knight like Jaune! Just like in the fairy tales you love so much. - Weiss says proudly.

- The grumpy princess, I've heard that story a lot. - Yang comments whispering to Blake, but Weiss heard what she said and stares at Yang with a deadly glare.

Despite the weird competition that was happening in Team RWBY's dorm. This helped Ruby to be able to be less tense about the dream she had and to relax so she could sleep. At the end of it all, they were still a team, a team that competed in some things but were, first and foremost, united.

...

Jaune was walking alone through the halls of Beacon. He had his hands in his pockets and stared at the ground, looking thoughtful. The knight of team JNPR was called by Ruby to go to the weapons workshop to probably get his new Crocea Mors.

- Cardin is still in the infirmary... it seems that Tyrian's poison was really something very strong. - Jaune thinks. He remembers Cardin's words before Ozpin and Oobleck managed to save them from the great gang of Nevermore.

- "Winchester house loser..." this gives me great deja vu... - Jaune thinks. The blond boy ends up bumping into a door because he wasn't paying attention. He scratches his nose and realizes that he had arrived at the workshop.

- Ruby? Are you here? - Juane asks, opening the door.

- Oh, hey Jaune! – Says the girl in the red cape, waving excitedly at Jaune. Ruby wouldn't tell him, but after that dream it was great to see the leader of Team JNPR in the flesh.

- I'm excited to see what you did with Crocea Mors. – Says Jaune, walking over to the table where Ruby was.

- Well... here it is! – Says Ruby, gathering the courage to take the sword out from under the table and show it to Jaune.

Jaune looks at it in amazement. His weapon was brand new. With extra gold details, a new handle, and completely polished. He removes the blade from its sheath and notices that it was shining. He could easily see his reflection in the metal of his sword.

- Ruby... this is magnificent! – Says Jaune, testing the sword by making some cuts in the air. Which, due to its strength, caused a slight wind in that room.

- And not only that, hehe. Put the sword back in its sheath and you'll see it and press the center of its hand holder. There's a hidden button. – Says Ruby.

Jaune does as she asks, putting his sword back in its sheath. He presses the button and is impressed to see the sheath begin to transform into not a shield, but a large blade that was almost the size of Jaune's entire body.

- W-woah!

- You said you needed more power in your attacks, didn't you? Your shield is very dense and heavy. It's no wonder it can withstand several types of attacks. So I made it so that when your sword is in its sheath it can transform into a claymore! W-what do you think? - Ruby asks, a little shy and nervous about the feedback Jaune could give.

Jaune looks at the large Claymore that Crocea Mors has turned into. He gives a genuine smile seeing the blade.

- That... is amazing Ruby! It's exactly what I was thinking! - Says the blond knight.

- OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! HE LIKES IT! - Ruby thinks, feeling freaked out inside. - You're the best Ruby! I knew I could trust you with this! Anything I can do to thank you I'll do without thinking twice! - Jaune says, hugging the girl abruptly, taking her a little by surprise. But she wouldn't be crazy enough to refuse a hug from Jaune.

- N-no need for that, Jaune. We're fellow leaders! A-a-and you've done so much for my team that it was the least I could do for you. - Ruby says.

- Are you sure you don't want anything in return? - Jaune asks, pulling away from the hug, not realizing that he still had his hands on the smaller girl's waist.

"Give me a kiss"

- N-No! I-I-I mean! Y-yes! Just being happy is fine! - Ruby says, turning her back to Jaune, blushing heavily at the abrupt thought that had entered her own mind. The blond knight looks at Ruby, a little confused by her behavior.

- I wonder if she's hungry? - Jaune thinks.

Chapter Text

- Hey, sis, did Jaune like the weapon you gave him? - Yang asked. Team RWBY was sitting in the classroom. They were having Goodwitch's Combat class, but the fight that was happening in front of them didn't seem to interest the girls, not even Weiss.

- Yes! You should have seen his eyes! He even looked like me after seeing a new weapon! I must say that, in all modesty, I managed to do an incredible job. - Ruby said, proud of herself.

- What did you do at Crocea Mors? I respect your skills as a weapons engineer, Ruby, but I must remember that any change to a hunter's signature weapon will cause their fighting style to change a lot. - Weiss said, having a valid concern.  After all, Jaune was still the weakest of his group in terms of combat. 

- I know that, Weiss, and that's what I'm curious about... from the things Jaune asked me for, this weapon now satisfies what he needed, but it's practically a new fighting style, I'm curious to see how he'll use it. - Ruby says thoughtfully.

- Now I'd like to know about that too. - Blake says, taking her head out of the book and joining the conversation.

- Very well, for the next fight, we'll have Jaune Arc against Sky Lark! - Goodwitch says.

- Well, I don't think it'll be long before we see our Vomit Boy in action. - Yang says with a smile, watching Jaune and Sky go down to the arena, both of them already well equipped.

- Ready, Jaune? - Sky asks, pointing her halberd at the blond knight.

- Is Cardin okay? - Jaune asks, placing a hand on the hilt of the Crocea Mors.

- He's still recovering from the poisoning, but today you're going to fight me! And I'm going to bring a victory to my leader! – Sky says with admirable determination, but Jaune sighs.

- Sky… sorry but I don't think I'll give you a good performance today, I need to test something, could you help me? – Jaune asks, surprising the silver knight in front of him a little.

- Well… I don't know what it is but you fought alongside Cardin, so I guess so. – Sky says.

- Okay, just don't hold back against me. – Jaune says with a smile.

- Are you done talking? Then assume your positions. – Glynda says. Jaune and Sky take a medium distance from each other.

- And… begin!

Jaune removes the Crocea Mors from his waist with it in the sheath and transforms it into his great Claymore, leaving everyone in the room impressed and surprised. Even Glynda who was used to Jaune fighting only with sword and shield.

- Wow Ruby! That was really cool! – Yang says excitedly, even getting up from her chair to take a better look.

- Didn't I tell you?! He wanted to have more powerful blows and turning his already heavy shield into a heavy blade was a brilliant idea! - Ruby says, standing up with her sister to be able to observe her creation. Weiss seemed to be slightly stressed by her friends' lack of etiquette. Blake just gives a light laugh, having liked Jaune's new weapon.

- THAT'S IT! THAT'S A WEAPON THAT FITS A FEARLESS LEADER! GET THEM, JAUNE! - Nora shouts, kicking and punching the air.

- I wish I had your enthusiasm for this, Nora, but I don't think he'll do well in this fight. - Ren says, taking the battle seriously.

- What?! What do you mean?! Jaune is as strong as me! I bet he can lift two of those without breaking a sweat! - Nora says. 

- It's not that Nora... when your weapon changes, your combat style changes, Jaune trained his whole life with sword and shield and now he's using a claymore... his movements are slowly showing more and more openings. - Pyrrha says analytically, she wasn't an expert in combat with large weapons but she had faced many people who used them, and Jaune was certainly a great amateur at the moment.

Pyrrha wasn't wrong. Even though Jaune had no trouble keeping the Claymore in his hands, he swung it towards Sky like an amateur. Looking like an eight-year-old kid who had picked up a broomstick much bigger than her and was playing at hunting Grimms.

- Is that what you wanted my help with, then, Jaune? - Sky asks, deflecting an attack from Jaune's Claymore with the handle of his halberd, deflecting it to the ground and then spinning his weapon, hitting the side of Jaune's body with the blade, causing him pain and making him stagger a little to the side, but managing to stay on his feet.

- Yeah, this is the first fight I'm having using the new form of Crocea Mors, nothing better than all my friends watching me fail to give me advice later. - Jaune says with a smile to Sky, who somehow smiles back.

- Look, I think we really could have started our relationship better. - Sky says, advancing. He would help the one who helped his leader stay alive! He wouldn't hold back against Jaune at all.

Jaune advances towards Sky, delivering a vertical slash. The power of Jaune's attacks really increased, Sky could feel the wind caused by the swing of the gigantic blade that would have caught him if he hadn't ducked. But Jaune's blows were extremely predictable, giving Sky the opportunity to get up and advance with a piercing blow to Jaune's chest. Soon after, he closes the distance between the two, running until he is very close to Jaune and delivering a blow to the right side of the knight's face with the handle of his halberd.

- I have to last as long as possible in this fight! I don't care if I fail here! I don't care if everyone sees me failing! All this, this here in Beacon is just a farce! It's nothing compared to that... - Jaune thinks, attacking Sky non-stop, but every time he attacks to regain the grip of the Crocea Mors, he takes too long and Sky manages to counterattack him.

- NONE OF THIS COMPARES TO ADAM! NONE OF THIS COMPARES TO TYRIAN! I WILL FAIL IN BEACON AS MANY TIMES AS IT TAKES UNTIL I NEVER FAIL OUTSIDE OF BEACON! SO LOOK AT MY FAILURES! I WILL LEARN FROM THEM! - Jaune thought, attacking more and more without stopping. He knew he was fighting in a pathetic way, but that was his goal. He didn't care about showing himself to be pathetic to his friends. They were evaluating him now and would certainly have a lot to add later.

Sky managed to duck for another blow from Jaune and hit the handle of his halberd in the crook of Jaune's knee, making him lose his balance, and then hit Jaune's arm with the blade, throwing him out of the arena. Despite everything, Jaune still had the green aura, just like Sky.

- And the winner is Sky Lark! Good posture, you're improving in combat now that you and your team have decided to take Beacon a little more seriously. - Glynda says with a good tone to Sky who nods.

- And Jaune Arc, I understand that you used this class to test your new weapon. Did you get what you wanted with it? - Asks the woman, slightly interested.

- Arf, yes. I got exactly what I wanted. - Jaune says looking satisfied, looking at his two teams with a confident expression.

- That... was done, but I think he wanted to do it? - Yang says.

- The way he's looking... he wanted us to help him, he wanted us to help him fail like that to help him improve and improve... damn that's really an evolution of confidence for someone who didn't want our help. - Pyrrha says, unable to help but be happy with that thought. Jaune was no longer trying to do things alone.

- Congrats on the victory, man! – Dove says, greeting Sky, who was returning to his seat with his team.

- Let's tell Cardin how you destroyed Jaune! – Russel says, excited to tell Cardin the news.

- No, I didn't defeat him. – Sky says.

- But... you did it, didn't you? – Dove asks, confused.

- Jaune would never lose to me normally and Cardin wouldn't believe it, that wasn't a fight, and our leader certainly won't accept that as a victory. - Sky says with seriousness in his voice.

- Cardin always preaches strength above all else... I think you're right, but I wanted to celebrate this with you, man. - Russel says, scratching the back of his head.

- It's okay, I'm honestly satisfied. - Sky says with a smile.

- Hey guys, what do you have to tell me, can you scold me because I know I was horrible? - Jaune asks in a relaxed tone, sitting next to team JNPR, and of course team RWBY was sitting on the other side of him.

- Every time you swung your sword you left an opening, this is something common in two-handed weapon users who are beginners! I can help you get around that! - Nora says, excited to train more with Jaune. 

- You're moving your legs as if you were fighting with a sword and shield. When you're using a 100% offensive weapon you don't have the same body movement as Jaune, but I don't know how I could teach you that... - Pyrrha says.

- Ruby, you use a heavy two-handed weapon, don't you? Don't you think you can help Jaune? - Yang asks.

- A- Actually, I don't have the physical strength! The Crescent Rose, despite being a big weapon, is actually very light! And also, the movements don't match a Claymore... I think Uncle Qrow would be a better teacher for him. - Ruby says thoughtfully, if she could call her uncle to train Jaune.

- OH! I have an idea! - Weiss says excitedly.

- What would it be? - Ren asks curiously.

- It'll be a surprise! If everything goes well, you owe me one, Jaune~ - Weiss says, giving Jaune an attractive wink, making the blond knight's cheeks blush a little.

- Okay... she played well. – Blake says, watching Weiss leave the room without speaking to anyone.

- Did she played well? What are you talking about? – Pyrrha asks. Team RWBY exchanges knowing looks, which only they would understand the meaning of.

- It's nothing! - The three girls say at the same time.

- Uhmmmm, Nora knows that look and Nora will say that Jaune is the fearless leader of OUR TEAM! – Nora says behind Jaune, hugging him by the neck, almost suffocating him. Pyrrha hugs Jaune's right arm, looking at the girls with slight distrust, and Ren seems to get closer to the knight with his arms crossed, with the same look Pyrrha gave to Team RWBY.

- D-DID WE FORGET THAT TEAM JNPR CAN STILL EXIST IN THIS WAR!!! – The three girls scream internally.

…

Cardin was in the infirmary. He hated every second he was in bed. Every moment he was in that place was wasted time for him to get stronger, wasted time in which he would not train, wasted time in which Jaune would become more and more distant.

- Wait... distant? Since when do I think Jaune is distant from me... - Cardin says to himself, impressed by his own thoughts. He looks at his fist, the fist of the person who couldn't fight, the fist that had to be saved by Jaune because it ended up being poisoned by that maniac.

- Damn... damn... those looks... looks of pity... - Memories of looks in Cardin's direction appeared.

- Excuse me, can I see how he is? - Asks a voice familiar to Cardin, making him return to reality. It wasn't possible that he would really come to see him, was it?

- Oh, there you are, how are you? - Asks Jaune, appearing in front of Cardin's bed.

- I don't need your pity, Ar... - Cardin would continue speaking, but he realized what he thought he wouldn't see today. Jaune's expression wasn't one of pity, it was genuine concern, he wasn't seeing him as someone weak.

- I heard from the nurse that this poison is lethal and acts very quickly to kill most people, especially since Tyrian is a Special Grade. It's no wonder that you're one of the most resilient in the first year. - Jaune says with a smile.

- Hump... resilient... what a joke... - Cardin says with his head down. It was strange, now that he wasn't being pitied he felt like he didn't deserve to be recognized... why did he feel so confused?

- Cardin... both you and I would have died that day if it weren't for Ozpin showing up! That guy was a Special Grade! You don't have to be like that. - Jaune says.

- It's easy for you to say that, isn't it, Jaune! Everyone can see how awesome you are! - Cardin shouts irritated, his outburst really caught Jaune off guard.

- You were weak! A nobody! The clown of the whole class! But then out of nowhere you start getting stronger! Face the White Fang! You become an inspiration to others and how?! How did you do all this?! Someone like you will never know what it's like to feel weak! To feel like you're only in one place because your family is powerful! DAMN... - Cardin felt even more pathetic with everything he had just said. He knew that Jaune had tried his best to get stronger, so why was he saying these things? Was it because he was a bully? That was all he could say after all.

- Sky and I fight today. - Jaune said.

- Huh? And how was the fight? Those idiots may be a little oblivious but they try hard. - Cardin said. Jaune was a little happy to see that there was some brotherhood among the CRDL team.

- He was trying to defeat me so he could make you proud, you know?

- Is that... serious?

- Yes. Cardin, you may not think so, but your team admires you. You're their leader and I'm sure Ozpin chose you as their leader for a reason. Just like he chose me, just like he chose Ruby. I… I forged my deeds to be here in Beacon… - Jaune says, that made Cardin's eyes widen.

- That… is impossible…

- That explains my performance at the beginning of the year.

Cardin didn't want to think about it, the person he was jealous of, his rival, the one responsible for destroying his morale, had forged documents to be in Beacon.

"Wait… so he's… just like me…"

- How do you know I won't rat you out to Ozpin, we're enemies Arc. - Cardin says, looking deep into Jaune's eyes. 

- We are not enemies, Cardin, we are two huntsmen in training in Beacon, and I believe that our conflict against Tyrian has shown you what it showed me… that everything we have in Beacon is a farce created by Ozpin… it is just something to give us a basis for what is in the outside world… - Jaune says, looking at the floor, looking a little melancholic.

- I don't know who our enemies are, Cardin… but we need to do our best to be strong. - Jaune says, leaving Cardin's room, leaving the former bully with a lot on his mind.

Chapter Text

- Are you guys ready to see a bunch of first-year students killing each other on the battlefield so they can pass this semester? - Fox asks with an ironic smile on his face. Walking alongside his CFVY team.

- Don't say that Fox, it almost seems like we're a bunch of sadists watching gladiators kill each other. - Velvet says.

- There's a gladiator arena in Mistral. - Yatsuhashi comments.

- Yes, but they don't kill each other in combat... right? - Velvet asks. Coco, Yatsuhashi and Fox look at each other and decide not to answer Velvet's question.

- But come on Velvet! Aren't you excited to see Jaune fighting in the Beacon Games? - Coco asks provocatively, putting her arm around Velvet's shoulder, making the faunus girl blush and her ears stand up straight.

- G-GUYS! I DON'T LIKE HIM THAT WAY! I just... I think it's cool that there are first-years like him. - Velvet says. 

- Hey? I didn't feel any firmness in your answer, just saying that I'm not going to hand you over to Jaune so easily, huh~ - Coco comments, licking Velvet's ears playfully, making the girl shiver and start yelling at Coco, using several foul words that no one would expect Velvet to say.

- But one thing she really said is true, it's good to know that there are first-year boys who have morals like that. - Fox says, Yatsuhashi nods positively with his face.

- TEAM CFVY!

Coco and Velvet stop "fighting" and look at the voice that called their team, as do Yatsuhashi and Fox.

- I have a request for you. - Weiss says, in the middle of the Beacon corridor.

...

- HA! - Jaune shouts, throwing an aura blade at a tree. Despite destroying the trunk a little, his aura blade wasn't enough to cut that tree. 

- You're improving your control, Jaune. A week ago, your attack would have been destroyed before it reached the tree. - Ren said, giving Jaune a comforting smile, walking towards him with his arms behind his back like a master going towards his disciple.

- Ha... man, when Pyrrha told me I had a huge aura reserve, I thought things would be easy, but they seem to be more difficult. - Jaune said.

- On the one hand, having a lot of aura suits your fighting style. Naturally, you can take more hits and heal much more from injuries than us, however, aura control really becomes a problem... - Ren said.

- Uhmmm, Ren, why don't we channel the aura to a single point to deliver a really strong blow? I know that releasing the aura is difficult, but how difficult can it be to channel our aura to a single part of the body? - asked Jaune.

- Come on, Jaune, we already do that, you do it yourself. When you channel your aura into attack points, it's what we call aura reinforcement. – Ren says.

- No, I'm saying, like, I take all my aura and put it in my fist.

- Oh, that's it... well, you're new to aura, they teach this in schools precisely so that children don't try it. You think that Aura is a power that your body has. Like an engine that makes a car work... but what happens when you put such a powerful engine in an old car? – Ren asks.

- It'll probably... explode? – Jaune asks.

- Well, maybe. And your arm too, if you decide to channel all your aura into it, you can see that the more aura you channel into a limb, the more pain you'll start to feel, because it can't support its own amount of aura... that's why the best way to fight is to keep the aura uniform throughout your body, as it should be. – Ren explains. Jaune looks at Crocea Mors, looking thoughtful. 

- Ren, you would definitely make a great teacher here in Beacon, you know? Or in some of the combat schools like Signal. - Jaune says, Ren is taken aback by the compliment.

- Well, it's an honor to have this compliment coming from my leader. - Ren says, bowing to Jaune.

- Come on! You don't have to be so formal with me or anything! We're friends! - Says the blond knight, keeping the Crocea Mors in its sheath.

- I know that, Jaune, don't think I'm nervous. I just like to make it clear that I have a lot of respect for you as a leader and as a Huntsman. - Ren says, smiling at Jaune.

- You make me feel awkward, man... - Jaune says, scratching the back of his neck, a little shy.

- Jaune! Come here for a moment! - A voice shouts, calling Jaune.

- Oh, Yatsuhashi! - Says the blond knight, turning to face his senior, who was walking towards him. He was wearing his armor and his sword on his back.

- It looks like you're coming back from training. - Ren comments, walking next to Jaune towards the CFVY team member.

- Not exactly. I'm actually here to invite Jaune to some special training. - The Asian man says with a pleasant smile.

- Special training? - Jaune asks.

- Haven't you noticed yet, kid? I'll give you a hint. - Yatsuhashi says, pulling his large blade from his back and slamming it on the grass. It made the ground where Jaune and Ren were tremble a little.

- This is the Fulcrum, my Greatsword and my faithful companion in the fight against the Grimms and the criminals. - The man says with pride in his voice.

- Your weapon... it's just a Greatsword, isn't it? It's not a technological weapon. - Ren says, impressed, the blade really seemed heavy.

- Wait... a greatsword? So you...

- The Schnee girl asked me if I could train you to use the new form of your weapon. And of course I couldn't refuse a request like that. After all, thanks to you, the school and the streets of Vale are safer for the faunos. You helped our Velvet a lot. - Yatsuhashi says.

- Wow... I don't even know what to say... everyone is always helping me get stronger... - Jaune says, looking at his own fist, he clenches it tightly and raises his determined and unbreakable gaze as always.

- thats it... when our leader has this expression, nothing can stop him. - Ren thinks.

- I won't disappoint the trust you have in me! We'll start whenever you want! - Jaune says with power in his voice.

- I like this enthusiasm, boy, please follow me. - Yatsuhashi says. Jaune nods to Ren who nods back, knowing that for now their training was over.

...

- Should we be here? The Emerald Forest still has a lot of Grimms. - Jaune says a little uncertainly, being in the middle of the forest with his second-year friend.

- Don't worry about it, my dear disciple. There isn't a single Grimm in this forest that could harm me, and to be honest, I don't think there is any here that could harm you.

- Okay, so how do we start? - Jaune asks.

- First, I'd like to know your reasons, Jaune. I've seen you fight on TV and I believe you have a solid style using sword and shield. Why did you decide to switch to a Claymore? I find it curious that you didn't even add a weapon or dust to the modifications. - Yatsuhashi says, leaning against the tree, waiting for Jaune's answer.

- I... if you saw my fight against Adam, then you realized that I don't have enough strength to fight alone... my sword and shield are to protect and save people... and I like that, I really like fighting that way. - Jaune says, touching the Crocea Mors, lowering his head a little to look at the sword, his family heirloom, with affection.

- However, if I were alone against Adam, I wouldn't have a chance... I wouldn't have saved Weiss... or Blake... maybe if I had the Claymore and knew how to use it, the result wouldn't be different, but I know that I need to understand that to protect everyone, I'll need to defeat my enemies! Even alone I'll need to fight and defeat them! That's why I wanted something more offensive and destructive. - Says Jaune, turning to face the second year in front of him.

Yatsuhashi seemed impressed for a moment and then started laughing, really laughing. Jaune knew he wasn't laughing at him, but rather seemed... pleased?

- Using a giant weapon to protect people?! Jaune Arc, people's interest in you is certainly not in vain hahaha... - Yatsuhashi said, taking the Fulcrum off his back and pointing it to the sky. The bronze shone like the sun on the sword.

- Most people who choose to train with large and heavy weapons usually have violent personalities and want to destroy their enemies above all else. Having someone like me who understands that true strength lies in protecting the weakest is refreshing. - The man said, looking at his own reflection in his sword.

- Alright Jaune, put the Crocea Mors in Claymore mode. Let's do some sparring so I can see what you can improve.

- Y-yes sir! – Jaune says, pulling out his blade with the sheath still attached and then pressing the button, making the shield transform into a giant, wide blade.

- It's a great blade, Jaune. Whoever modified your weapon certainly modified it with love. – Yatsuhashi says.

- Heh, I have no doubt about that. – Jaune says, advancing towards Yatsuhashi, the two clashing blades and starting the fight.

...

- WOAH! – Weiss screams, falling to the ground, being disarmed and losing her rapier. She looks up and sees Ruby pointing the Crescent Rose blade at her neck.

- WELL DONE, RUBES! OUCH! – Yang says, celebrating the fact that Ruby defeated Weiss. But she ends up getting distracted and gets kneed by Blake.

- You should focus on your fight, Yang. – The faunus girl says.

- I'm not against our training, but it's different from you training so much, Ruby, did something happen? – Weiss asks, standing up. Ruby hands her the Myrtenaster.

- EXTRA, EXTRA, TSUNDWEISS IS WORRIED ABOUT HER PARTNER! – Yang says, waving her arms in the air as if she were a woman talking about the end of the world in a public square, making Weiss blush with embarrassment.

- B-BUT IT'S TRUE! WE'VE BEEN TRAINING THREE TIMES AS MUCH!

- The Beacon Games are coming, and I want at least one of us to win! And you all are forgetting a person in our class who is an expert in one-on-one combat. – Ruby says with a stern expression. The three girls took a few seconds to remember.

- PYRRHA! – All three say at the same time.

- That's right! Pyrrha is the only Grade 1 in our class! Grade 1s only exist in the third year! – Ruby says as if she were talking about the bogeyman. Even though Pyrrha really was a threat in the competition, it was strange to think of the girl who apologizes for everything and is as awkward in social interactions as Jaune and Ruby as a threat.

- Heh, I'm EXCITED ABOUT THIS! I've always wanted to fight her for real! - Yang says, clapping her fists, her eyes turning slightly red with excitement.

- The Exchange teams will also participate. So we'll have to face the Sun team... I think we have a lot of strong opponents to fight against. - Blake says thoughtfully.

- So let's continue training... - Weiss hears her scroll start to vibrate. She picks it up and then notices a message, her eyes widen.

- WHAT?!

- What's wrong, Weiss? - Ruby asks, with a worried tone.

- M-MY SISTER IS COMING TO BEACON!

...

At Vale airport, a Bullhead lands. But not just any Bullhead. It was a high-quality private Bullhead, the kind that only important people would use. Two figures came out of this Bullhead.

- Honey, I don't know if she'll welcome us... after all, she ran away from home...

- We have to see how our little girl is doing! Especially after what happened on TV! I'm sure Blake misses us, honey~

Chapter Text

Blake was currently in the Beacon library. But instead of using the place as a hiding place to read her "very cultured" books that everyone on her team certainly knows she reads, she was using one of the computers to do research on the White Fang.

- Come on... there must be something somewhere talking about this... White Fang in an alliance with Roman... that's absurd... it's absurd that Adam did this... - Blake thinks with sharp eyes, scrolling through the articles on various news sites she could find, even the most shady ones that existed.

Blake feels her scroll vibrate and takes it from the pocket of her uniform jacket. She realizes it was a message from Ozpin asking her to come to his office. Because there were people who wanted to talk to her.

Blake finds this strange, she had no more things to hide from Ozpin or her team so she didn't have to fear anything anymore. However, who would want to talk to her and couldn't look for her around the school? She turns off the computer and leaves the library, heading towards Ozpin's office. It didn't take her long to get there.

- Excuse me. - Blake says, knocking on the door.

- Come in, Miss Belladonna. - Ozpin's voice comes from his office.

When Blake enters the man's office, she is greeted with a vision of two people, two people she really didn't think she would see in a long time. The faun girl from team RWBY's jaw drops and her pupils dilate when she sees a woman with hair and eyes identical to hers. As well as her ears. But with short hair and a tall, strong man with a black beard characteristic of a commander.

- Mom... dad? - Blake says, her voice trembling.

- You know, you should have changed your last name if you wanted to enter Beacon covering your tracks better. After all, Kali and Ghira Belladonna are well-known names~ - Ozpin says with an ironic tone, despite the exciting situation happening.

 - BLAKE! - Kali shouts, running towards Blake, hugging her daughter tightly, making up for all the time she didn't know the girl's whereabouts.

- Why... why did you have to run away... - The woman says, with tears streaming down her face. Blake was unresponsive for a few seconds, but she soon hugs her mother back.

- I couldn't... stay in Menagerie after everything I did... - Blake says, then she feels her father's hand on her shoulder, he looks at his daughter with a face of empathy and sadness, he certainly missed his daughter a lot.

- We all did things we're not proud of, White Fang, daughter... we couldn't expect Adam to take that path... - Ghira says, Blake breaks the hug with her mother and hugs her father.

- I'm sorry for leaving... I missed you two so much... Menagerie... is everything okay at home? - Blake asks.

- Oh, daughter, everything is more than okay! Despite the concern we had when we saw the White Fang broadcast, after you and your friends managed to deal with Adam, our people seemed much more open to talking to humans and having them visit our country. - Says Blake's mother, the ninja from team RWBY can't help but be happy with such news, humans and fauns could coexist and get along, after all, she had her life saved by a human.

- I would like to inform you that the Beacon Games will begin in two weeks, and everyone is aware that they can invite their families to watch their children's performance in the games. - Says Ozpin, sipping from his trusty cup of coffee. With an obvious intention behind his words.

- Wait... you can't stay here for so long... Managerie can't be without you two! - Says Blake with a worried tone.

- Daughter, it wouldn't be the first time that your father and I have been away from our country, it's a common thing among rulers. - Says Kali, holding Blake's face affectionately. 

- But the other rulers don't rule a country of fauns... - Blake whispers to herself, looking away.

- Blake, things are going to be okay, okay? - Ghira says with a strong but convinced tone. Blake nods a little reluctantly.

- Well, I'd like to meet your friends, especially that blond knight who talks really nicely~ - Kali says with a provocative tone to Blake. It was then that the faunus member of team RWBY realized that it was the opportunity to introduce Jaune to her parents, they didn't know that he was the one who saved her when she was a child.

- YES! COME WITH ME! YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHO I MET IN BEACON! - Blake says like an excited child, taking her mother and father's hands energetically, not even looking like the taciturn and introverted girl she usually is.

- It's great to see that melancholic expression in the library change to something completely different. - The Beacon director says to himself, looking satisfied.

...

- Arf... arf... - Jaune was panting. Sweat dripped from his face and fell to the ground, he held his claymore lazily with the tip of it hitting the ground. Meanwhile Yatsuhashi seemed to be at 100% of his strength, supporting his greatsword on his shoulder.

- You use a lot of strength to move your weapon, Jaune, that's why even with a lot of stamina, you get tired quickly.

- What? But how am I going to move a heavy weapon without using my strength?!

- Hah, that's common sense, I would say, but do you know what the biggest advantage heavy weapons have over other weapons? It's weight. - Yatsuhashi said, hitting his weapon on the ground.

- I'm not saying you shouldn't have strength to use a heavy weapon, but you have to let its weight guide you. Your movements are those of someone trying to use a light longsword in combat and not of someone using a heavy weapon. Notice that my movements are always optimized - said the second year, showing some moves to Jaune. Jaune didn't understand what he meant for a moment, it seemed to him that Yatsuhashi was just swinging his blade from side to side.

- Optimized movements... wait a minute... he... he's using the weight of the blade... - Jaune thought as he watched Yatsuhashi throw the blade in a frontal cut, but he didn't use his full strength in this strike. It was as if he let his arms go limp while executing the attack, he just needed to start it, the weight of the blade and gravity would guide the strike.

- All the blade needs is a push of your strength in the direction it will attack, let the weapon do the rest. Besides, this technique is great for tricking the opponent about your real strength. Because when he least expects it, you can use your strength and weight and then... - Yatsuhashi then raised his blade in the air and pulled it with all the strength he had, cutting the trunk of a tree in half with ease.

- ... Show your true strength. - That's... that's really amazing. - Jaune says, impressed.

- That's just a matter of practice. It's very common to leave a lot of openings using a two-handed weapon, but if you follow a flow with your blows, and guide the weight of the weapon, you'll achieve an almost perfect defense and attack, and that's what we're going to train now. - Yatsuhashi says.

- Do you think... that I can get good at using my Claymore by the beginning of the Beacon Games? - Jaune asks.

- Uhmmm... I can't tell you, Jaune, the learning process depends on each person. But one thing I know is that with your effort, you'll have the maximum strength you can get by the beginning of the games, and that will certainly be a key piece during the Beacon Games. - Yatsuhashi says, walking up to Jaune and standing in front of him.

- It's just a school gymkhana, Jaune, it's not a real battle like what happened between you and the White Fang. Take this moment as a learning experience.

- Learning... it's true... what we have here in Beacon is just a simulation of what we'll face out there. – Jaune thinks, turning to look at the horizon of the forest thoughtfully.

- Oh, who's calling me now? - Jaune asks, picking up his scroll and realizing it was a message from Blake, asking him to meet her in one of Beacon's courtyards.

- Sorry, Yatsuhashi! One of my friends seems to need me right now. - Jaune says, bowing like a pupil to his sensei and then taking the path back from the forest to school.

- Jaune Arc... you're just a first-year student but you work as if the world were on your shoulders... why all this? - Yatsuhashi thinks, watching his student disappear.

...

- Let's see... she said she'd be around, didn't she? - Jaune thinks, walking along a stone walkway in Beacon. There were some stone benches where students could sit in their free time, even at night with streetlights. It was like a small park at school.

- Oh, there it is! Hi Blake! – Jaune shouts, running towards the girl, waving at her. As he approaches, he notices two new people that he hadn't noticed because they were in a tree in his field of vision. These two people were strangely similar to Blake.

- Oh, you're actually a lot taller in person. – Kali says, staring at Jaune who was approaching, stopping running and walking towards the trio.

- Mom, Dad, this is Jaune Arc. Believe it or not, he's the boy who saved me that day in Vale ten years ago. – Blake says, happy to introduce Jaune. Kali and Ghira's jaws drop when they hear this.

- W-wait! You're the blond boy who fought those faun hunters?! – Ghira asks, pointing with his index finger at Jaune, still not believing such a coincidence.

- Fought is a very strong word, h-haha. I got beaten up more than all that, yes. But are these your parents, Blake? It's a pleasure to meet you! I'm Jaune Arc! – Jaune says, bowing formally to Blake's parents.

- There's no need for so many formalities, boy. We can only thank you for saving our baby girl that day and for fighting the White Fang like that! I must say that thanks to your message, things have been much easier in our country. – Kali says, hugging Blake and rubbing her cheek against his, much to Blake's embarrassment at having to put up with his mother's actions right in front of Jaune, but the knight doesn't seem to mind.

- Oh, you're not from here, are you Blake? Which country are you from? – Jaune asks genuinely. Kali and Ghira look at each other in confusion.

- You don't know who we are? – Ghira asks.

- S-should I? Sorry! It's just that I grew up in a small village that's really isolated from the rest of the world, I-I have little knowledge of the things that are happening in Remnant. – Jaune says, a little nervous. 

- Fufufu, everything's fine, dear. Ghira and I are the rulers of Managerie. - Keli says, seeming to be amused by Jaune's genuine innocence.

- Wait, this is that country where the entire population is Faunus, right? Wait... if you're their daughter and they're like the king and queen of the country... YOU'RE PRINCESS BLAKE?! - Jaune shouts, after doing one plus one, almost jumping in surprise, staring at the Faunus girl.

- Wow, he's kind of slow, isn't he? - Ghira asks, whispering to Blake.

- You have no idea, dad. - His daughter answers with a blank expression.

Jaune and the Belladonnas sat on a bench in that place and started talking. Jaune told them in detail what he remembered about his and Blake's incident with the hunters and Faunus and about the incident with the White Fang. It was very easy for them to talk to Jaune, the boy did not seem intimidated by their political position or afraid of being the greatest representatives of the faunus race, no, Jaune treated them as if they were just Blake's parents and nothing more.

- It was a pleasure to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Belladonna but I'm late for my training with Ren! I hope to see you again! - Jaune said running and waving his hand to Blake's family.

- It's hard to believe that a boy as clumsy and nervous as him can do something like what he did on TV, but I liked him, I approve of you both. - Ghira says, giving Blake a thumbs up, who looks at his father confused.

- What do you mean?

- Ahwww honey, you don't have to hide it, we noticed how you interact with him, I bet you even let him pet your ears~ - Kali says, leaning towards her daughter with a provocative feline smile.

- W-WELL, WHAT HAPPENED IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS! I-I'M ALREADY SEVENTEEN AND I CAN VERY WELL CHOOSE WHO CAN PET MY EARS! - Blake says, looking away, blushing deeply.

- Ooooh so you let him do that? - Kali asks, even though she already knows the answer.

- O-OF COURSE NOT! I SAY... NO! – Blake says, in a useless defensive manner. Even though her mind wanders through the many, many times she actually asked for affection as if she were a domestic cat. God, she would rather take this to the grave than admit it to her parents.

- Hahahaha, you should be more daring, your mother managed to win me over that way. – Ghira says, amused by his daughter's reactions. Making Blake even redder.

- STOP IT! OK, THAT'S IT! YOU CAN GO HOME!

Chapter Text

- I must say that the facilities are really impressive. Unlike Alsius, here they seem to prioritize maintaining a classic appearance with plenty of vegetation. - Said a woman who was walking around Beacon alongside Weiss. The resemblance between the two was striking. This woman had snow-white hair tied in a bun behind her head. She had long bangs that reached just below her chin, almost covering her right eye. The woman had very light blue eyes and wore combat gear with a white overcoat fastened with a buckle at her waist. She wore a gray vest with white buttons. White pants matching her overcoat and combat boots that went up to just above her knee, covering most of her thighs, being boots made of metal.

- I must say that I prefer the atmosphere. Atlas tends to have much more advanced technology, but I believe that in Vale they manage to balance tradition and advancement better, don't you think Winter? - Weiss said, looking at her sister, she had a genuine and true smile on her face. Happy to see your sister.

- Hmm, I think you're a little right in what you say. But one thing that surprised me is knowing that you're not the leader of your team. I really thought that after all the training you wouldn't accept anything less. - Winter comments, she walked with her hands behind her back. With her posture straight and her face raised. Like a polished and professional soldier.

- Well... I was a little sad at first. But I think it was the best decision. Ruby is a great leader and a great friend too, despite being childish and annoying a lot of times... like a lot of times. - Weiss says, with a slight sour tone when she talks about her partner's flaws.

- You seem to have matured a lot, Weiss. - Winter thinks, giving a corner of her mouth to her little sister. She can't help but feel proud of her.

- So, when are you going to introduce him to me? - Winter asks, Weiss looks at her sister with doubt.

- Introduce who? - Weiss asks. 

- That blond knight, he's your boyfriend here in Beacon, isn't he? He's from some noble family in Vale that I don't know about? - Winter asks, genuinely insinuating this as if it were obvious. Weiss blushes a LOT, which was very apparent on her almost albino skin.

- J-JAUNE?! N-NO! HE'S NOT MY BOYFRIEND WINTER! - Weiss says, noticing her sister's reaction, and Winter raises an eyebrow.

- Really? I don't think it's normal for a person to fight like that for just anyone. - Winter says.

- W-well... for Jaune it's actually normal... - Weiss says, looking away and staring at her own hands. It was true, the clumsy and socially awkward blond knight of her group would probably jump in front of a bullet for anyone. But that was a characteristic of Jaune that Weiss admired a lot. In addition to his almost insane efforts to always be the best Huntsman possible, his unshakable morale, the way he always knows what to say in critical moments but at the same time is too dumb to notice obvious things, the way his body is very strong, the way he is much taller than her and his hugs are always cozy.

- Weiss? Hi? Sister? - Winter starts to wave in front of Weiss's face, who seemed to be getting more and more lost in her own thoughts.

- Oh? What? Y-yes! We're just friends, there's nothing going on between me and Jaune! He's just a Huntsman who is very committed to his job of keeping his friends and team safe. - Weiss says, crossing her arms, trying her best to try to get back to her formal posture.

- Uhm... that's suspicious, no one in this world would put themselves in that much danger for absolutely nothing... that boy was practically collapsing from so many injuries... he's suspicious. - Winter thinks, her instinct as a protective sister blossoming inside her.

- But if you want to meet him so much, luckily he's right in front of us. - Weiss says, pointing to Jaune's incredible acquaintance on the lawn. He was practicing by sparring against none other than the leader of Team RWBY, Ruby Rose.

- You're getting better with your Claymore! - Ruby says, circling Jaune at high speed using her semblance and then aiming for a low vertical attack. Luckily and with reflexes, Jaune manages to put the Claymore in front of Ruby's attack.

- I still have a lot to improve if I want to be prepared for the Beacon Games. - Jaune says, advancing with a straight kick towards Ruby's face, but the girl was much faster and manages to jump back. Ruby then advances again on Jaune with several blows from the Crescent Rose and June tries to counterattack with the Crocea Mors in Claymore mode. However, Ruby's attacks were too many and were starting to press Jaune back. Ruby takes the opportunity and places the handle of her scythe at an angle that gets tangled in Jaune's legs, making him fall to the ground.

- Hehe, I win. - Ruby says, pointing the Crescent Rose at Jaune's neck. A provocative smile on her face.

- Arf, good job, shorty. I'll have to train more if I want to surpass you until the competition. - Jaune says, smiling at Ruby. Not really seeming to care about the defeat.

Ruby offers a hand to Jaune to get up, which he accepts, not as if Ruby really had much physical strength to pull the blond, but it was like a formality. The girl leader of the team then notices Weiss approaching.

- Weiss! I haven't seen you all day! And who is this person who looks so much like you in all physiological characteristics? - Ruby asks, using her speed to run to Weiss and hug her Nora style.

- Ruby... you're sweaty. - Weiss says, slightly uncomfortable with her leader's proximity after training.

- Oh, sorry! - Ruby says, a little shy, moving away.

- So you're the leader of the team my sister is on? Ruby, right? I must say that the way you fight is impressive, both on the White Fang broadcast and in person. - Winter says formally. 

- Oh, aaaah so you're Weiss's sister, right? She told us you'd be coming to see her. It's a pleasure to meet you! My name is Ruby Rose! - Ruby says, trying to bow formally but ends up hitting her head on the Crescent Rose's handle, making her put her hand on her forehead while grumbling.

- Yeah... I guess we have to trust Ozpin. - Winter says.

- Yeah, I had my phase of having doubts too. - Weiss comments, watching Ruby try to recover from the blow she gave to her own forehead.

- And you're Jaune, aren't you? - Winter asks, walking up to Jaune with her arms crossed.

- The one and only! Jaune Arc! In the past, I would say something after introducing myself, but it ended up not going over well. - Jaune says, scratching the back of his neck a little shyly.

- He's tall and has a good physical build. But his fight is very amateurish and he has very little presence compared to what I saw on the broadcast... - Winte thinks, seeing the clumsy young man in front of her.

- So I want to know, Jaune Arc, what are your intentions with my sister. - Winter says in a stern voice. Jaune just blinks twice, staring at the woman a little confused.

- W-WINTER! Not now, please! - Weiss says, blushing again.

- Ooooooh, looks like someone has an overprotective sister too~ - Ruby comments, poking Weiss's cheek in a provocative tone. Weiss had to resist the urge to turn her face and bite her partner's finger.

- Intentions? What do you mean? - Jaune asks, completely confused and oblivious to the situation he was in.

- Don't play dumb, kid, you know very well that you saved the heiress of one of the biggest, if not the biggest, Dust companies in all of Remnant. What are you aiming for with this? Do you want money? Reward? Do you want something with my sister that I should know about? - Winter asked, with each question she got closer and closer to Jaune's face, looking for any reaction that would make her distrust him even more.

- Heiress? Oh, that's right! You're like the daughter of a guy with a company or something, aren't you Weiss? - Jaune says.

- HOW CAN YOU FORGET SOMETHING IMPORTANT LIKE THAT, YOU AIRHEAD! I AM A VERY IMPORTANT PERSON! - Weiss shouts, grabbing Jaune by the collar of his hoodie and starting to shake the boy.

- WAH, WAH, WAHA I'M SORRY! I PROMISE TO REMEMBER! - Jaune says, almost crying in despair to calm the fury of the snow angel, who now looked like a snow demon.

- OF COURSE YOU WON'T! YOU ALWAYS FORGET THAT!

- Come on Weiss, leave Jaune alone! You know he's not good at keeping that kind of information. - Ruby says, taking Weiss away from Jaune, even with the girl protesting by punching and kicking the air.

- T-thanks Ruby! My God, I almost died now! - Jaune said, kneeling on the floor. Winter just stared at him with an incredulous expression.

- This... this is the knight who fought Adam Tauros himself in that way on the broadcast? It's not possible...

- W-well... sorry for forgetting about your family and company... I have no intentions with Weiss other than being friends and working together! I think my team and Team RWBY make a good team of Huntsmen! - Jaune said, getting up from the floor, shaking off the dust and speaking with conviction.

- Hmm, anyone can say nice words. - Winter thought, still staring at Jaune suspiciously.

- Sister, can you stop that? I know very well how to be careful with this kind of person and I can say that Jaune is not one of them. - Weiss said, walking towards Winter, looking a little irritated.

- That's true! Jaune is a very nice guy to everyone! He doesn't want to take advantage of Weiss! – Ruby says in the background, she would be ready to defend Jaune from any accusation.

- Wait, am I in trouble? D-did I do something? – Jaune asks, pointing to himself, slightly afraid that he had done something to hurt Winter.

- No, Jaune, you-

Jaune stopped listening to what Weiss was saying when he saw that something was flying towards the girl. His eyes widened, realizing what it was, he had seen a lot of this type of weaponry.

- WATCH OUT! – Jaune shouts, pulling Weiss forcefully, throwing her behind him and then opening his arms. An explosion happened as soon as the object collided with Jaune's body, throwing him backwards, passing over Weiss who was on the ground.

- JAUNE! – Ruby shouts, worried, running to the knight who was lying on the lawn.

- What is this?! An attack?! – Winter thinks, quickly grabbing her battle saber. Weiss stands up, ready to attack whoever threw a grenade at her knight, until she realizes who it was.

- FEARLESS LEADER! - Nora shouts, running desperately, with her hammer in grenade launcher mode in her hands.

- Arf... I'm fine, Ruby, really. - Jaune says, sitting down, despite having burn wounds on his face and body.

- Jaune?! So we accidentally hit him? - Fox asks, running next to Nora. The girl practically jumps into Jaune's arms, leaving him in even more pain.

- PLEASE FORGIVE NORA! I DIDN'T MEAN TO THROW A GRENADE AT YOU! I WAS JUST TRAINING WITH FOX AND I ENDED UP GOTTING TOO EXCITED AND STARTED THROWING SEVERAL GRENADES LIKE A MACHINE GUN! I DIDN'T WANT TO HURT YOU, I DON'T WANT YOU TO DIE! DON'T LEAVE NORA PLEASE! - Nora said, speaking so fast that she even sounded like Oobleck. Hugging Jaune with an enormous force while crying openly.

- N-No-NORA! Aargh! I-Is everything okay, okay?! It's okay! I didn't die and I'm not too hurt! I know it was an accident, okay? You don't need to be sad or cry about it. - Jaune says, managing to get rid of Nora's hug and helping her get up. He tries to give a comforting smile to the girl who was still crying and sniffling.

- R-really? You're not mad at me? A-are you okay?

- Yes, Nora, don't worry. It takes more than a grenade to finish off your fearless leader. - Jaune says confidently.

- Look, Jaune, I'm blind, but even I can see that receiving a grenade at close range causes serious injuries. - Fox says, with a worried tone for Jaune.

- I don't know what you're talking about, I'm fine. - Jaune says, standing up with his hands on his hips. When he gets up, he realizes that his leg had bent three times. 

- Oh my god... - Ruby said with both hands on her mouth.

- What? This is just a scratch, guys. - Jaune said.

While the four of them were insisting that Jaune go to the infirmary and he kept pretending that everything was fine just so Nora wouldn't cry anymore, Winter and Weiss stared at the scene.

- If that grenade had hit me, I could have gotten seriously injured... since Jaune is the strongest in terms of durability. - Weiss thought. Jaune didn't even think twice about putting himself in front of a grenade for her. That thought alone made Weiss's icy heart feel warmer.

- So that's what you're really like, Jaune. - Winter thought. She could see Jaune's expression when he noticed the grenade heading towards Weiss, it was as if a switch had been turned and he became a completely different person in a dangerous situation. Putting his sister's well-being completely above his own. 

- Okay, sis, I like him, but you better be quick. – Winter says.

- What? What do you mean?

- Don't you see? Men like this boy usually have a lot of suitors. You're lucky he seems to be the type who is very slow. – Winter says in a joking tone. Weiss thought about replying, but her sister was right.

- Yeah, you came too late with that statement. There's already a battle going on. – Weiss says.

- Wait, what?

Chapter Text

- OYRAH! – Cardin attacks Sun with great ferocity, hammering the Executioner to the ground, but Sun is much more agile and manages to dodge by jumping backwards with a backflip.

Team CRDL and Team SNNN ended up meeting many times to train together, after all there weren't many teams in Beacon that would train with Cardin's team and Cardin certainly wasn't willing to ask his rival's team to train with him, he was still someone very proud.

Sun advances on Cardin with a quick combo of his nunchucks, which Cardin manages to defend using the Executioner's handle, but Sun was pushing Cardin into a trap with one of his clones behind him using his weapon in the form of a staff and giving a piercing blow to Cardin's back.

- IT'S NOT ENOUGH! – Cardin shouts, the Winchester's durability was amazing, he uses the blow to his back as an impulse to advance on Sun and deliver a straight kick to the middle of his chest, making him be thrown a little away by Cardin's brute strength.

- Man, you're really strong for someone who hasn't awakened his semblance yet. – Sun says with a smile, even though he was a sparring partner and with the protection of his aura, Cardin's kick was extremely powerful.

- Hump, and what does that mean? – Cardin asks, resting his mace on his shoulder and looking at Sun cautiously.

- Nothing, man, I just think you're impressive. I couldn't imagine fighting without my semblance, I know there are people who fight without having awakened it, but I'm always surprised by it. – Sun comments very casually.

- Here, let me help you get up. – Sage says, offering a hand to Dove, after knocking him down. The member of Cardin's team accepts the help. 

- I'm not an expert in halberds, but I think your movements would be better that way. - Scarlet said, holding Sky's weapon in her hands and trying to make a move to show it.

- I'm telling you, man! After that day, I've never been on a roller coaster again in my life! - Russel said, seeming to be having a casual conversation with Neptune.

Cardin watched this with a neutral expression. When did the turning point for them turn? Maybe it was in Forever Fall? Maybe it was Ozpin's threat of suspension? Or maybe it was Jaune's words? He didn't know when, but he and the team itself had changed. Being a school bully had become something boring and futile. Instead of spending their time bothering people, they started training, hanging out as a team, and becoming genuine friends.

- The Beacon Games will start on Monday, right? I can't wait, man! It's going to be a show! - Sun said excitedly, walking to stand next to Cardin. 

- I know I'm going to give it my all, I'm going to show everyone what it's like to be truly strong, no matter what. - Cardin says, looking at his own fist.

- Heh, you know, you're a guy who seemed threatening at first, but damn, you're actually pretty cool. I'm glad I didn't listen to the rumors about you. - Sun says, slapping Cardin's armor on the back, a bro gesture.

Cardin sees Sun going to talk to Neptune and greeting Russel while doing so. He feels strangely good at the moment, but at the same time strangely bad.

- These two... the more time I spend with these two, my anger and hatred diminish... - Cardin thinks, thinking about Jaune and Sun.

- ...but without this anger and hatred... I'm nothing, I'm just a big void...

- Hey leader, HEY!

Cardin comes back to reality, noticing Sky waving in front of his face, the SNNN team and the CRDL team were staring at him. 

- We're going to eat something, are you coming with us? - Asks Sky, always with a lot of respect for Cardin's leadership figure.

- Oh yes, we have to eat something after this training. - Says Cardin, leaving with the team that was on exchange in Beacon and with his team.

- Hey Sage, you're a weapons engineer, aren't you? - Cardin asks the green-topped member of the SNN team.

- That's right, if you need me to recalibrate the executioner, you can do it. - Sage says with a gentle smile.

- And I must say, what a cool name for an expensive weapon! - Neptune comments.

- Didn't I tell you? It suits a giant mass! - Russel says.

- Uhm, that's almost it, if you could help me with someone I have in mind, I'd be... grateful. - Cardin says, saying that he'd be grateful for something still comes out strangely from his lips.

- Sure, man! You can say whatever you want, that's what friends are for, right? - Sage says in a very mundane way, as if it were nothing, even though for Cardin it meant a lot.

- I'm going to use Beacon Games, to find my real purpose in Beacon... then I'll be able to answer your question, Jaune, about why I want to become a Huntsman. – Cardin thinks, with a strong determination in his eyes.

…

- MAN… I'M DEAD! – Jaune screams, falling backwards on the ground, completely sweaty and tired.

- Jaune, I must say that your improvement in combat is impressive. You still have room for improvement, but you managed to master your Claymore in just three weeks. – Yatsuhashi says, placing his greatsword on his back, he looks at Jaune with pride, like a master looking at his student.

- I don't even come close to your ability, Yatsuhashi, I just… I think it's because it's Crocea Mors that I managed to do this. Ruby once said that a huntsman's weapons are an extension of their soul, and I think she's right. – Jaune says with a smile, seeing Crocea Mors in its Claymore mode in his hands, he was always satisfied and happy when he saw that weapon.

- This kid… he may not be the most talented person in Beacon, but he can certainly make up for it with this insane effort he makes. – Yatsuhashi thinks.

- Hey! How's training going, huh, boys?

Jaune and Yatsuhashi turn to face the rest of the CFVY team walking towards them, they seemed to be bringing a Bento for each of them to eat.

- HI GUYS! – Jaune says, his tiredness quickly disappearing when he sees his friends and runs towards them.

- Wow, by your smell I can tell you've been trying really hard. – Fox comments in an amused tone.

- FOX! THAT WAS RUDE! – Velvet says, reprimanding the redhead of the team.

- Sorry, you don't have a nose as sensitive as mine! – Fox says, with his hands up in surrender.

- I'm a rabbit faunus, of course I have. – Velvet replies.

- H-haha sorry about that guys. Yatsuhashi really makes me try my best to at least try to keep up with him. – Jaune comments, scratching the back of his head, a little embarrassed because he smells of sweat.

- That's normal, kid, after all, our great Yatsuhashi here can be considered a semi-grade 0 huntsman. – Coco comments, taking a large tarp out of her briefcase and placing it on the forest lawn.

- WHAT?! YOU'RE REALLY STRONG, MAN! – Jaune says, impressed, looking back at Yatsuhashi.

- Didn't you tell him that Yatsuhashi is technically your last name? – Fox asks.

- Hahaha, that's a good story to tell while we eat, isn't it? – The giant says, sitting on the tarp next to Fox and Coco. Jaune sits next to Coco and Velvet sits right after, next to Jaune, handing him the Bento.

- I-I made it for you, I-I hope it's good. – The rabbit girl says, slightly shy, handing the food to Jaune.

- Did you cook for me? Thank you so much, Velvet! You're the best! - Jaune says with a big smile at the girl, opening the Bento and taking a piece of the meat that was cut inside it.

- YUMMMM! THIS IS DELICIOUS! - Jaune says, very satisfied.

- Really? Really, really? Wow, I'm so glad you liked it! - Velvet answers, hiding her face with both hands, but her ears moved excitedly with Jaune's greetings.

- But tell me, Yatsuhashi, what do you mean by that's your last name? - Jaune asks curiously, not realizing that he had made Velvet's day much better.

- Well, I'm from a Mistral clan called Yatsuhashi. Our clan faithfully believes in the unity and strength of our lineage and our devotion to the clan is so great that we recognize each other first as beings of this clan than as individual beings, that's why I introduce myself as Yatsuhashi and not Daichi. - The man says, seeming happy to share his story.

- Seriously? But how do you identify yourselves, like where you live and stuff? - Jaune said, genuinely interested as he ate.

- We have our names for a reason, of course, but to people outside the clan we will always introduce ourselves as Yatsuhashi. My clan also believes that a person's strength must come from within, so we train to our limits and use only classic weapons, no technology involved, which is why my Fulcrum is just a great sword. - Yatsuhashi said, running his hand over the blade of his weapon that was resting beside him.

- You sure look like you came out of a manga! - Jaune said.

- Didn't I tell you? We just hope he doesn't have an older brother in this clan. - Fox said in a playful tone.

- Haha, I wouldn't say he's the only one who looks like he came out of a manga, after all, we have the Rusted Knight himself here with us. - Coco said, looking at Jaune. The knight realized that she was referring to him, pointing to himself for confirmation.

- W-why does everyone think I look like the Rusted Knight? Should I let my armor rust? – Jaune asks.

- Let's see, you're a knight, you use a sword and shield, you're kind, you have strong and unshakable morals and you're extremely altruistic, to the point of almost dying for anyone. I think those are enough similarities? – Fox asks, Jaune stares at him, speechless.

- Okay, I get it, I guess.

- You remind me of someone too, Jaune, you know? – Velvet asks, drawing the group's attention to her.

- Really? Who?

- Do you remember that class about the Battle of Forecastle? Where the Fauns managed to win because of their night vision against General Lagoon? – Velvet asks.

- Ahm… I remembered her, the one where I said that the Fauns had binoculars… damn, what an idiotic answer I gave. – Jaune says, scratching the back of his head.

- That's it! What many people don't know is that there was a human hero in the war with the Fauns. He used a sword and shield just like you. He was the one who realized General Lagoon's plans and helped all those Fauns in their ambush. This hero had no sides in the war. He just seemed to do what he thought was right to protect innocent people. - Velvet said. Jaune looked at her, impressed by her knowledge.

- How... do you know something like that? I didn't find it in the history books. - Jaune said.

- It's because my family has a history in the city of Forecastle. The stories were passed down from generation to generation. What we know is that this man is not in the history books because he refused to take credit. He always disappeared from the place he helped after General Lagoon's defeat. He disappeared from Forecastle. - Velvet said, finishing her story.

- Wow... I know my family has a history... and that my great-great-grandfather was a hero in the Remnat war, but could it be him? – Jaune thinks, getting lost in his own thoughts for a few seconds.

- But hey Jaune, we want to see you rocking the Beacon Games! This training that Yatsuhashi is giving you is not to be thrown away! - Coco says, changing the subject when she sees that Jaune seemed to be lost in his own thoughts.

- Oh, o-of course! I swear I'll give it my all! And actually, hehe, just between us, I have a surprise technique that I want to show in this tournament. - Jaune says with a confident smile on his face.

- Technique? I love secret techniques! Tell us, will you? - Fox asks.

- Nope, but I guarantee that after all I've trained, this technique will be a game changer!

- Jaune... you're always training, don't you rest? - Asks the rabbit fauna, worried.

- I sleep for an hour every day. - Jaune says. The four second-years stare at him with wide eyes.

- What? I've seen tutorials and books on how to use your aura to optimize your sleep and get better quality sleep in a short time. In addition, this also serves as aura control training. – Jaune comments.

- Y-yes, that's possible, but it's still torture. – Coco comments. She had a certain admiration for Jaune, but now she had acquired a new fear.

- I'm not going to lie that the first few days were horrible, but then you get used to it. – Jaune says, going back to eating while humming.

- H-HOW IS THIS BOY NOT A SPECIAL GRADE?! – The entire CFVY team thinks at the same time.

…

- You must already know that this is not a normal call, right? – Ozpin says, in his office, talking to Qrow and Port in front of him.

- You're here because we got information from the police that a certain club may be involved with Roman and White Fang's activities. The owner of this club is called Junior and it seems to be a place where drugs and other crimes happen. – Ozpin says, turning his notebook and showing the man named Junior.

- So you want us both to go there to investigate, right? Won't Port be missed at the Beacon Games? – Qrow asks.

- Believe me, Glynda, Oobleck and I can take care of the competition. However, their threat level is increasing, according to reports from Team JNPR and RWBY, they have more strong soldiers, level 2, above what we thought, so it's good to have two level 0s on this mission. – Ozpin says.

- Leave it to me, Ozpin! Even though I haven't been on a mission against humans for a while, I'll make sure to deliver an effective performance! – Professor Port says proudly, beating his chest.

- Just be careful, my semblance isn't usually kind to people. – Qrow comments, opening his flask of drink and downing it.

- While the kids are having fun, it's up to us adults to take care of what's happening in the shadows... that way those two might never need to act. – Ozpin thought, his mind going to Jaune Ruby when he referred to those two.

Chapter Text

- The big day has arrived. - Jaune thinks in front of his locker, staring at Crocea Mors. He was already dressed in the armor his friends had chosen for him. He puts Crocea Mors on his waist and closes the locker with a determined expression.

- Ready for battle, fearless leader?! - Nora asks, appearing behind Jaune out of nowhere.

- Heh, you can bet I am, Nora! Let's show the results of all our training! - Jaune says with a big smile, clenching his fist.

- Just a reminder that in the second phase, there will be one-on-one fights. - Ren says, arriving on the scene next to Pyrrha.

- So even if we get to the second phase together, we'll still have to fight each other. - Ren adds.

- In the end, this is all just a big competition, we don't need to be so tense even if we fight each other in the end. - Pyrrha says, she wanted to make sure that no resentment came from her friends.

- You say that because you know you're the most likely to win, aren't you, miss? - Nora asks accusingly, staring at Pyrrha as if she were judging her.

- Aa-h I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to sound that way. - The redheaded gladiator says, shaking her hands in front of her chest out of nervousness.

- Relax, Pyrrha, we're still a team despite everything. Whichever one of us wins will be a victory for everyone! Just like Team RWBY must think! - Jaune says.

- THAT'S IT! FAMILY FIRST! GROUP HUG! - Nora says, pulling the entire JNPR team into her arms, forcing them into a big hug, and you can hear the sound of bones breaking due to the hyperactive girl's inhuman strength.

…

- Come on Ruby... now's the time, you've trained and developed strategies to overcome everything that comes your way, you'll do it. – Rose thinks, taking Crescent Rose from her locker and putting it on the back of her waist as always.

- Let's rock, Mana! – Yang says excitedly, walking next to Ruby and punching upwards.

- I really believe that each of us will be able to get through the first phase without any problems, just like I believe the same about team JNPR. - Weiss says, quite convinced.

- I'm really curious about what the first part of the Beacon Games will be like, but did you bring your family to watch? My mom and dad will be in the audience. – Blake says.

- My sister is here! And I want to deliver the best team performance for her, SO BEHAVE! YOU LISTEN TO RUBY! – Weiss says, giving Ruby an irritated look.

- But I haven't even done anything yet!

- Exactly. – Weiss replies.

- Our father will definitely be here today! He wouldn't miss seeing me kick some ass for anything! – Yang says quite convinced.

- Of course he'll be here. - Ruby thought. She saw her entire team confident that they would emerge victorious from this conflict and she would demonstrate the same, as the leader of Team RWBY.

- Jaune, I'll show you that you're not alone! We'll fight with you against these bad guys! I'll be by your side!

…

Beacon was full that day, many people were walking around. These people were family members of the first-year students but not only that, after all it was a spectacle for both the family members of the first-year students and the second and third-year students themselves.

Ozpin and the Beacon staff had set up specific areas on the fields where the people who were going to watch the games could sit. Not only that, but there were large screens for them to watch what would happen. After all it seemed that the first phase would be in the Emerald Forest as well as the initiation. People had been given specific frequencies if they wanted to watch certain students through their scroll screens, so that a parent could focus 100% on their child during the competition.

- DAD! - Ruby and Yang shouted. Team RWBY and JNPR were walking through the spectator area and Ruby and Yang ended up finding their father in the middle of the place. He was a tall, strong, blond man with blue eyes, with an appearance bizarrely similar to Jaune if it weren't for his slightly more tanned skin. It was almost like looking at a future version of him.

- hey Jaune, when did you travel back in time and become Ruby and Yang's father? - Nora asks.

- Nora, please don't insinuate that anymore, because it would make our whole relationship very weird. - Jaune says with a blank expression.

- HEY! HOW ARE MY HUSTRESSES?! READY TO END EVERYONE'S FUN?! - Ruby and Yang's father asks, hugging the two girls tightly, just as they return the hug.

- You bet we are! - Yang says.

- Let's take the victory home! – Ruby says.

- Hahaha, I must say that I'm really happy that you're okay... you don't know how worried that White Fang broadcast made me, especially about you, Ruby. – The man says, ruffling Ruby's hair affectionately.

- So you're my leader's father? It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Weiss Schnee. – Weiss says, approaching Blake, bowing formally at the introduction.

- I'm Blake Belladonna, Yang's partner. – Blake says, giving a small smile at the cute and familiar interaction.

- You can call me Taiyang, ooh, so you managed to become team leader, huh? You really take after your mother R- - Taiyang stops talking when he notices Team JNPR approaching too, his gaze becomes more serious as he looks at Jaune, who is looking at him with an innocent expression.

- We are Team JNPR and we are very close friends with the entire Team RWBY, I'm Jaune Arc, it's a pleasure to meet you! – Jaune says, offering a handshake to Taiyang, but he just looks at Jaune's hand with suspicion.

- Close to Team RWBY, huh? How close? – Asks the blond man.

- Daaaaay, not now. – Ruby says, rolling her eyes, knowing where this would lead.

- Now yes! You were finding it pretty funny when you were my sister, weren't you? Now it's my turn to savor this. – Weiss says behind Ruby, giving the widest smile she's had since coming to Beacon.

- Ahm, close like eating together and training together? And playing video games! And… I don't know, is there any way to be closer than that? – Jaune asks, turning to his team with genuine doubt.

- Jaune, I don't think you understood what's between the lines… - Ren says, slightly nervous to see the man who was probably strong enough to defeat both teams alone staring at Jaune as if he really wanted to kill him.

- What? What do you mean between the lines? – Asks Pyrrha, looking as lost as Jaune.

- Dad, stop it. – Yang says with her hand on Taiyang's shoulder, getting his attention.

- Jaune is cool, you can trust him. – Yang says giving a thumbs up.

- Yang trusting a boy? I saw what he did on the broadcast but still... this is much more impressive. – Taiyang thinks.

- Alright! But I'll give you a warning Jaune Arc, if you hurt Yang or Ruby in any way, you can be sure that you won't be able to hide from me in any of the four kingdoms. I'll find you. – Says the older version of Jaune emanating a threatening aura, making the blond swallow hard.

- I-I-IF I EVER HURT THEM I WILL COME TO YOU PERSONALLY TO RECEIVE THE PUNISHMENT! – Jaune says saluting, he almost felt the need to call him General Taiyang.

- Hmm, very good. – Taiyang says with his hands on his hips, giving a satisfied smile for having scared Jaune.

…

- Sorry about that, Jaune. Our father can be a little... intense when it comes to protecting us. - Ruby says, Team JNPR and Ruby walking together again, this time looking for Kai and his adoptive parents who should be in the spectator area.

- Especially when it comes to boys next to you, right Rubes? - Yang asks with a provocative smile, nudging Ruby with her elbow. Ruby just stares at her sister angrily.

- Haha, don't worry about it, girls. I don't hold a grudge against him. In fact, I'm glad you have a father who cares about your safety. - Jaune says.

- You should be less benevolent, Jaune. Someone might end up taking advantage of you like that. - Blake says, pinching Jaune's cheek playfully.

- W-well, I don't know if I can... oh, you guys are going to have to protect me. - Jaune says with a crooked smile.

- THAT'S IT! NORA DOESN'T LET BITCHES GET CLOSE TO HER LEADER! - Screams the hyperactive redhead of team JNPR, in front of Jaune looking around as if looking for any danger.

- JAUNEEEEEEEEEE!

For a moment, Jaune feels his entire soul leave his body. He recognized six of those female voices that screamed his name. His first reaction was to cross his arms in front of his body to defend himself from the attack of six blonde girls who jumped on top of him.

- AN ENEMY ATTACK! - Ren thinks, almost taking out his weapons to fight.

- N-NO! T-THEY'RE JUST MY SISTERS! - Jaune says from the bottom of the ball of blondes, trying to get free.

- Son! - Says an older blonde woman, with long hair tied in a loose bun. With enormous strength, Jaune gets up from the storm of sisters and jumps into the woman's arms.

- Mom! I missed you so much… - Jaune says, feeling like he could start crying at any moment.

- Oh son… you can't imagine how worried I was about you… always risking yourself for everyone like that! - Jaune's mother says.

- I told her she didn't need to worry, that you were strong as hell. - Jonas Arc says behind the two, with his arms crossed and a smile on his face.

- Did you? You were desperate while watching the broadcast. - Says one of Jaune's sisters, the one wearing glasses and a blue dress.

- Hahaha sure, sure… wait a minute… Peprika, Megana, Star, Anise, Rosemary, Lavender… where's Saphron? - Jaune asks, counting each of his sisters with his fingers, realizing that one was missing.

- Jaune, you know that Saphron doesn't live in Vale anymore… I really wanted to see how you were doing but unfortunately there were no tickets for the last minute flight. - Jaune's mother says with a sad tone.

- BUT WE'RE GOING TO MAKE SURE TO RECORD EVERYTHING AND SHOW IT TO HER! YOU'RE ACTING ALL LIKE A HUNTSMAN! - Says one of Jaune's sisters with a tomboy look, having short hair wearing a green t-shirt and shorts with a brown vest.

- You already said you had a lot of sisters but man, it's more impressive to see it up close. - Says Yang, really impressed.

- Oh man! This is team JNPR and team RWBY! My family here in Beacon! - Says Jaune, both teams were a little embarrassed with Jaune openly talking about him considering them as a family.

After a few minutes introducing himself and talking to the family, Jaune seemed pleased to see everyone getting along. His real family and his family from Beacon.

- Okay, but I have a serious question to ask. - Says Peprika, being the oldest sister of all. Having short, thick hair and wearing a green t-shirt with a white one underneath and jeans.

- Which one of you is my brother's girlfriend? - Peprika asked with a provocative expression. Just the mention of it made Jaune feel a shiver all over his body, knowing full well that this would lead to trouble.

- P-PEPRIKA! NONE OF THEM ARE MY…

- It's me! – Yang says, taking a step forward and hitting her chest. Team RWBY and Pyrrha stare at her with wide eyes and their jaws dropped.

- Damn, you're so damn pretty! How did my brother get someone like you? – A girl who wore a ponytail that was somehow sticking up says. She had straight blonde bangs. This one was called Star.

- Our brother really couldn't talk to a girl without stuttering. – Another of Jaune's sisters says, identical to the last one but the ponytail followed gravity normally. Her name is Anise.

- Hehe, you'd be impressed by how attractive he can be, wouldn't you, boyfriend? ~ - Yang says, putting her arm around Jaune's neck and pulling him closer, making him almost bury his face in her left breast.

- S-SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND! I-I don't have a girlfriend! Yang is just messing with me! - Jaune says, managing to get rid of Yang's grip.

Jonas seems to notice behind him that the rest of the girls seem to let out a sigh of relief and gives a big smile.

- Dad... why are you smiling like you just won the lottery? - Asks Jaune's sister who wore glasses, her name is Megana.

- Hahahaha you wouldn't be able to understand even if you wanted to! - Jonas says.

- I think our son has a semblance that attracts people... - Jaune's mother says, slightly surprised and a little scared. Of course she would notice, after all it is her son, but she had no idea he would achieve such a feat.

- Attention! All first-year students please head to the Emerald Forest Cliff! Beacon Games are about to begin! - Ozpin says, his voice coming out through several megaphones that were around the spectator area.

- You can go ahead, everyone! I still have to find Kai! Bye mom! Bye dad! Bye you bunch of crazy people! - Jaune says running, waving goodbye to his family.

- Let's get ready! It was a pleasure to meet you, Arc family! - Ruby says, bowing quickly, as do the two teams who introduced themselves, and then they run straight to the cliff.

- Hey honey, Crocea Mors really suits him, don't you think? - Jaune's mother says, she has a happy expression on her face. She knew that Jaune wanted to be a hero since she met her son, but due to circumstances, that dream ended up being denied to him... however, he managed to overcome everything and everyone and even so, he didn't hold any grudge against his family, and now she was seeing her son on his way to becoming a Huntsman.

- It certainly suits him, there wouldn't be a better weapon for him, heh.

Chapter Text

- You better win, Jaune! I don't want to have to come here again to see your ass kicked. - Kai says, with a joking tone but with a stern expression.

- Hey! You were supposed to be rooting for me, you know?! This isn't being very motivating! - Jaune complains, talking to Kai and his adoptive family who he had invited to watch him at the Beacon Games, and of course they accepted. Kai would never miss the opportunity to see Jaune in battle.

- Come on, Kai, don't be like that to Jaune. - Says Kai's adoptive mother sitting next to him, while on the other side of the stands was his father.

- But he has to win! Jaune needs to show he's strong! He only lost to that Adam guy because he's still a beginner! - Says Kai.

- N-it's not untrue, but there are still a lot of people here who are stronger than me! I'll do my best, but don't expect much! – Jaune says, then he remembers something that can make Kai very excited.

- Hehehe but if I were you I would expect something really cool, because I have a secret technique up my sleeve! – Jaune says.

- WAIT! A SECRET TECHNIQUE?! LIKE A RASENGAN OR A KAMEHAMEHA?! – Asks the child getting very excited, looking at Jaune with a sparkle in his eyes.

- W-Well, it's not something that cool and extravagant but it's something that will definitely help me in the right situation, but it's still a surprise and I'm not going to tell you. – Jaune says.

- Ahwwwww, you just said that to make me anxious, didn't you? – Kai asks.

- I don't know what you're talking about Kai fufufufu you get anxious because you want to~ - Jaune says pretending not to pay attention to Kai, whistling in the air while the smaller boy punched and punched his arm to get his attention. It was like watching two brothers interacting. 

- Okay, okay, if you keep this up you're going to nerf me for the fight, man! I'm going, have fun and enjoy the food! - Jaune said, waving goodbye to Kai and his family, running towards the Emerald Forest.

...

It was like watching the initiation all over again, but the students were much more spaced out than before on the launch platforms. This was to ensure that each one would be launched individually into an area of ​​the forest.

- Very well, I hope everyone is here because we won't give a second chance to those who are late. - Glynda said into a large microphone. She, like the students, was also being broadcast so that everyone could understand the rules of the first phase.

- In this first phase, you will have a whole hour to get to the safe area, where Professor Oobleck will be waiting for you. Where is this safe area? You will have to find out for yourself. - Glynda said with severity in her voice. 

- Damn, it looks like this initiation is going to be harder than I thought, I thought I would just have to go around beating everyone up. - Yang says to herself, a little frustrated.

- Second thing is that it's no use just getting to the safe area, you need to have an average score to be able to move on to the second phase and this average score is at least 100 points. And each Grimm you kill will count towards your score. - Glynda says, placing a device on the ground and activating it, causing a holographic screen to appear showing the types of Grimm that would be in the forest.

- Beowolfs counted as 2 points for each one eliminated. Boarbtusks counted as 4, Ursas as 6, Nervermores and Deathstalkers as twenty points. And there is a Grimm that is the strongest of all that is in the forest, however this one will not count towards any score and will only be in the forest to get in your way, play smart because this is not just a test of strength. – Glynda says, adjusting her glasses, pointing at each of the Grimms with her whip, with a very strong Grimm in humanoid form with the question mark symbol in last place.

- Damn, we gave our all to defeat a Nevermore and a Deathstalker and they're only worth twenty points?! That's not fair! – Ruby thinks, she grips the handle of the Crescent Rose tighter, she was starting to get insecure.

- No! I need to stay strong and firm as a leader! There's a psychopath behind my eyes and I need to get stronger! I'm going to be stronger! - Ruby thinks, shaking her head, quickly recovering from her pessimistic thoughts.

- In addition to needing to keep a constant score, we have to find out where the safe zone is... and on top of that, we need to be careful with a super grimm... is the first phase of the game already that level? - Jaune thinks, gradually getting nervous. He then decides to take a deep breath, closing his eyes and opening them again.

- No, remember Jaune, this here is nothing compared to what's out there... compared to him. - The memories of the psychopathic Scorpio Faunos came to Jaune's mind.

- No matter how many obstacles these bastards put in front of me, I'll overcome them all and show that I'm truly strong! - Cardin thinks, with an even sharper look.

- Okay, if everyone is ready, assume your positions for the landing strategy. – Glynda says, concentrating some aura in one of her hands.

- Ah... I... forgot to develop a landing strategy again. – Jaune thinks with a blank expression.

- And... the first phase of Beacon Games... BEGINS! – Glynda shouts, slamming her hand and a device in front of her that makes all the platforms launch the students at the same time towards the emerald forest.

Jaune was thrown into the air but this time even without a landing strategy he was bizarrely calmer. Fruit of all the dangerous situations he had already faced in Beacon made his mentality stronger.

- Okay, there must be something I can do! I know! – Jaune thinks, setting up the Crocea Mors shield and then climbing on it as if it were a surfboard, he concentrates his aura on his shield and as he heads towards the forest he starts to sweat more coldly. However, Jaune's strategy worked, making him slide down the tree branches. Of course, he still got hurt because it was an improvised strategy, but at least he wasn't dying and the injuries were very superficial due to Jaune's durability and amount of aura.

- OUCH! - Jaune ends up losing his balance and falling face down on the ground. He gets up, scratching his head, looking around, realizing that he had managed to fall without any problems.

- Alright! Is everything here with me? Crocea Mors, shield, Armor, everything is fine! - Jaune says, starting to run through the forest. He didn't have any plan in mind at the moment, but staying in the same place wouldn't help him at all. If he had a goal now, it was to find any of his friends, after all, the rules Goodwitch spoke didn't say anything about forming teams during the first phase and together, with the current power they had, they could certainly take down larger numbers of Grimm.

...

While the Beacon Games were taking place. The students and their families were just having fun and watching the spectacle of the Huntsman apprentices fighting each other and the Grimms. There were two Grade 0 Huntsmen doing the dirty work. Standing on a rooftop watching a certain nightclub was Qrow Branwen, sitting with binoculars, seeing if he could see anything suspicious.

- For now everything is clear here, is there something going on there, Mustache? - Qrow asks, he and Port decide to communicate using codenames. Even though their form of communication is a secure frequency, they still had to maintain the maximum security possible in this operation.

- Nothing here at the moment, Nevermore. - Port says, standing on the rooftop of what appeared to be an apartment complex. On this rooftop, he could see the back entrance of the nightclub, which was in a very narrow alley.

- What the hell, I really wouldn't need help with this. - Qrow says, his voice showing that he is uncomfortable working with someone. 

- Hohohoho, unless you have a semblance of cloning yourself you wouldn't be able to observe both entrances efficiently. - Port said with a jovial laugh, he didn't seem offended by Qrow's rude manner, he was probably already used to working with many types of huntsman and maybe even used to working with Qrow.

- Yeah, things would be simpler if my semblance was like that, you know. – Qrow comments, drinking from his flask of liquor.

- I can only imagine how hard it must have been for you since you unlocked your semblance, but I have to tell you something. No one in this world was born to be alone and have a flask of liquor as their only company. – Port says through the communicator they used. Qrow was silent for a while, only the sound of him swallowing even more of the alcoholic beverage that would certainly make anyone pass out in one shot due to the amount of alcohol in it could be heard.

- Meh, whatever you say, Mustache, then don't say I didn't warn you to stay away from me. – Qrow says.

- Don't underestimate me! Do you think a small amount of bad luck can stop me? A Huntsman's job is marked by being in danger every moment he's alive! Your semblance is nothing more than a regular Wednesday for all of us Nevermore. 

- Pfft, you're too cocky, you know? Well, I wouldn't expect anything less from you, since you've even saved that old man with white hair's ass several times in combat. - Qrow says with an amused smile on his face. It was very rare for him to have conversations like that with someone because of his semblance.

...

- You know, I think it's impressive how you can find me, even using our signal completely wrong. - Ren says. He cut some branches and dense plants in front of the path, and was followed by Nora.

- I don't need to imitate any bird, Ren! I know your scent! In fact, I know Jaune and Pyrrah's scent too! - Nora says, moving from side to side in a hyperactive way, bouncing as she followed Ren.

- I can even understand mine, but how do you manage that? - Ren asks.

- Oh, silly, I smell your clothes when you're not looking! Privileges that team RWBY doesn't get to have, hehehehe. – Nora answers, laughing to herself, not realizing that Ren was looking at her with a slightly scared expression. Even after years together, Nora still managed to surprise him with her... Nora-like way of being.

- Well, since that's how it is, can you tell me which direction Jaune or Pyrrha are going? – Ren asks, deciding to ignore the methods Nora gets her abilities.

- OVER THERE! I mean over there! Ahm... actually Nora isn't sure... Pyrrha has a strong metallic smell and Jaune smells like blood with leaves... and there's kind of all this around here where we are... I would have to be closer to them to be able to tell better. – Nora says.

- why I'm not surprised Jaune smells like blood. – Ren thinks, wandering in his mind until he hears a very loud noise with a bang that made the ground shake. He and Nora run in the direction of what could be this event. After all, it could be one of their friends in trouble, but it could also be a very strong Grimm, which would be an opportunity or a great obstacle, due to the mysterious Grimm that wasn't worth any points.

- Iroonwood is coming, he would like to see mainly the one-on-one fights. - Ozpin says, walking towards Glynda, standing next to her.

- That methodical man, I could respect him if it weren't for his rigidity with his morals. - Glynda says.

- Hahahaha, you two are very similar, you know? - Ozpin says in a relaxed manner, drinking from his cup of coffee. Glynda just gives him an irritated look.

- Do you want to know how your favorite candidates are doing? - Glynda asks.

- I already have the frequency of both of them saved in my Scroll, but a third student caught my attention recently. - Ozpin says.

- One? Is that serious? - Glynda asks, impressed.

...

Cardin crushes the head of a ursa with ease. The Grimm turns to dust almost instantly.

- You all, I didn't think I'd find you right away. - Cardin says, looking to the side, seeing Sun finish off two Beowolfs with a kung-fu-style kick to each one's face.

- Heh, I guess it's fate, my friend! Let's both go to the second phase! - Sun says confidently.

 Cardin turns his back and continues on his way, he turned his back so Sun wouldn't notice that he was smiling and secretly grateful to have found him.

Chapter Text

- Look, honey! Our little girl moves so fast through the trees. - Blake's mother says, showing her husband on her Scroll the transmission that showed Blake. Who was jumping from tree to tree like a ninja moving on a mission. 

- I need a plan... the Grimms won't be a problem, I think I can get the score without any problems... but what will be difficult is how we are going to track Oobleck... I'm already marking the areas where I passed, excluding these possibilities from my Scroll, but that won't be enough... we only have one hour. - Blake thinks, jumping from tree to tree and then she lands on the ground and realizes that there were almost imperceptible footprints, but not for Blake. The half-cat girl from team RWBY was trained and grew up in the White Fang, she was an expert in operations that involved stealth, that is, she knew how to track very well. And her faun senses, like her cat eyes that helped her see in the dark, her keen hearing and smell, contribute to a complete package.

- I think I can use this... - Blake thinks.

- DAMN IT! - A voice shouts from the back of the forest. Blake understands the shout almost as a call for help and ignores the tracks to run in the direction of what could happen. Leaving a large area, she realizes that she has found two members of the CRDL team, Dove and Russel, who seemed to be having difficulty defeating a Death Stalker.

- WE NEED TO WEAKEN THEIR LEGS! - Russel shouts, defending an attack from the Grimm scorpion's stinger with his two daggers, but the force of the attack throws him against a tree, hitting his back hard, leaving him breathless.

- RUSSEL! NO!- Dove shouts worriedly, he looks at the Death Stalker who doesn't seem at all bothered by the shots from his revolver sword. Dove showed a lot of fear and nervousness, and this only fueled the strength of the Grimm who quickly ran towards him.

- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! – Dove covers himself with his hands, expecting the worst, but someone quickly saves him. It's Blake, tricking the Grimm into attacking a copy made of shadows and saving Dove with a lunge.

- Don't be afraid! You know that this only makes the Grimm stronger! – Blake says with strength in his voice, arming his katana ready for combat.

- It's easy for you to say... it's easy for all of you on team RWBY and JNPR to say! You're all strong and incredible! – Dove says, falling to the ground, her legs were really shaking.

- If you made your way to Beacon, it means you're just like us! PROVE IT NOW! – Blake says, advancing towards the Death Stalker, who tries to attack her by crushing her with one of his claws, but Blake manages to dodge it using her shadows again, cutting a joint of the Death Stalker's right claw.

- Shit, it wasn't deep enough. – Blake thinks.

- Do you need help there?! – Russell shouts, appearing and falling from the top of one of the trees, aiming with a piercing blow of his two daggers where Blake had cut. He manages to stick both daggers in and presses a button, releasing dust of electricity throughout the Death Stalker's body.

- This will paralyze him! – Russell thinks with a smile on his face, but the Death Stalker surprises him by turning his body and striking with his tail, hitting Russel and Blake at the same time, throwing them both away with his strength.;

- ARHG... that wasn't enough dust of electricity to paralyze a Grimm of this size... we would need to spend something similar to what Nora would use... this won't work. – Blake thought, quickly composing herself, ignoring the blood starting to run down the right side of her head.

- The two of them... they won't stop... we should run away... - Dove thought, kneeling on the ground. He could only see Blake and his teammate, Russel, fighting tirelessly against the Death Stalker, taking blows and receiving blows from the Grimm, but they always got up.

"We're all going to show our strength at the Beacon Games! We're going to show that the CRDL team is a team that deserves to be in Beacon!"

- Cardin... I don't have your determination... I don't have Sky's loyalty... and much less this strength to survive that Russel is showing now... I'm a coward, I've always been a coward... I'm only here in Beacon because I found you halfway... - Dove thinks, putting herself even more down.

- DOVE! PLEASE! WE NEED YOUR HELP! - Russel screams, jumping to dodge a piercing attack from that Grimm, but soon the Death Stalker's claw and stinger would hit him, if Blake hadn't managed to cut it quickly. But unfortunately she is caught by a blow from the Grimm's free claw.

- WITHOUT YOU WE WON'T GET OUT OF THIS! FIGHT! - Blake screams, trying to get Dove out of that state of fear. 

"We're not those people from the beginning of Beacon anymore... we have to be better than that."

 An image of Cardin with his back turned appeared in Dove's mind, he gave him a confident smile. He knew he didn't deserve that smile, they were going to let two people die in front of him just because he was a coward. 

- ARFH... shit... I don't want to use all the electricity dust but I don't think there's any way.- Russel thought as he lay on the ground. He looked up and realized that the Death Stalker's claw was a few meters away from piercing him. He wasn't going to be able to escape this attack and Blake wasn't even close enough to intercept him, it was over for him. Or at least that's what Russel thought. Russel's two daggers flew by themselves towards the Grimm's eyes, piercing him, making him scream in pain and then releasing all the electricity dust. 

- I NEED TO FIGHT!- Dove shouted, with the palm of his hand extended with a golden aura appearing. 

- THAT'S IT! – Russel shouts excitedly, realizing that his two daggers were deep in the Grimm's eyes and the electricity made him paralyzed.

Blake and Dove each run from one side and jump over Russel, both of them kicking his two daggers so that they completely pierce the Grimm until the end, making him fall dead and disappear into black dust.

- Arf... how... did you do that? – Blake asks.

- It's my semblance... I can freely control weapons that I consider mine. It's almost like a contract that I need to make with the owner of the weapon involving my aura in their weapon. I can control the weapon of everyone on my team. – Dove says taking a deep breath, grateful that all this is over.

- Thanks man... I knew you could help me! – Russel says pulling Dove, putting his arm around his shoulder and punching him in the chest playfully, the two look at each other with slight smiles. 

- Now I have a doubt... the three of us defeated this Death Stalker together... will the twenty points go to us, to whoever killed him, or will they be divided equally? - Blake asks.

- I don't know... and I think this lack of information is intentional in this first phase. - Dove comments.

- Yeah, but you know what they didn't tell us either? That we can't eliminate competitors. - Russel says, looking at Blake from the corner of his eye. The girl quickly becomes alert, realizing the situation she was in.

Although Blake would normally deal well with Russel and Dove, she was probably the one who got the most injured fighting the Death Stalker and the one who spent the most aura because of her semblance. She still hadn't fully recovered from her injuries.

- You're an exceptional fighter, Blake... but in the second phase, you would definitely defeat us. - Russel says, holding his two daggers.

- Yeah... I can see your logic and I can't blame you. - Blake says with a smile. She had forgotten that in the end all this was still a competition.

- I'm not going to fight her. - Dove says, surprising Russel a little.

- What? - Blake and Russel say at the same time.

- I'm a coward... the biggest coward on our team... even though I helped in the fight I was shaking all over and I'll probably always be a hindrance... but I like our team! I like the CRDL team! And... and Cardin wouldn't like us to do this to the person who saved us. - Dove says, gathering her courage to say this. Russel looks slightly impressed at his companion, as does Blake.

- Cardin... wouldn't like that? That's really impressive. - The Faunos girl thinks.

- Okay, if my team thinks so then I won't be against it. It's better for the three of us to join forces to get through the first phase. - Russel says, walking in front of the two and crouching on the ground. His green aura begins to come out of his body and certain places throughout the region began to glow.

- What is this? - Blake asks curiously.

- It's my Semblance, I can highlight any area for tracking. As well as clues in investigations. We both came to the conclusion that in order to find Oobleck, we would have to follow where all the trails lead. – Russel says.

- That makes sense... in the end we discard the direction where other trails started and we exclude the ones that make the most sense... we will reach a certain direction at some point. – Blake thinks with her finger on her chin. She never thought she would say this but Cardin's teammates really are capable of managing.

- Okay, let's go this way. – Russel says pointing north, Blake and Dove follow him.

...

Jaune was fighting three Ursas, which would certainly be impossible for the Jaune from initiation. But now it was like watching someone who actually went to combat school fighting.

Jaune easily dodges an Ursa's attack by punching her in the face with his shield, he ducks an attack from behind and sweeps the Ursa from behind, knocking her down and quickly giving a piercing cut to the head of another one that was coming on all fours. The first Ursa he attacked with a punch quickly recovers and advances again on Jaune who dodges with a feint going to the left of the Ursa, making her trip over the one on the ground and then jumping on top of both of them, piercing their heads with the blade of the Crocea Mors.

- Okay, this gives me some points but it's not enough. - Jaune says to himself.

- Jaune?

The blond knight hears a familiar voice and looks to his right. Noticing a certain girl in a red cape and gothic dress who was carrying a scythe approaching him.

- JAUNE! - Ruby shouts with an excited smile, using her speed to jump into Juane's lap, hugging him tightly, intertwining her arms and legs with the poor knight, who only doesn't fall to the ground by sheer force of will.

- Hi Ruby heheh, it's great to see you too. – Jaune says, petting Ruby, who removes her face from Jaune's chest and gives him a big smile.

- It's great to see you! I'm glad I found someone I knew! How many points do you have so far? – Ruby asks, getting off Jaune's lap.

- Well... I-I-I kind of lost count.

- Pfft... okay I also lost count of my points. – Ruby says, the two peanut-brained leaders stared at each other and laughed at each other, it was really a relief to find an ally in the middle of this competition.

- Hey... my brother from another mother has a girlfriend? – Kai asks looking at Jaune's frequency on his Scroll along with his adoptive family.

- I must say the two of them are a good match~ - Kai's mother says with a smile at the cute display of affection from the two leaders.

- I thought it was that heiress... after all he almost died for her. - Kai's father comments.

Chapter Text

- Awwww, they're so cute, dear. - Says Jaune's mother, watching his reunion with Ruby, with the girl hugging him as if she were the last person in the world.

- Yes, yes, but will he go down this girl's route? - Asks Jonas with a thoughtful expression.

- What do you mean by that? - Asks the younger sister with glasses, looking at her father with a suspicious expression.

- Oh, nothing, dear! N-nothing! - Says Jaune's father, looking away from the girl.

- Uhmmmm, I think I'm starting to notice something here. - Thinks Megana.

As the families watched their children continue in the first phase of the Beacon Games, a strong and imposing figure had arrived at the scene and was walking towards Ozpin and Glynda.

- Oh, so you've finally arrived, huh? James. - Asks Ozpin, turning to face a man in a white military outfit with a characteristic overcoat. He had a defined face with black hair thrown to the side, with small white strands on the side starting to appear due to age and stress. He was being accompanied by what appeared to be soldiers and none other than Penny Polendina.

- Oooooh! You're the man we brought to help Jaune and the others! - Penny says, remembering Ozpin.

- That's right, Penny, right? I appreciate you contacting James so we could resolve the situation with the White Fang, you should know that you probably saved Jaune's life that day. - Ozpin says, greeting Penny with a smile.

- Did I? But I wasn't even there. - Penny says with a confused expression.

- Well, by extension you did save him. - Glynda says, Penny just turns her face like a confused puppy looking at Goodwitch.

- Forgive Penny, she has a little difficulty with social interactions, and also forgive me for being late, some things happened along the way. – Ironwood says, sitting next to Glynda and Ozpin. He nods to his soldiers, who understand that they are free to leave.

- What happened? – Asks the blonde woman with slight curiosity.

- It seems that one of the prototypes of a machine we are planning was stolen, but it seemed to be just a false alarm. – Ironwood says, his expression showing that he did not seem satisfied.

- I understand, it is good to be completely sure. After all, in the last few days our enemies have been acting much more. – Says Ozpin.

- Yes, I am the one who said that Tiryan attacked Beacon, is that true? – Asks Ironwood.

- Unfortunately, it is a reality. Fortunately, before I got to him, Jaune and Cardin managed to intercept him. – Says Ozpin.

- Did Jaune fight again? He will end up dying if he fights with such strong people! In my database, it says that Tyrian is one of the strongest special grades ever documented. – Says Penny, joining the conversation.

- Database? – Glynda stares at the girl, her expression more confused than before.

- In OUR database. – Ironwood says, staring at Penny as if he was scolding her for revealing too much information.

- Anyway, you seem to be interested in these two students named Jaune Arc and Ruby Rose, right? – Ironwood says, changing the topic before he questions Penny's oddities even further.

- Why don't you see for yourself, I think we have great Huntsmen in Beacon this year. – Ozpin says with a slight smile, sipping from his cup of coffee, going back to watching.

...

- It came from here, I'm sure of it. – Ren says, walking through the forest with Nora on his back, with his hammer in the form of a grenade launcher, looking for signs of any Grimm that could threaten Ren.

- Hey, what if it's that super strong Grimm that we should avoid? I don't think we should go in the direction of the confusion, do I? – Nora asks.

- Okay... that was impressively rational coming from you, but if someone is in danger it's our duty to help, regardless of whether it's worth points or not. - Ren says, cutting more leaves in front of him with the StormFlowers.

- Ahwww this is my great Renny! Always selfless and helping others! Our fearless leader is a great influence on you. - Nora says, playing with Ren by messing up his hair.

- Ahaha Jaune is a great influence on anyone Nora... wait a minute, I see someone over there... - Ren says, looking suspiciously and bending down, Nora just imitates him, seeming to be amused by being on a stealth mission. They stare at what seemed to be a first-year exchange student, just like them. She was wearing a combat suit that looked like a red dress, she carried a red scimitar and a large Nevermore was dead in front of her. 

- You can leave, I won't bite~ - The woman says in a seductive tone, looking back with her amber eyes, where Ren and Nora were hiding.

- Wow, you're really strong! You defeated that Nevermore all by yourself! - Nora says excitedly, Ren looks at the woman with suspicion.

- No apparent injuries... even with Jaune who has an absurd amount of aura and even more absurd durability... there would be visible injuries from a fight like that... no signs of fatigue or irregular breathing... it's as if she hadn't tried hard to fight that Grimm... - Ren thinks, with a drop of cold sweat running down his forehead.

- Oh, this Grimm here? He was already injured and very tired, I think I was lucky. - The woman says with a smile to Nora.

- What's your name? I'm Ren and this is Nora. - Says the monk from team JNPR, taking the lead and introducing himself. 

- You can call me Cinder, and well... I guess we'll see each other around. - Cinder says, turning her back on Ren and Nora, following a different path than the one they were following.

- Hey Ren, do you have the impression that you've already met her somewhere? - Nora asks.

- She's an exchange student, Nora, we probably saw her in the hallways and didn't realize it... - Ren says to Nora, but the truth is that he just wanted to divert the girl's focus from that woman, because he also felt that he had seen her somewhere other than Beacon, this feeling of strength, of superiority, of someone beyond comprehension... that woman was something else.

...

- This is becoming a big problem! - Yang says, dodging a student's attack and knocking him out with a well-placed headbutt.

- Yeah... I'm sorry about that. - Pyrrha says, the two girls had met in the forest and were now pairing up to be able to continue the games. The problem is that Pyrrha was constantly being attacked by several participants who wanted to eliminate the strongest first-year as quickly as possible.

- Hey, don't blame yourself for this! Believe me, I was thinking about doing the same thing? - Yang asks with a smile at Pyrrha.

- And?! Fight me?! I-I didn't do anything, right? Sorry for anything! - Pyrrha says, getting slightly nervous about the possibility of having hurt Yang with something.

- Hey, hey, hey, calm down there gladiator! It's nothing personal, but you're the strongest among us all! Eliminating you right at the beginning would be the best strategy, but... man, I really want to fight you for real! Under the rules of the second phase! - Yang says with her excitement for fighting, clapping her gauntlets together.

- Heh, well, then it's a deal. We'll both go to the second phase and we'll face each other! – Pyrrha says, offering a handshake to Yang, who accepts, squeezing Pyrrha's hand tightly, sealing the contract between the two girls who love combat.

- Well, did we manage to find who you wanted, Sky?

Pyrrha and Yang quickly go on guard when they notice a third voice in the room, three boys. They are Sky Lark, Scarlet David and Sage Ayana from the SSSN team. The three met in the middle of the first phase's campaign and decided to join a team to get past the first phase.

- Yes, Pyrrha Niko, the strongest first year... but it seems that things are going to be more complicated because she is with the dragon of team RWBY. - Sky says, despite knowing about Pyrrha and Yang's strength, he showed no fear, holding his halberd more cautiously.

- Dragon of team RWBY? I think that over time each of us gets nicknames, right, silver halberd~ - Yang jokes, seeming to like the nickname she just got.

- You two are from Sun Wukong's team, aren't you? I imagine you must be as strong as him. - Pyrrha says with her guard up, keeping her eyes on each of them, watching Sky, Scart and Sage start to spread out, circling Yang and Pyrrha.

- Our leader Sun may be an idiot and carefree guy, but he is still our leader. – Scarlet says, with a Cutlass in one hand and an old pistol in the other, making him look like a pirate.

- And we're going to the second phase. – Sage says, looking very serious, taking a great sword from his back and holding it in his hands.

- I hope you don't think badly of us for this, after all, we're doing things that are in the rules of the competition. You two are very strong and dangerous players. – Sky says.

- Relax, man, I don't think as badly of your team as I used to, and of course you're right... YOU'D BETTER TRY TO ELIMINATE ME AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE! – Yang shouts, her eyes turning slightly red.

The blonde girl advances towards Sky with a powerful direct punch, but luckily or through improved reflexes, Sky manages to defend herself with the handle of her halberd.

- HOW STRONG! Even defending her blows, I still feel a lot of pain... it's better to try to dodge than to defend. – Sky thinks, turning his face away from Yang's attack, but the girl was much faster and manages to land a spinning kick on the silver knight's stomach, sending him rolling on the ground. But before Yang could advance, Sage steps in front of Sky and hits Yang in the face with her blade. Luckily, Team RWBY's dragon manages to dodge the severe damage by throwing his head back, but a small cut is made on his cheek.

- What?! – Yang looks confused, noticing that a target mark has appeared on her cheek.

- This is my chance... - Scarlet thinks, advancing towards Pyrrha after being pressured by the gladiator girl. He pretends to shoot the girl only for her to put her shield in front of him. But Sky uses Pyrrha's shield to jump into the air and glide using his semblance. He aims at the target in Yang's face with a shot.

- YANG LOOKOUT!! – Pyrrha shouts, trying to warn her, but Yang takes the shot from Scarlet's gun. Yang felt a pain as if there was no aura in the place where they had hit her. She fell rolling on the ground but quickly recovered.

- What pain... what was that?! Was it his Semblance? - Yang thought, her cheek was bleeding a lot due to the shot, having to use a considerable amount of aura to stop the bleeding from the wound.

- My Semblance "target shooting" makes each hit of mine that I wanted to have my Semblance create a target on the person, if I or someone else hits an attack on that target, the person will receive twice as much damage and the amount of aura of the person who applied the attack will be doubled. - Sage thought, seeing that Scarlet's aura was much bigger and stronger.

- Scarlet is a great shooter and with his Semblance Gliding he can get several blind spots in the battle... if we keep working on the Semblance of both of them we can defeat them both. - Sky thought, recovering from Yang's attacks, he had to distract the two so that Scarlet and Sage could do their job.

- Uhm... I think I get it... - Pyrrha thinks, staring at where Yang had been injured. She had seen several types of semblances in her time in the arena and seemed to recognize the type and how Sage's power worked quickly.

- That's it, we can't back down now. The next exchange of blows will decide who will win and who will lose this fight! - Sky and Pyrrha think at the same time, both of them advancing towards the battle.

Chapter Text

- The answer is no. - Weiss says, looking slightly irritated, walking through the forest while walking next to her was none other than Neptune, Sun's partner.

- Seriously? Wow, I didn't think I would be rejected so quickly. - Neptune says, hiding her disappointment in a smile.

- It's nothing personal, but I already had a date for the ball. - Weiss says, turning her face to the man, just focusing on moving forward.

- And wouldn't I have a chance against him? Come on, I could be whatever you want. - Neptune says.

- Uhm, can you be a tall, strong blond guy who wears white and gold armor, uses a sword and shield fighting style, is very dense but gentle, and probably has so much stamina that it would make a team of grade 0 huntsmen jealous? - Weiss asks rhetorically, she looks at Neptune who had a strange expression.

- What? - Asks the confused blue-haired guy.

- Then no, you can't beat him. - Weiss says.

- Damn Jaune, what's your secret to doing these things?! Huh? - Neptune was wondering what magic the Beacon knight could do to attract so much attention from people, until he noticed some Beowulfs running through the woods, their behavior a little strange since there didn't seem to be anything in their way.

- Hey Weiss... do you notice that? - Neptune asks.

- Yeah... that's not a common behavior for Beowulfs... either they tracked someone or they smelled something that doesn't belong here in the forest. - Weiss says, deciding to run in the direction where the Beowulfs were running.

- Well... what if this blond knight is already interested in another girl?! - Neptune shouts, seeming to give up easily on trying to get the heiress's attention.

…

- Jaune! - Ruby shouts, noticing the Nevermore flying towards her, with its mouth open. Jaune jumps in front of Ruby and grabs the beak of the large crow Grimm, keeping it open with his insane brute strength.

- NOW RUBY!! - Jaune says. Ruby quickly uses her semblance to charge towards the Grimm at high speed and tries to cut its neck, but the Nevermore seems to realize the intention of the two and flaps its wings in the opposite way to fly backwards. Ruby transforms her scythe into her rifle mode and shoots several times towards the Grimm, who manages to dodge a few bullets, but one of them hits his right eye.

- Let's use his blind spot now to attack! When I say so, you jump towards me, Ruby! - Jaune says, running, trying to follow the Nevermore's blind spot. Ruby disappears between the tree branches so that the Grimm doesn't know her position.

- Okay... I think... NOW! - Jaune shouts.

Ruby flies at high speed towards Jaune, who seemed to be used to the girl's speed. He places his shield as a platform for Ruby to climb on top of and with a great thrust of his brute strength, Jaune sends Ruby flying towards the Nevermore. The reaper girl manages to cut off the Grimm's head with ease by attacking from the side that the Grimm was blinded by because of her accurate shot to the eye.

- WOW! Last time we needed my whole team to defeat one! - Ruby says landing on the ground, giving an excited high five along with Jaune.

- That means we're getting stronger. All our training is paying off. - Says the blond knight.

- Yes! I hope I wasn't too heavy to be thrown. - Says Ruby, a little shy.

- Ruby, you're extremely light, I could carry you with one arm around. - Comments Jaune.

- I highly doubt it! - Comments Ruby, Jaune just smiles defiantly and extends his arm towards Ruby, as if daring her to hang on his arm. And that's exactly what Ruby did.

- His arm doesn't even move while I'm hanging... a-and his arm is really strong! - Ruby thinks, trying to divert her focus from the fact that she was currently holding onto Jaune's muscles, who was walking with her just to prove her point.

- See? You're extremely light. - Says the blond knight.

- Y-you're the one who's really strong! N-now let's stop this! - Ruby says, stopping hanging onto Jaune's outstretched arm and walking in front of him.

- Did something happen to her? - Jaune asks himself.

- GRRRRRRRRRRR I DON'T LIKE THE WAY THIS BOY IS CLOSE TO MY DAUGHTER! - Taiyang shouts, seething with rage in his seat, scaring the people who were next to him.

- Hey Ruby, what are you- Jaune couldn't finish saying his sentence because something hit him right in the head. Ruby just stares with wide eyes in surprise, seeing Jaune's blood flying and the body of her best knight friend, falling on the grass of the emerald forest.

- WHAT WAS THAT?! - Ruby says, looking in horror at an arrow stuck in Jaune's head, who was lying on the ground.

- Well, we managed to hit it. - Says a female voice emerging from the forest. Four figures began to emerge from different places, and approached Ruby. The girl with silver eyes grips Crescent Rose tighter and stands in front of Jaune protectively.

- Nice shot, Nebula! - Says a blonde woman with blue eyes, wearing a green combat dress with a golden shoulder pad. She used a technological golden spear as a weapon.

- She managed to take down one of them with just one blow, as expected from her stealthy appearance. - Says the gray-haired woman with curly brown eyes, she wore a black dress with purple details and some metal plates on the side of it.

- Now, only the girl with the red hood, Ruby Rose, is left. – Says a red-haired girl with long hair, she used a kris dagger as her main weapon.

- Who are you guys! That kind of attack was a low blow! That could have killed Jaune! – Ruby shouts, really angry.

- Huntsman and Huntress need to always be ready for death, no matter the situation, and no matter what is happening... if your hero friend can't do that, he must not be a Huntsman either, as we already imagined. – Says the red-haired girl with long hair, seeming to look at Ruby with a certain lack of expression, Ruby even felt a bit of contempt coming from her.

- Who are you guys... - Asks Ruby, what kind of team could be like that in Beacon.

- We are the NDGO team! And we came straight from Vacuo of Shade Academy. I am Nebula and these are my teammates, Dew, Gwen and Octavia. – Nebula says with her hand referring to each of the girls. 

- I don't know what you want with us, but I won't forgive what you did to Jaune... NEVER! - Ruby screams with anger emanating from her silver eyes.

- We don't need your forgiveness! - Gwen says throwing several throwing knives in Ruby's direction. The girl was ready to retaliate the attack but a person appeared in front of her and defended all of the girl's throwing knives.

- What?! HOW IS HE STANDING!? - Nebula thinks with wide eyes seeing the figure of the golden knight with the shield in his hands and sword in hand.

- This here, it's going to give me a headache later, you know? - Jaune says removing the arrow from his head as if it were just a common wound.

- DAMN! OUR BROTHER IS SO DAMN TOUGH! - Jaune Tomboy's sister screams excitedly.

- Dad... what did you feed him when he was a child? - Star asks Jonas, who stared in amazement. He knew his son had a huge lifespan, but this was insane.

- I think... that those cereals he ate must have caused some mutation in his DNA. - Says the girl with glasses.

- He wasn't... he wasn't supposed to be standing. Nebula's semblance makes her sneak attacks ignore a person's defense... that shouldn't be possible... - Gwen thinks, seeing her daggers being completely rendered useless by Jaune's shield.

- Ruby... that expression of hatred doesn't suit you, we don't fight like that, okay? - Jaune says, looking back, giving Ruby an understanding smile. He knew her anger was completely right, but he doesn't want to see his Ruby fight like that, it wasn't the Ruby he knew.

- O-ok, o-okay! - Ruby says, a little impressed to see Jaune standing.

- You guys, that could have killed someone. It's not the kind of behavior I would expect from a group of Huntresses. - Jaune says with a strong and sharp expression, as if he hadn't been hit by an arrow in the head a few seconds ago.

- Hump, that's what we hate about you guys from Vale. – Dew says, letting out an irritated grumble.

- What's up?

- Are you still stuck in this idea that Huntsmen are heroes? Created to protect people from the Grimms and hunt down bandits, put them behind bars and celebrate as the saviors of the nation? That's the thought that Beacon infects you with. – Octavia says with a neutral expression.

- Is that what you think Huntsmen are?! Where do these ideas come from?! – Jaune shouts indignantly, how could anyone think that doing good, that wanting happy endings was something bad?

- What do you think happens in a war, huh?! What did you think happened during the war of the four kingdoms?! Do you think Huntsmen were heroes?! In the end, all we are are soldiers! Mercenaries who do work for money! And we will die for the people, for the system, this is the real and raw life of a Huntsman, what you sell to people is an illusion that sooner or later will disappoint everyone! - Dew says, seeming slightly angry at Jaune and Ruby, for being this archetype of hero in the world of Huntsmans.

- You may not realize it, but you two, Ruby Rose the prodigy girl... and Jaune Arc the Hero, you two are the face of the first year of Beacon! And you are filling the hearts of all the first years with lies and illusions! - Nebula says, the four girls of the NDGO team seem to grab their weapons ready to continue the fight, emanating their auras. Jaune and Ruby do the same, preparing to fight against a team, the two of them alone.

- It doesn't matter what we have to do to defeat these girls... - Ruby thinks.

- We will change their way of thinking! - Jaune thinks with determination. He doesn't understand what Shade or Void Academy put in these girls' heads, but he would show them that the world can have heroes, and that people can have happy endings.

...

- Something's wrong, we can't find high-level Grimms, this way we won't get enough points even if we find Oobleck. - Says Ren, having just killed a Boarbatusk.

- Yeah, it's like everyone's already finished with all the fun! Nora thinks it's strange... - Says Nora, looking around.

- OH! That girl named Cinder might have finished them all! - Says Nora.

- Do you happen to know if she's been here? - Asks Ren.

- Yes! She has a very characteristic smell of burnt things! Do you remember when you once burned the pancakes?

- No need to remind me of that.

- So! She's in that direction! - Says Nora, pointing to where she believes Cinder is. 

- Nora… let's go to her, but this time I'll use my Semblance to hide our presence. – Ren says.

- Huh? Why all this care? – Nora asks confused.

- Yeah… it's just a guess but I need to confirm some things… - Ren says to Nora. The girl shrugs and holds hands with Ren, so that her ability could work in the best possible way, and she wouldn't refuse to hold hands with Ren under any circumstances.

- Ruby has enemies we don't know about... we just had a conflict with the White Fang... and I don't know why that woman... she's extremely familiar to me... - Ren says, and then he almost had an insight.

- Nora... have you ever smelled something similar to that woman somewhere?

- Uhm... Nora can't confirm for sure because we were in the middle of a fight, but Cinder's smell is very similar to that person we were fighting against in the White Fang. - Nora says, Ren widens his eyes. That person they fought easily overpowered them and could have killed them if it weren't for the soldiers and Ozpin arriving to save them.

- No... it can't be... - Ren thinks, despite all this, it wasn't enough proof. He then decided to continue in the direction of where Nora thinks Cinder might be, walking alongside his faithful partner.

Chapter Text

- Heh, don't think this is going to knock me down! - Yang said with determination, hitting the Ember Celica together and advancing towards Sage, delivering a one-two combe to his face, but he managed to defend himself because his large sword was very wide, almost like a shield in front of his face. But Yang knew he would use this and quickly crouched down and turned her body on its axis, tripping Sage, making him fall to the ground. Yang was ready to attack Sage with both of her fists, firing a shotgun shot from her gauntlets, but Sky managed to reach Sage and get in front of him, striking both of Yang's arms with the handle of her halberd, but he ended up taking damage from the shots that even with armor, the impact still hurt and some bullets hit the part where he didn't have armor.

Yang was going to continue her attack but ended up taking more shots from somewhere. The blonde girl did two backflips to reposition herself in the middle of the battle. 

- I don't know if Yang has already understood how Sage's ability works, but she certainly already knows that he is the main problem for them... we have to end this quickly. - Scarlet thinks, holding her pirate blade, he had to wait for Sage to use the target on one of them quickly, but he was getting impatient.

- Are you okay? - Sage asks, with a soft voice and worried about Sky, who was on his knees on the floor.

- I'm fine arf... between the three of us here, my only job is to take the blow for you! Keep up the strategy! - Sky says, standing up, showing great bravery that he certainly wouldn't have shown at the beginning of the year. But things had changed, his vision of Beacon and his vision of how to be a Huntsman were different, Cardin had changed and so had his team.

Sky advances towards Yang and slams his halberd into the ground with all his strength, raising a lot of dust, momentarily blinding Yang. As soon as he does that, Sage advances on Yang's right side while Sky advances on his left side.

- Damn... I won't be able to react to both of them at the same time! - Yang thinks, crossing her arms in front of her face, to defend herself from the attack in the best way possible.

But a bronze shield flies towards Sky, hitting him in the head, making him fall to the ground unconscious for a moment. This makes Sage lose his attention on Yang and looks at Sky worriedly. Giving the blonde girl the opportunity to give an uppercut to Sage's stomach, making him gasp for air and then a punch straight to his face, sending him rolling away.

- Damn! I needed-

The bronze shield had flown towards the branch Scarlet was on, he was caught off guard and couldn't use his gliding ability in time, Pyrrha was already below him, running towards him and with a turn of her body, she gave a strong blow with her spear, multiplying this blow by a force unknown to Scarlet. Throwing him so hard that Scarlet ends up breaking a tree with her back, falling with the other three.

- Are you okay? - Pyrrha asks, stopping next to Yang, recovering her shield that flies towards her arm, almost like magic.

- Relexa Pyrrha! I'm just WARMING UP! - Yang says, by the way her hair was shining she really was just warming up.

- You have an ability that when you hit someone using your semblance you leave a weak spot, don't you think? And it seems that whoever hits this weak spot has an exponential increase in their strength. - Pyrrha says, looking at Sage who was getting up, helping Sky to get up too.

- You really are smart! I couldn't expect anything less from the great Pyrrha Nikos, champion of the Mistral arena. - Sage says with a weak smile, Yang's blows really had an effect on him.

- So that's why the redhead with the punk haircut over there has such a high aura, right? He's the one who hit me in the face. - Yang says, looking at Scarlet.

- Staying hidden won't work anymore... I'll keep increasing my power with your targets, Sage... Sky, do what you can to create a gap. - Say Scarlet, don't take your eyes off Yang and Pyrrha, the real fight would start now.

- Sky... if you're already at your limit...

- I'M FINE! - Sky shouts, surprising Sage a little.

- Arf... I know I don't stand a chance against them, I know I'm the weakest here but... I can't back down now, how... how would I look at my team if I stop fighting! As long as I'm still standing, I'll fight! - Sky says, being the first to advance against the two girls who clearly had more power than him.

- I don't know what happened to this team, but man, I respect them so much now! - Yang thinks, clashing her fist with the blade of Feather's Edge.

Pyrrha was much more active and before Sage could follow Sky to use more of her Semblance, she put her blade in rifle mode and fired several times in his direction, which cuts through her bullets with ease. But what Pyrrha wanted to do was a distraction to use her semblance and change the trajectories of her bullets that went towards Scarlet, who was not prepared for this and ended up taking two shots to his knee, making him fall to the ground.

- NO! NOW OR NEVER! - Sage thinks, making a gigantic cut in the air and sending an attack towards Pyrrha.

- AN AURA BLADE?! - The Arena champion thinks, not expecting this type of attack and not being able to pull up her defense in time. Taking the aura blade on her arm. However, the attack did not hurt her, but marked a target on her arm.

- I see... using the least aura possible in a ranged attack to only apply the semblance effect... ingenious. - Pyrrha thinks, right above her Scarlet appears using her semblance and tries to strike the weak point created in Pyrrha, but the girl manages to put her shield in front of her in time, defending herself from Scarlet's blade attack.

- I can't let him hit another weak point again! His aura will increase fourfold! - Pyrrha thinks, deflecting Scarlet's attack by grabbing him by his arm and throwing him towards Sage, but before that, in mid-air, Scarlet uses her semblance to slow down the speed at which she was throwing him and shoots her pistol at the target on Pyrrha's arm.

- Damn! - Thinks the champion of the arena.

- How are you? - Scarlet asks Sage.

- Tired, injured, but still standing. - Sage says.

- Great but...

The two look in fear at a body being thrown, breaking the trunk of a tree. It was their companion Sky, unconscious and defeated, lying seated with his back resting on the broken trunk.

- I respect you Sky, I respect all of you. I think this is the first time I've used the entirety of my semblance here in Beacon. - Yang says, walking imposingly. Her hair was shining gold with fire emanating from it, her red eyes showed a strong threat in the crimson color.

- Yang... were you hiding that the whole time? - Pyrrha thinks, impressed by the strength that came from the blonde girl from team RWBY.

- Sky was defeated... SAGE!

- RIGHT!

Sage goes towards Yang while Scarlet goes towards Pyrrha. In the minds of both of them, they had to eliminate Pyrrha Nikos as quickly as possible, after all, she was the only grade 1 in the entire class.

- She's too fast! Even with a 4x boost to my aura... - Scarlet exchanges blows with her blade with Pyrrha, he tries to shoot her in the head but the girl is faster, ducking and striking his chest with her shield. Pyrrha jumps and kneed Scarlet in the chin, making him stagger back.

- Even with all this, I can't get close to her! Scarlet rolls to the side, dodging an attack from Pyrrha. He tries to shoot her, but Pyrrha's shield appears flying and disarms him easily. How did she manage to do that? It was as if she had complete control of her weapons without needing to care about the physics of the world.

- She really… - Scarlet tries to advance with her blade, exchanging blows with Pyrrha's spear, but she always finds an opening to attack, piercing her feet to destabilize her footwork.

- ...is the champion of the arena. - Scarlet thinks before losing consciousness due to a blow that Pyrrha lands on the tempura, making him fall to the ground defeated.

Yang easily dodges Sage's attempts to land blows in her direction, each slash attack she walks backwards, dodging without problems, throwing her body left and right. Until the girl gets tired and holds the Blood weapon with both hands, quite easily.

- That was your mistake! - Sage thinks, making the targets of her semblance appear in both of Yang's hands, but the girl just smiles.

- Was it a mistake? - Yang asks, making a high kick appear from below, hitting Sage's face. Yang's blows were stronger, they were like being hit at full speed by a Bullhead. This kick made Sage stagger back and become stunned.

- I knew you wouldn't resist the chance to put a target in my hands! But KNOW THAT IT'S NOT ALWAYS SMART TO USE YOUR SEMBLANCE AT EVERY OPPORTUNITY! - Yang shouts with fire coming out of her entire being, landing a combo of several crosses on Sage's face, one, two, three, four, five, six punches in a row until finishing him off with a punch in the middle of the face, exploding in flames, throwing him away and defeating Sage.

- Your semblance is very powerful, Yang. - Pyrrha says with a smile, walking towards Yang with a hand on her shoulder.

- I would say yours is too, something like a magnet, right? - Yang asks. 

- How did you…

- I may not be as smart as Weiss and Jaune in the middle of battle, but I know very well that the movements of your bullets and your shield are not possible normally, either that or you use a semblance that controls your weapons. - Yang says with a smile.

- Do you think they'll be okay? - Pyrrha asks looking with slight fear at the three students they had defeated.

Then above Yang and Pyrrha a snow appeared that came down with several paramedics picking up the bodies of Scarlet, Sage and Sky.

- Every student who can no longer continue fighting in the forest we take to the infirmary, remember that everything is still being transmitted here. - One of the paramedics says to Yang and Pyrrha.

- That's a relief, I thought Ozpin was going to leave us in the forest to die hahaha. - Yang says, her hair and eyes returned to normal.

- We still have to find out where Oobleck is and continue accumulating points. - Pyrrha says.

- YES! Take good care of them guys! These guys are really badass! Let's go Pyr! - Yang says, waving goodbye to the paramedics and disappearing into the forest, followed by Pyrrha.

…

- Hey, I think something's up. - Qrow says, looking through the binoculars, noticing a person coming through the door. The descriptions were what he expected, a man with a bowler hat, a white suit, red hair and who was accompanied by a very short girl with hair that resembled Neapolitan ice cream.

- It seems that the information Ozpin got was correct! Alright, time to act, my friend! - Port says, standing up and putting his weapon on his back.

- Let's go, mustachioed guy. - Qrow says, with his hand on the hilt of his sword that was on his back, ensuring that it was there, ready for the fight that would take place inside that nightclub.

Chapter Text

- THAT'S IT! THAT'S MY GIRL! DADDY IS SO PROUD OF YOU! - Taiyang says, freaking out in the stands, making the people around him look at him with disgust. But who could blame him? He just saw his dear Yang turn a very difficult situation around.

- But now Ruby... I trust that you will get through this difficult situation too, my daughter. - The blond man thinks, changing to see how Ruby was doing, fighting against that team of girls who set an ambush for her and Jaune.

Ruby clashes the blade of Crescent Rose with Octavia's Kris, the girl makes flames coming from Dust emerge from her dagger and launch themselves towards Ruby. But the reaper of team RWBY quickly ducks and turns using her semblance to dodge Octavia's attack, flanking her and aiming a blow towards her face. However, an arrow hits Ruby's leg, making her grunt in pain and fall rolling on the ground, losing control of her speed.

- RUBY! - Jaune shouts worriedly, but he couldn't do much to help his combat partner because he had to defend himself from a piercing blow from Dew's spear, using gravity Dust to increase the impact in Jaune's direction. Luckily and with effort, Jaune had a lot of physical strength and managed to resist the attack, being thrown back a little, but the discomfort of a pain in his arm catches his attention, realizing that there were three throwing daggers in him. It wasn't really a big injury for Jaune, but it bothered him that now he couldn't move his arm that was holding the blade of the Crocea Mors.

- This isn't normal... it must have something to do with the semblance of the girl who throws throwing daggers, I need to find a way to remove these daggers from my arm. – Jaune thinks, rolling on the ground, dodging more of Gwen's throws, who bites her lip, frustrated at having missed, and runs towards Jaune with Dew, aiming to close his escape routes.

- Now we're going to show you what it means to be a real hunter, Jaune Arc. – Gwen says in a calm but threatening voice.

- You're going to fall today, Jaune! – Dew shouts excitedly, thinking that they managed to corner Jaune.

- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! – Jaune hits hard at a tree that was next to him, using his brute strength and his aura with the impact of his shield, he manages to tear the trunk apart, making the large tree fall towards the girls.

- He had the strength for that?! – Dew thinks in surprise, quickly going to hold the tree to save her friend Gwen, having greater physical strength than her. But that leaves her vulnerable to an attack from Jaune, who charges forward, giving Dew a two-footed flying kick to the ribs, knocking the air out of her and throwing her away, rolling on the ground.

- DEW! - Gwen shouts worriedly.

- You have some ability that makes it so that while those knives are in one of my limbs I can't use it properly, right? Even though it doesn't cause much damage, it's extremely efficient. - Jaune says, moving his arm, now without Gwen's throwing knives, looking at her with a victorious smile.

- They're using a strategy where one fights hand-to-hand while the other provides support from a distance... she even shot my leg to limit my movement... smart thinking to deal with the semblances of a speedstar. - Ruby thinks. The girl in the red cape looks at Nebula's position, she had to keep an eye on her while fighting Octavia because she knew that the leader of the NDGO team had an ability to increase damage with stealth attacks. Ruby looks at what looked like a rock on the ground.

- Forgive me, Crescent Rose. After this, I'll treat you well, I swear! - Ruby thinks, looking at her scythe.

- The advantage is in our favor, we're 2 against 1... I'm sure Dew and Gwen can handle the knight... I'm sorry, but we had to make this decision! We can't let you fill our companions' heads with fantasy thoughts... in the end, all heroes meet the same end. - Nebula thinks with her weapon in the form of a Crossbow, without taking her eyes off Ruby, who was exchanging quick blows with Octavia.

- Switching to rifle mode takes time and she already knows my weapon, I would expect that! So a surprise attack from a distance will work! - Ruby says, throwing her scythe back as if it were a baseball bat. Octavia found the amateurish stance strange but just ignored it, knowing that she could easily dodge the attack, but when Ruby advanced she didn't go towards Octavia but instead passed her.

- What?! - Nebula thinks seeing Ruby hitting her scythe and a rock on the ground as if she was playing a stunt, she used her semblance of speed to gain even more strength in the hit she gave to that rock. Making it fly directly at Nebula's head without her being able to react to the attack.

However, this made Ruby lower her guard on her back taking a strong cut from behind by Octavia.

- A good move, but I can still keep up with you. - Octavia using the gravity dust to attract and kick her in the stomach making her fall to the ground. 

Even though Jaune had improved his hand-to-hand skills, he was still more than five years behind everyone else in Beacon in terms of experience. Of course, he makes up for his lack of experience and training with insane effort and great bravery in combat, but this continues to prove to be a problem for him.

- She's really fast, ugh... she fights like she's doing ballet... - Jaune thinks, falling to his knees on the ground, he spits out some blood to get the excess out of his mouth.

- Do you happen to know how many people have died in the war between the four kingdoms? - Gwen asks, walking towards Jaune, she advances with rapid speed, doing a balletic spin, kicking Jaune in the face, and then jumping with another spin, kicking him in the chest. But Jaune doesn't back down, he tries to attack with a piercing attack from Crocea Mors and then a horizontal strike, but the girl barely manages to dodge and puts a throwing knife in Jaune's arm again, disabling him. Before he can remove the dagger, Gwen attacks Jaune with the palm of her open hand in the middle of his face, throwing him to the ground.

- That's why we in Shade hate you in Beacon, you treat being Huntsmen like heroes, like something that came straight out of a comic book. But every day people like us die torn apart by the Grimms, every day we fail to save innocents, every day we have to face the weight of death and deal with people stronger than us. - Gwen says, walking towards Jaune, who stands up, still standing firm and strong with that fire in his eyes. 

- You have no idea how much it hurts when your fantasies are shattered by harsh reality... that's why you and that Ruby girl need to understand what it's like to be a real Huntsman. - Gwen says, stopping in front of Jaune.

- Heh... well, I don't hate you, but I think I'm getting used to hating Shade.

- What do you mean by that?

- If this is what they're teaching you, I want to send my most sincere "go fuck yourself!" - Jaune shouts, jumping abruptly towards Gwen. She was caught off guard, but in that moment she manages to jump back and stick two knives in each of Jaune's arms, rendering his hands useless in combat. She thinks she's victorious, but Jaune just gives her a strong headbutt. Gwen didn't have much resistance and is really stunned by that blow.

- Don't act like you're the only ones who saw the danger in the world! I saw it all very well! Ruby saw it! All my friends saw it! – Jaune shouts, he remembers Adam, Roman and Tiryan, he would never forget them as long as he was alive and they represented a threat.

- But thinking that heroes can't win... thinking that people can't have happy endings... thinking that fairy tales can't be real is a coward's solution who is afraid of being disappointed! WE CHOOSE THIS BECAUSE WE ARE NOT AFRAID OF FALLING! AND WE WILL RISE UP UNTIL OUR GOALS ARE FULFILLED! WE WILL BE HEROES! – Jaune shouts with determination, Gwen stares at him with her mouth open in shock, she didn't think he really thought that, or that he would still hold to those convictions.

But Jaune feels a great pain in his stomach, he looks down and notices Dew's spear stuck in his torso.

- Heh, you're good with words, you know? I'd really like you in other circumstances~ but words don't win fights. - Dew says with a victorious smile.

- Heh... you're not that bad, you'd use the flames from your spear to burn me from the inside if you really wanted to defeat me.

- What are you talking about? You have a spear stuck in your stomach!

- All I see... is that YOU LOST YOUR SPEAR! - Jaune shouts, spinning his body and giving Dew a strong spinning kick in the face, making her fall to the ground, losing her grip on her spear.

- This... this Jaune... this knight is insane! - Gwen thinks, watching Jaune slam one of his arms into a tree, forcing the removal of his knives from each of them in a disgusting and brutal way, but it worked. Jaune was the most injured there for sure, but it seemed like he was just getting started, even if he has a spear stuck in his belly.

- Do I look like a fallen hero to any of you? – Asks the blond knight with a provocative tone.

Ruby crouches down, even with the pain she does so to dodge Octavia's attack and deliver a slash from the bottom up at the girl that manages to hit her, however Octavia is still able to fight and sends a wave of Dust of electricity towards Ruby who rolls away from it. Ruby puts the Crescent Rose in Rifle mode and shoots towards Octavia, however she ends up missing. Or that's what Octavia thinks because Ruby shot a branch that was fragile, making it fall on top of the girl, giving a good distraction for Ruby to advance towards her, however Ruby ends up taking a sneak attack, another arrow in her other leg.

- Damn… - Ruby thinks using the handle of her scythe to stay standing.

- Every Speedstar's nightmare, having their legs injured. – Nebula says standing up leaning against a tree, Ruby's attack really left her very injured as her face was covered in blood. 

- Arf… this is the end Ruby, with our victory we will show everyone what it is like to be a real Huntress. – Says Octavia. The three were tired of the fight, with their auras at their limit.

- Are you looking at me as if I had already given up fighting?! Come on! – Says Ruby still maintaining a defiant look with her silver eyes that vibrated as if they had magic in them.

- You are a speedstar! In a real combat situation you would be dead! Your logical option is to surrender! – Says Nebula indignantly.

- Being a Huntsman, or in that case a huntress, is not about making the logical decision. – Says Ruby seriously, something that stood out even more on her cuter and rounder face, showing that she really had conviction in what she said. 

- You can talk about false fantasies, that our job is cruel but that doesn't matter... no matter how cruel the world is to me, to us, no matter how many challenges and failures I have in my career as a huntress, I will never stop believing that being a heroine and that happy endings will always be possible! We have to make them possible! That's why we exist! We choose to be the soldiers we want to be and you chose to be that way! It wasn't the world that did this! Only you! - Ruby says keeping her scythe upright in combat mode, despite her shaky legs having difficulty standing, she would still fight, she wouldn't stop fighting.

- We who...

- We chose to be this way...

Nebula and Octavia were thoughtful for a while with the words they had just heard from Ruby, as were Dew and Gwen, however the six students who were fighting in the forest began to notice something different. The ground was beginning to shake.

- What is this? – Jaune said, looking around.

It was as if they were hearing someone stepping, or rather, something stepping on the ground. Something big, something heavy… and probably something very dangerous.

Chapter Text

- Here we are! The best in town have arrived! - Roman says with his eccentric and artistic personality, opening the two doors of the club with force.

The club seemed to be in full swing with people enjoying themselves and dancing to the loud music, but it was strange that most of the club seemed to be made up of men in black suits with red sunglasses. They stared at Roman and Neo as the two approached the bar counter.

- Roman Torchwick, it's impressive that you still have the courage to show your face here after your betrayal, even coming here just to say that it was all over. - Says a tall and strong man. He had black hair thrown back, having used gel to keep it down. He had a well-groomed black beard with brown eyes, wearing a red tie with a white dress shirt under the black vest that matched the pants and boots, using black leather gloves to finish the kit.

- Hey, I didn't betray you, in the end I paid for the work, didn't I? – Roman asks in a carefree tone.

- We signed a contract, Roman. You know very well that I hate being made a fool of! This is no joke, this is Xiong family territory! Do you think I can just let you leave without further ado? – The man asks, banging his fist on the bar table, clearly showing irritation at Roman's carefree behavior regarding the situation. Neo notices that two girls were starting to approach the two, seemingly keeping an eye on the pair of criminals. They seemed to be twins, with one wearing a white and blue dress and the other wearing a red and black dress. The one in the red dress had short black hair and the one in the blue and white dress had long hair. Both had green eyes like malachite.

- What do you think about us making up with this? – Roman asks, showing a folder to Junior, who looks at it with one eyebrow raised. He looks at each of the girls and nods, and it seems that this simple nod made their murderous intent disappear. But the two kept their eyes on Roman and Neo, who seemed to be enjoying the situation.

- These are blueprints for a robot project... wait a minute, don't tell me...

- That's right, my friend Junior, these are none other than the blueprints for Atlas' newest project, the Atlasian paladin! - Roman said, opening his arms as if making a big revelation, which he actually did.

- How... did you manage to pull something like this off?

- Hehehe, I have my contacts, Junior. I have a lot of influence in the underworld. Everyone wants to work with the charming and charismatic thief Roman Torchwick. Only you and your gang stick to the old ways of how the streets and the underworld worked. It's not just each man in his own corner anymore, my friend Junior. We have a golden opportunity here to do something incredible.

- Okay, you have my interest, Torchwick. Tell me what's the plan? - Junior asked, pouring two drinks into two glasses, sliding one to Torchwick while he kept the other for himself. 

- I know you have resources, I know you can very well build one of these, no, several of these without any problems, I am giving you a weapon that you could use without any problems against the Mistral Spider Mafia and they would lose all conflicts against you, I bet your father would be proud of his son. - Roman says with a big smile, taking the glass of drink and swirling it, admiring the color and quality of the drink.

- But? - Junior says with a suspicious tone, he knew better than anyone that things don't come for free.

- I'm going to need your help very soon, you dominate the police easily, you always manage to get away with having high positions in your hand with bribes, but there is a military power that we cannot control, or rather, we cannot control it yet. - Roman says.

- Beacon…

- That's right, I have a plan to make Beacon ours! Roman and Junior stare at each other for a few seconds, both of them testing each other, seeing the determination to continue with this kind of plan, the determination to continue with something big and seeing if there was a counterpart who would respond, seeing if the other party was really telling the truth. In the end, they both smile and raise their glasses, toasting as if they were great friends and drinking the drink in one gulp.

- You just closed a great deal, my friend. - Roman says.

- It's good to be back in business, things have been quiet here in Vale lately. - Junior says with a rare smile on his face.

The club's door then opened abruptly, drawing the attention of everyone in the mafia who was inside, including Neo and Roman. The sight they saw was of two figures, one tall and thin and the other robust who was stroking his mustache.

- So it seems our information was right hohohoho. - Professor Port says, with his blunderbuss ax resting on his shoulder.

- Maybe my streak of bad luck is starting to end. STOP THERE ROMAN TORCHWICK! YOU'RE UNDER ARRESTED! - Qrow shouts, pulling his sword from his back and pointing it at Roman.

…

- She's late. - Says a Beacon student in the middle of the forest. He had gray hair and very light blue eyes. He wore a combat suit consisting of a black turtleneck with gray details on the chest. He wore metal shoulder pads and gauntlets. He wore regular black jeans and metallic black boots.

- Quiet Mercury, you don't want to make Cinder angry. - Said a girl with short green bob-style hair and red eyes. She had dark skin and her combat suit consisted of a black top with green gloves, the top being held up by white belt-like straps that intertwined around her torso and neck. She wore white pants with leather protection that ran from her shins to the end of her thighs, held up like suspenders. She wore sandals tied with ropes on her feet.

- Come on Emerald! I wish I was fighting and killing everyone here! - Said Mercury with his arms crossed, looking dissatisfied.

- You two are really noisy, you know? This forest is full of Grimms. - A mature voice spoke, approaching the two, a voice they already knew, which turned out to be Cinder.

- Heh, as if any of them could really give us trouble. - Mercury said with a defiant smile.

- Forgive him, Cinder, you know he's an idiot. - Emerald said, Mercury gave his teammate an irritated look.

- I know what it sounds like, losing on purpose in the first phase isn't something I really like either, but it will give us an advantage for what we really came here to do. - Cinder said, Mercury and Emerald seemed to understand what she meant.

- The Vytal festival will happen and we will have this advantage, I bet the principal also thought about this kind of possibility, that students like us who prioritize the future event will use it for a gain. - Cinder said, but the way she said the words seemed to mean much more than just the competition that would take place in the future, however, there was no way for someone outside to really find out about it.

- Is it... just that? – Ren thinks, hiding behind a bush with Nora, using his semblance to be completely undetectable to Cinder's team.

- See? You're getting paranoid, Renny. – Nora says, whispering to her partner, but her tone is worried.

- … Maybe, but if they want to know our semblances, they won't know, we'll know theirs. – Ren says.

- Wait, but if we stay here, we'll lose the first phase.

- I think Jaune and Pyrrha will understand the sacrifice we made, and what they said makes sense. Ozpin must know that this option exists, the evaluation is certainly not just the common way we think it is. – Ren says, giving Nora a reassuring smile.

- Well, if my Ren is going to do something, then I'll follow him to the end. – Nora says, squeezing Ren's hand tighter to show affectionately that she would follow him, no matter what.

…

- Arg… I can't do it anymore… - Dove says, falling to the ground exhausted, the boarbtusk would attack him if it weren't for Blake piercing him in the stomach and defeating him.

- Damn… it seems like he really reached his limit, but… he still doesn't have the right point count… - Blake thinks.

- Yeah… I think the game is over for me too. – Russel says, kneeling on the ground, panting, the clues that were marked by his aura were starting to fail.

- You can't give up now! We're so close to reaching our goal! – Blake says loudly, she doesn't know why but she was really inclined to motivate the two of them, probably because of the heat of the battle, because they were fighting side by side with each other's backs, this kind of thing, regardless of the people, somehow brings people together. 

- Blake… I have a request for you… - Russel said, sweating coldly. It seemed like he was trying really hard to keep his semblance active. After all, the one hour was almost up. He was using his aura practically nonstop.

- What? What do you need?

- I want you to leave me and Dove behind. - Russel said, falling, dragging himself to rest his back against a tree, while Dove just lay on the ground.

- WHAT?! Are you guys crazy?!

- He's right, Blake, arf… even if we manage to get to where Oobleck is, Russel and I don't have enough points to move on to the second phase. You have more than enough points for this. - Dove said, breathing heavily with her back on the ground. 

- We'll just be delaying you and still putting a possibility that you won't be able to make it in time arf... I'll keep my powers active as much as I can so you can continue, according to what I'm analyzing you're not far away... - Russel says, he could see that there was still doubt on Blake's face.

- GO! THANKS TO YOU THAT WE MANAGED TO GET THIS FAR! LET US RETURN THE FAVOR! - Russel shouts, almost as if he was demanding it.

- Blake please! Continue without us! - Dove says, begging Blake to leave them behind.

Blake stares at Russel and Dove for a few seconds still seeming unsure of what to do, but after thinking carefully she keeps a determined expression on her face and walks towards Russel, picking him up and throwing him over her shoulder, surprising the member of the CRDL team, as well as surprising Dove by catching him with her other arm. 

- Damn, I wish I had Jaune or Nora's strength right now. - Blake says, clearly having trouble carrying both of them.

- W-WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! - Russel shouts indignantly.

- BL-BLAKE! THIS ISN'T GOING TO WORK! - Dove protests.

- I'LL MAKE IT WORK! - Blake shouts, seeing someone more taciturn and introverted like Blake shouting with such demand was always a surprising thing to see.

- You said back then that you couldn't look Cardin in the eye if you fought me... - Blake says, taking one step at a time, despite not having the insane strength of Jaune and Nora, she was still a Huntress in training and had greater strength than that of ordinary humans, of course it was still a great difficulty for her to do this, something that her two friends with mountains of muscles would probably do without getting tired. 

- I couldn't look Ruby in the eye if I left someone behind, that's not Team RWBY's style and I learned that, I really learned... - Blake says, remembering the dock incident, the White Fang incident, how her friends came after her.

- But we still don't have the points...

- You'll get to Oobleck! It doesn't matter if you have enough points or not! We started this together and we'll finish it together! - Blake says, leaving Russel and Dove speechless for such willpower and kindness that Blake certainly wouldn't show to Team CRDL at the beginning of the year.

- Heeeh, our little girl really grew up so much, I had no idea Beacon could do so much for her. - Blake's mother says, looking at her daughter through her screen, with a big smile of pride on her face.

- I don't think we need to worry about her anymore, she's really not a little girl anymore. - Blake's father says, as proud as his wife.

Chapter Text

- Congratulations, you made it here. – Oobleck says, clapping his hands, seeing Weiss, Neptune, Yang and Pyrrha.

- How did you make it? We followed the strange behavior of the Grimms, they must have been attracted by the different smell of coffee that is not common in the forest. – Weiss says, becoming a little less tense seeing her friends.

- Ah, that's why Ozpin wanted me not to drink coffee here, well, I guess that's it. – Oobleck says, shrugging.

- Actually... we found it based on luck hahahaha. – Yang says, scratching the back of her head and Pyrrha becomes shy and embarrassed with the fact that she had passed the first phase by luck.

- Yeah... that's more like you, Yang. – Weiss says, not seeming at all surprised.

- But we all made it to the second phase! We did well! – Neptune says.

- Actually, I made it to the second phase. You haven't killed any Grimm since you arrived in the forest, you've just been hitting on me. - Says the heiress, looking irritated at Neptune. Her expression immediately falls.

- DAMN IT'S TRUE! Damn... I failed epically... - Says the blue-haired man, falling to the ground dramatically.

- Dude, are you kidding me that you got here without scoring any points just because of a girl, seriously? - Asks Sun, emerging from the forest with Cardin.

- DON'T JUDGE ME, DAMN IT!

- Look, you guys are doing well, huh. I'll tell you something, Cardin, your partner Sky is tough. - Says Yang, giving a thumbs up to Cardin, who just stares at Yang seriously, not knowing how to react to this interaction.

- W-WE'RE HERE! - Says Blake, finally arriving at Oobleck's safe zone, falling tiredly to the ground.

- BLAKE! - Shouts Yang, Pyrrha and Weiss, automatically running to her.

- Dove?! Russel?! – Cardin goes to his teammates, realizing that the two were on their last legs.

- Sorry, Cardin... we failed... - Dove says, her voice sad.

- Sorry boss... we couldn't defeat... enough Grimms. – Russel says, trying to force a smile.

- Stop it, you're fine and that's all that matters to me... if you gave your best, put your strength into it, that's all that matters, I'm proud. – Cardin says very seriously, a leadership posture that Pyrrha and Weiss weren't used to seeing.

- I appreciate you helping them get here, Blake, I owe you one. – Cardin says, holding his two teammates more easily than Blake, who was held by Yang.

- You don't owe me anything, we were a team during the time in the forest. I managed to get here thanks to Russel's tracking Semblance, so it was an exchange of favors. – Blake says, Cardin nods and returns to his place.

- Well... Nora, Ren, Ruby and Jaune are missing. - Pyrrha says.

- I hope they're okay. - Blake says, sitting on the ground, leaning against a tree, finally able to rest.

- They better hurry, because there are only ten minutes left until the end of the first phase. - Oobleck says, looking at the time on his scroll.

...

- Coco... what are their chances? - Velvet asks, standing in the audience watching Jaune and Ruby next to her team, she had a worried expression.

- Ruby's legs are injured... being a speedstar makes her quite weak in that state... Jaune has great durability but that doesn't cancel out his injuries and he's the one who got hurt the most in the conflict... and besides him, everyone else has little aura... little aura to face this Grimm. - Coco says, staring, as tense as Velvet.

- So they're facing the Grimm that's not worth any points, right? - Fox asks.

- Exactly... the situation has reached a critical point... what are you going to do, Jaune? - Yatsuhashi says.

Jaune, Ruby and the NDGO team were facing a large gorilla Grimm, but it wasn't just any ordinary Grimm, it was clearly an alpha, being gigantic and having an extremely strong presence.

- An alpha Beringel... so this is the Grimm that isn't worth points. - Dew thinks, gritting his teeth as the situation worsens.

- What are we going to do?! My entire team is badly injured and with their aura reserves very damaged... we have to flee! - Nebula thinks, turning to run.

- RETREAT! - Nebula shouts to her entire team, who nods positively.

The NDGO team quickly follows Nebula's instructions. However, the Beringel seems to be more attracted to them precisely because of the fear emanating. The alpha grimm gives a loud roar and slams his hand hard on the ground and lifts it like a bulldozer, throwing several pieces of rubble and rocks towards the team.

- NO! – Nebula screams, turning her crossbow into a sword and trying to defend her team from as many rocks as possible. Deep down, she was still the leader of the NDGO team and wouldn't let them get hurt anymore.

But by stopping to defend her team, she leaves herself vulnerable and the alpha Beringel manages to reach her.

- NEBULA! – Gwen screams worriedly.

Nebula prepares for the monster's punch in front of her to hit her, as if her life were passing before her eyes. But what she hears is the sound of metal suffering a very strong impact. Nebula opens her eyes and sees Jaune Arc in front of her, having defended Beringel's gigantic hand with his shield.

- D-DAMN! WHAT STRENGTH! – Jaune thinks, forcing his arm beyond its limit, with blood squirting non-stop from the wounds, opening them even more.

- A-ARC?! – Nebula speaks in disbelief.

- You protected your companions argh... I... can respect that! You're not bad people... then... - Jaune is forced even more by the Grimm's brute strength, dragging him back. His wounds are opening even more. The NDGO team can only stare in horror and admiration, how could a man still fight like that?

- THEN I WILL PROTECT YOU!

- GROAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWH! – The beringel raises its other arm, ready to crush Jaune, but before he can reach it, Ruby practically flies up, striking the beringel's arm with the Crescent Rose blade.

- Shit... a superficial cut. – Ruby thinks, landing on the ground, falling to her knees due to the wounds on her legs. But quickly getting up. 

- Why... WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?! – Octavia screams.

- YES! You're going to lose like this! You still have enough strength to run away if you leave us behind! – Dew screams.

- It doesn't make sense... why... Benrigel was coming after us... why... why did you come? – Gwen looked shocked as she spoke.

- IF YOU HAD RUN AWAY! HE WOULD HAVE COME TO US! YOU DIDN'T NEED TO FIGHT! THEN WHY?! – Nebula screamed in anger and indignation, the Huntsmen had to make logical decisions in the battle for survival, for victory, what Jaune and Ruby were doing didn't make sense in her head, so why did they do it?

- What are you talking about? The answer is right in front of your faces. – Jaune says, removing Dew's spear from his belly as if it were nothing, and throwing the weapon back to the girl.

- Deep down you understand, but they made you believe that it wasn't like that. – Ruby says, entering a combat stance when she sees that Beringel was advancing towards them again.

- Being a Huntsman is not just a profession! But a way for us to become heroes! – Ruby and Jaune say in unison, dodging Beringel's attack, with Ruby jumping to the left and Jaune to the right.

- Dew... thanks to them we are no longer the targets... the alpha Beringel has noticed a greater threat coming from Jaune and Ruby and is focusing entirely on them. – Gwen says, walking towards her leader who was on the ground.

- If we wanted... we could run away. – Octavia says.

- But... do you want to run away? – Nebula asks. The team remains silent, seeming not to want to answer the question. Or maybe the silence was the answer.

- In Shade... we are taught that a huntsman needs to prioritize survival... that it is from logical thinking, from individualism that true strength comes... but then why...

Ruby shoots Benrigel's right eye with her rifle, he almost manages to catch Ruby if it weren't for Jaune making a lunge with the shield on his arm.

- Then why...

Jaune is grabbed by the Grimm and thrown to the ground like a toy held by a child, making Jaune grunt in pain. Benrigel was going to hammer Jaune on the ground again with his arm, but Ruby came to the rescue, using her speed and the Crescent Rose bullets as momentum to arrive with a kick to his hand, giving Jaune time to get up.

- Why are they both so above our level, having a totally opposite philosophy?! - Nebula thought, she knew the answer to the mystery, but telling the answer would be denying all her years of training.

- Ruby, arf... I'm going to need your help a lot now... our attacks aren't being very effective. - Jaune said, forcing himself to stand up. His entire body was covered in wounds and blood, but he continued to resist.

- jus say, Jaune! - Ruby said, gritting her teeth, trying to endure the pain of the wounds on her leg. Although she wasn't as injured as Jaune, she had less durability and the wound on her legs was critical for the use of her Semblance.

- You need to destabilize him as much as possible, attack his legs repeatedly and with your speed. It's going to take a lot out of you, but I need this opening to make my attack. - Jaune says.

- Heh, I don't even know what you're planning, but I'd do anything you tell me, Jaune! - Ruby says with a big smile, advancing on the Grimm.

- That's the best kind of strategy for giant humanoid Grimms like you! - Ruby thinks, starting to use her speed, circling Beringel, creating a big red vortex that attacked Beringel's legs from all sides.

- Even with the injuries... she can still move like that... impressive. - Octavia says, her eyes wide, seeing Ruby.

- Great... time to do that. - Jaune says, putting his blade away in his shield and transforming it into his Claymore form.

- Did he still have a new combat mode?! - Gwen thinks.

...

- Hey... what's Jaune doing? - One of the boy's sisters says, seeing him standing with his sword, starting to emanate an absurd amount of aura.

- Wait... Jaune, this is crazy... - Jonas thinks, staring at the Scroll in a cold sweat.

...

- Ozpin, we have to stop this! If he continues to accumulate aura in that irresponsible way, he'll make his limbs explode! - Glynda says, getting up from her seat.

- Wait, Glynda, have a little more faith in your students. - Ozpin says, looking at Jaune with interest.

- Ozpin, you need to intervene in this now! This is not how you use aura armament responsibly! - Ironwood says, with a demanding voice just like Glynda's.

- Are Jaune and Ruby in danger? - Penny asks worriedly, Ozpin still remains serious, staring at the two.

- ARC! STOP THIS RIGHT NOW! YOU CAN LOSE AN ARM IF YOU DO THIS! - Dew shouts, realizing that Jaune was accumulating a large amount of aura in his arms and his sword.

- I told you... I'm not the kind of hero who dies. - Jaune says confidently and then jumps towards Beringel, who had completely forgotten his existence because of Ruby.

Aura can be used to reinforce an attack as explained before. You can put more aura in your fist to punch harder, more aura in your leg to kick and jump higher. But there is a limit for people. Only 20% of this aura is recommended to be used on each limb so that there is no damage, 30% would cause terrible pain, 40% would cause your muscles to break and above 50% could make you lose the limb in which you concentrated the aura... however, these percentages were created using students and huntsmen who already had aura since childhood.

Jaune Arc trained for ten years without having aura, pushing the human body beyond its limits to gain the maximum strength, speed and resistance he could without having aura. This made him a peculiar case, where in one limb he can withstand up to 80% of his aura without damage to his body.

- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! - Jaune delivers a powerful blow full of aura to Beringel's head. The blow was so strong that it caused a great wave of wind in the forest. The noise of the impact was like a missile hitting that grimm, and released several black rays of aura into the air. The blow completely destroyed Beringel's Grimm mask.

- Impressive. - Ozpin says with wide eyes and a proud smile on his face.

- You saw that, right? - Glynda asks, impressed by what she just saw.

- Yes... black rays... - Iroonwood says, looking cautious.

- A natural event where when a large amount of compressed aura is released intensely, usually only special grades can make this event happen, but I think Jaune Arc is an exception. - Ozpin says humming, looking at Glynda and Iroonwood, loving being right about them.

Beringel slowly falls to the ground like a defeated titan, and he ends up falling directly with his head on the tree that Jaune knocked down, which ended up forming as if it were a large wooden nail pointing upwards, which pierced Beringel's head and the fall, killing him for good.

- Arf... arf... it's over - Jaune says, using the Crocea Mors to keep himself standing.

- Jaune... how the hell did you do that? – Ruby asks, in the same state as Jaune, but with Crescent Rose to lean on.

- Heh, I think I can hold more aura in my limbs than most, it's a technique for situations like this... but it's hard to apply because it takes time to charge the aura... and at that angle he would fall right into that destroyed tree that was like a trap for him, it was a perfect plan. – Jaune says with a weak smile.

- Nebula... we never really had a chance, did we? – Octavia asks.

- If those two fought us like that from the beginning, we wouldn't last long. – Dew says with a strangely happy smile on her face.

- Really, the stars of the first year of Beacon are scary. – Gwen says, shaking her dress, seeming to have recomposed her more stoic and expressionless speech.

- Fuh... Beacon... I think we have a lot to learn in this exchange. - Nebula thinks smiling as she sees Jaune and Ruby trying to walk, only for Jaune to fall face down on the ground, hurting his nose and Ruby trying to help him, but also falling to the ground and hurting her nose.

- ATTENTION EVERYONE! TIME IS UP! THE FIRST PHASE OF BEACON GAMES HAS FINISHED! - Says a message from Oobleck coming directly to the scrolls of all the participants who were still in the forest, including Jaune, Ruby and the NDGO team.

Despite everything, Jaune and Ruby had failed in the first phase.

Chapter Text

The first phase of the Beacon Games was over. The students who were seriously injured or knocked unconscious in the forest were escorted and treated in the infirmary. While the others who failed but were still fine were having their injuries treated in a small outdoor medical wing, built specifically for the event.

- That was extremely reckless and you two know it! Fighting an alpha Beringel just the two of you?! What were you thinking?! - Weiss asked with her hands on her hips, while giving a lecture to Jaune and Ruby who were on their knees in front of her like two children who were caught doing something wrong by their parents

- Ruby, do something! - Jaune said, whispering to his partner in crime.

- Do what?! Do you want to kill me?! Use your Jaune charm to calm her down! - Ruby said, whispering back to Jaune.

- Jaune charm? What the hell is that? - How do you not know what this is if you are the creator of this technique?!

- Just because you are whispering doesn't mean you are speaking softly, you idiots! I am hearing everything! - Weiss says, smacking Jaune and Ruby on the head at the same time.

- MY DEAR RUBY! - Taiyang shouts, running towards Ruby, pushing Jaune away so he can hug Ruby tightly.

- I NEVER DOUBTED YOU! THAT WAS AMAZING! YOU ARE AMAZING! - The blond man says with a tearful voice.

- D-dad! Let me go please! This is embarrassing! - Ruby says, trying to get away from her father, but the difference in strength was too much. She hopes Jaune doesn't think she is a spoiled daddy's girl.

- When you said you had a secret technique, I really didn't imagine that. - Yatsuhashi says, arriving with the CFVY team at his side. Kai was running towards Jaune with his parents. 

- THAT WAS SO COOL! WHAT WERE THOSE BLACK RAYS?! IT WAS THE STRONGEST HIT I'VE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE! - Kai says, jumping excitedly in front of Jaune with his eyes shining.

- Hahaha, I honestly don't know, they sometimes appear when I raise my aura for some reason. - Jaune says, scratching the back of his head. He was talking to the CFVY team without realizing that Taiyang was watching him with a serious expression.

- Black Rays... this boy has such an intense aura that he can summon them... - Taiyang thinks, he would never admit that to a boy who is so close to his daughters, but he was impressed with Jaune's performance.

...

- Yeah, sorry guys, I ended up losing in the first round. - Jaune says in front of his family, apologizing to them, with an awkward expression.

- You don't need to apologize for that Jaune, what you did was incredible. – Paprika says with her hand on her brother's shoulder.

- YES! YOU BLAST OFF THAT GORILLA GRIMM'S FACE WITH ONE PUNCH AND BOOM! YOU FINISHED HIM! HAHAHAHA! – Juane's Tomboy sister says, punching the air excitedly.

- And most importantly, you sacrificed your chance of victory to help people in need. – Jaune's mother says with pride in her voice.

- I am... we are all proud of you, son, even if you didn't make it to the second phase. – Jonas says with a smile to Jaune. The blond knight of Beacon couldn't be happier, despite failing, he had everything he ever wanted, the approval of his family with his dream of becoming a Huntsman, a hero.

- Attention! Attention everyone, please, I would like to get your attention! – Ozpin says, going to the middle of the entire event with a microphone, behind him being Ironwood, Glynda and Oobleck.

- We would like to congratulate all the students who participated. Although many did not make it past the first round, we could see that most of them performed satisfactorily during the first phase of the Beacon Games. – Ozpin says.

- Now for the second phase, where we will have one-on-one battles. Those who managed to reach the safe zone of Oobleck will compete in tournament-style combat. Where they will fight in an arena and the opponent who manages to throw their opponent out of the arena or turn their opponent's aura red wins. – Ozpin says, nodding to Glynda who presses a button on the projector showing the scheduled fights.

1st fight: Pyrrha vs Yang

2nd fight: Cardin vs Sun

3rd fight: Weiss vs Ruby

4th fight: Blake vs Jaune

- WHAT?! – Jaune and Ruby shout at the same time, not understanding why they both qualified for the second round.

- Now that the first round is over, I can reveal a few things. As you noticed in the first phase, we intentionally left out a lot of information. When you're in the middle of a job as a Huntsman, you have to work with the information you have, and you won't always be able to count on a good information network. But the Huntsman job also counts on one thing. - Ozpin says, Glynda switches to the clip of Jaune and Ruby fighting Beringel, to protect the NDGO team that could no longer fight.

- How is Ruby managing to run at that speed with her injured legs? - Pyrrha thinks, impressed, all the speedstars in the arena always gave up or were brutally defeated when their way of moving was compromised.

- That's my little sister!! She's not just anyone!! - Yang says with loud pride in her voice.

- HOW?! - Ren shouts, really impressed seeing what Jaune did when he channeled that amount of aura and his arms didn't explode, he doesn't remember being really shocked by something like that.

- That idiot! Once again he's being irresponsible in combat! - Weiss says with her arms crossed, masking her concern for Jaune's well-being with irritation at his recklessness. 

- These two students, Ruby Rose and Jaune Arc, gave up their ranking in order to save a team that had ambushed them. Everyone knew that the Beringel alpha wasn't worth any points, but even so, the two stayed, because that's what a Huntsman and a Huntress have to do. It's not about the gains, but about doing what's right, about acting when no one else can. About putting people's well-being above any gain, wealth, fame you might have. Today, these two students demonstrated the true essence of what Beacon wants to show! - Ozpin says, people looked impressed at the recordings of Jaune and Ruby. Seeing the girl more fragile but determined to keep fighting and the boy who seemed like he was always about to fall because of his injuries, but always standing up. 

- The secret assessment was that if any student failed the first phase due to a heroic act, this student would be classified for the second phase without needing the points, that's why Jaune Arc and Ruby Rose were classified. - Goodwitch says, the audience cheers excitedly as if they had seen their favorite team win a game. At the end of the day it was still refreshing to see real heroes in action.

…

- R-Ren... p-please can you forgive me? - Jaune asks, really afraid of Ren. Team JNPR, RWBY and CFVY were eating together, after all those who managed to qualify for the second round needed to be as prepared as possible.

- Jaune, I'm your aura control trainer and I must say that I already suspected that you could actually concentrate more aura with the armament than most people can, but doing this without consulting me was reckless! There are so many variables that you're lucky not to have after-effects! - Ren says with a strong and loud voice, making Jaune shrink even more in his accent.

- S-s-sorry! It was really supposed to be a surprise! S-s-sorry about that! Please forgive me!

- Come on Ren, Jaune is fine and everyone is fine! In the end, this makes everything even for the fact that we didn't qualify for the second phase. - Nora says, stroking Ren's hair to try to lessen his rage as a trainer, but it didn't seem to work that much.

- But I'll tell you, Jaune, that was really a risky move. We don't know anyone in the second year who can do what you did, it was really cool~ - Coco says to Jaune, the RWBY team plus Pyrrha and Velvet feel a strange vibe from this comment.

- It was nothing big like... i just... I have to somehow manage to catch up with you guys. - Jaune says.

- Ahw but I'm so proud of you two! Hehehehe but now all of us here are opponents! And I'm not going to go easy on anyone! – Yang says with an excited smile, looking directly at Pyrrha, knowing that she will be her first opponent.

- I wouldn't want it any other way, Yang, and I won't go easy on you either. – Pyrrha says.

- It's true... my opponent will be Blake... I hate to admit it, but she's one of the worst for me to fight against... I have trouble dealing with agile and fast opponents... her semblance and fighting style will practically push me to the limit. – Jaune thinks, staring at Blake with a little too much intensity, not realizing that she had noticed his gaze and getting a little embarrassed.

- Her ability allows her to practically escape any attack of mine, and she has her Uzi so she can attack from afar... but if I remember correctly, the amount of aura she has is only slightly greater than Ren's... maybe if I don't let her breathe I can manage to attack... but what if that's what she wants? Attacking without thinking leaves a lot of openings... most of the time I lose in combat class it's because someone manages to unbalance me and throw me out of the arena...

- Jaune, if you keep staring at me with that expression I'm going to think you want "something" with me. - Blake says purring with a feline smile, taking Jaune out of his thoughts.

- Huh?! What?! What? What's up? What did I do?!

- Bro, you literally Locked in on Blake, it's because she's your opponent, isn't it? - Nora asks, appearing next to Jaune and poking his cheek.

- Oh well, yeah... sorry if I scared you Blake, it's just that you're really strong and I guess I got a little nervous. - Jaune says, scratching the back of his head.

- Oh, don't be nervous Jaune, I promise I'll be really nice to you~ - Blake says, deciding to joke a little with the team's knight. 

- Ah… w-we're still talking about combat, right?

- That's it! COMBAT! Got it, you naughty kitty cat! – Weiss says, hitting the table and staring at Blake.

- What? I was talking about our fight after all. – Blake says, pretending not to know why she was reacting like that.

- I don't know why, but I didn't like your tone. – Ruby says, saying this mostly to herself.

- Is this how you're going to play? I'm not going to let you and Weiss have the upper hand! Just wait for me! – Yang says.

- Heeee… I think you should start making a plan of action, Velvet. – Fox says, whispering to her teammate, who doesn't know how to react to the “fight” between Team RWBY and Pyrrha at the moment.

- My god, where have I gotten myself into aaaaaaaaaah… - The rabbit girl thinks, wanting to cry. Cardin was sitting eating a cereal bar, looking at the recording of Jaune hitting Beringel on his head.

...

- So you prepared yourself in your own way, Jaune... it's good that you didn't lose and it's good that you qualified until you can fight me. - Cardin thought, crumpling the cereal bar's packaging and throwing it in the trash. He picked up his big apple and continued on his way.

- I'm going to defeat Sun to get to you, so maybe we can truly understand each other...

Chapter Text

"Here, we saved a spot for you!"- Ruby said, waving to Jaune, who was approaching the group. Team RWB, JNR, and CVFY were sitting together, but Pyrrha and Yang were missing. After all, they would be the first to fight and were preparing to enter the arena that was in the middle of all the stands.

"Thanks, guys, who do you think will win?" - Jaune asked, sitting next to Ruby and Ren, between Team RWB and JNR.

"Although Yang is very strong, Pyrrha is the champion of the Mistral arena and the only Grade 1 in our class. The odds are definitely in her favor." - Ren said.

"Don't underestimate our team's dragon." - Blake commented.

"That's right! My sister is going to finish Pyrrha! Watch!" - Ruby said excitedly, barely holding back her accent, wanting to see her sister fight. 

"Yang may be strong, but Pyrrha will finish her off!" - Nora shouts.

"When you're more experienced, you'll realize that the rank system doesn't matter as much in combat. It's a good way to rank the Huntsmen's strength and see where you can improve and how far you can go, but it's not that uncommon to see Huntsmen with a lower rank defeat those with a higher rank," Yatsuhashi says.

"Yeah, I think we know that very well,"- Team RWBY and JNPR say at the same time, all looking at Jaune, who was inattentive, musing to himself about various approaches and strategies.

"Huh? What?" - Jaune asks.

"Greetings, my friends!"

"Penny!" - Ruby says excitedly, seeing her strange, orange-haired friend waving at them.

"I wonder if you can let me sit with you?" - Penny asks, her strange, robotic form. 

"Of course, we wouldn't refuse anything to a friend, right?" - Ruby asked, looking at her teammates, who still thought Penny was strange, to say the least (except Jaune, who seemed to see nothing wrong with her, or anyone else)... but she had helped them fight the White Fang, and technically, it was because of her that Jaune was still alive.

"Is it just me, or is it like an AI came out of a computer and started talking to us?" - Fox said, only to receive an elbow jab from Velvet, who glared at him for being rude. Although he couldn't see his rabbit friend's expression, he knew what she looked like.

"I detected two people missing from both your teams, so the matches will start now?" - Penny asked.

"Yeah, Yang and Pyrrha are going to fight. Man, I don't even know who I'm rooting for... I think I'll root for both of them," - Jaune said.

"Take a flag from each of them." - Blake says, handing Jaune a yellow flag with the word "Yang" written on it and a red flag with the word "Pyrrha."

"How do you do that?" - Weiss asks.

"I'm prepared for all situations, Tsundweiss," - Blake says with a small smile.

"STOP CALLING ME THAT!"

"Everyone here seems to be having so much fun! Before the match starts, I want to discuss matters with you, Jaune."- Penny says, pointing her finger practically in the middle of Jaune's face. Jaune gently lowers her hand, giving her a nervous smile.

"O-okay, sure? What do you need Jaune here to do, Penny?" - the knight asks.

"I have a proposal, and the proposal is that you become my boyfriend. What do you think?"- Jaune is speechless, just maintaining the same smile, blinking a few times. Team RWB's jaws drop to the floor. Ren sighs wearily at the thought of having to deal with more people trying to monopolize their leader. Nora and Fox seem to burst into laughter, while Coco smiles in surprise and Velvet's eyes widen. Yatsuhashi simply remains stoic.

"Excuse me? Did I hear that right? Y-y-you mean like a boy friend, right?" - Jaune asks with a shaky voice, still stunned by Penny's direct and unfiltered personality.

"Despite the jumble of words, I mean boyfriend and girlfriend!" Penny says, making Jaune blush even more.

"PENNY! YOU CAN'T JUST SUGGEST THAT!" - Ruby shouts in protest, standing up and shaking Penny with her hand on her shoulder.

"Why not? In my opinion, Jaune is the best partner option we have, considering Ren is already taken." - Penny says with a confused expression on her face, unsure why her friends are reacting so badly.

"I'm taken?" - Ren asks, confused.

"YES! YOU ARE!" - Nora shouts, pulling Ren into a hug, nearly suffocating the older man with her overwhelming strength.

"EVEN SO! You just can't go up to someone you don't even know well and ask to be their girlfriend! That's not how human relationships work! It's unethical, irresponsible, and a bunch of other adjectives that i don't want to say in this situation!" - Weiss says. 

"But according to my analysis, Jaune is a near-perfect partner. He's tall and has a strong body, which are considered attractive traits. He also has great hair and eyes, a kind and brave personality, and a big—

"NO! DON'T FINISH THIS SENTENCE PLEASE! RUBY AND VELVET ARE HERE!" - Blake yells, jumping on Penny to stop her from saying something terrible.

"A big heart!"-  Penny says, finishing her sentence. Blake falls face-first to the floor upon hearing the strange girl's sentence.

"Heeeey, what do you think she'd say?" - Coco asks, teasing Blake, poking her head while she's face-down on the floor.

"I don't want to get up…"

"Oh my god, more of them! They keep showing up! WHY DO SO MANY PEOPLE LIKE HIM!" - Velvet thinks, pulling at her own ears as if to vent her frustration.

"Hey Lola Bunny, doing this isn't going to help anything." - Fox says.

"A-as flattered as I am by that, Penny, I'm n-not looking for a girlfriend right now." - Jaune says, and as he says this, the whole group seems to look depressed.

"Besides, I believe love is formed b-by shared experience! W-we're friends, but we've only known each other for a short time, s-s-so there's no way to develop a healthy relationship that way! I-s-I'd just be using you, and that wouldn't be a good thing, you know? D-don't ask people out just because you think they're nice at first… I could be a bad guy pretending to be a good guy, it happens a lot." - Jaune says, sounding nervous and shy at first, but becoming a little serious as he speaks.

"So, um… try to get to know the person you're romantically interested in well. D-don't take this rejection badly, I'm just trying to help." - Jaune says. Penny looks at him with a mysterious expression.

"Wow, he's so cheesy even when he's dumping someone... Oooh," - Fox comments, only to receive another elbow from Velvet.

"Ooooh, so I have to spend more time with you before we can start dating."

"Look, that's not exactly what I said."

"I see, human relationships are more complex than the equation I was thinking it was... maybe I need to add Bayes' theorem to the equation... thanks, Jaune, that was very informative!" - Penny says, returning to sit in the bleachers, humming a song to herself.

"I... I still share Yang's view that this girl has a screw loose," - Weiss says, taking a smack from Ruby.

"What?!"

"She's trying!"

...

Yang was reloading her Ember Celica ammunition. She looks at her gloves with a serious and determined expression. Yang gets up from the bench in her locker room and begins shadow boxing, punching and kicking the air with extreme speed and precision. Like a professional fighter.

"My opponent is Pyrrha... I can't go crazy even if my hair is on the line," - Yang thinks, remembering with slight anguish the moment she attacked Jaune with such rage it seemed like she was going to kill him.

"No, I don't need to worry about that now... if I mess up, I know they'll be there to beat me and make me come to my senses!" - Yang says to herself with a smile. Her mother may have left her, but she knew he, her friends, wouldn't do that, even if she was.

"But I won't let it get to that point, I won't let them always worry about fixing my mistakes. I have to do it right... I'm going to defeat you, Pyrrha." - Yang thinks, leaving the locker room, facing her first fight in the second phase.

...

"It's all... very familiar to the arena," - Pyrrha thinks, finishing polishing her spear and shield, Milo, and Akouo. 

"I sometimes wonder why I wanted to become so strong... why I became so strong." - The gladiator gets up from her bench and starts walking towards the exit. Pyrrha had always had a latent talent for combat, always topped her class in combat classes, always at the top, but why did she still stay at the top? She didn't like it.

"Why... I think everyone here at Beacon is trying to answer that question for themselves... why are we here fighting? So many years and I only started to question myself now... I only started to question myself the moment he came to me... and treated me like nothing more than a person." - Pyrrha thinks, the image of Jaune coming to her mind. It's as if before arriving at Beacon, she lived on autopilot, but at Beacon, her Quirk was put to the test alongside the group, and Pyrrha discovered that in the end, she had no Quirk at all. 

"I may not know the answer right now, why I'm so strong, why I followed this path even though I didn't like it... but I know that everything I did led me to meet you, Jaune... led me to meet all our friends, and I don't regret that," - Pyrrha says with a determined look, leaving her locker room.

"I will find my true purpose, alongside you."

...

"Let's begin the first fight!" - Glynda Goodwitch says into a microphone, standing in the middle of the arena with Pyrrha Nikos on one side and Yang Xiao Long on the other.

"Pyrrha Nikos will fight Yang Xiao Long. The rules are simple. Whoever turns their aura red or falls off the arena will be considered the loser," - says the blonde teacher, explaining the rules more to the audience than to the students who were already accustomed to combat.

"GO FOR IT, SIS!" - Ruby shouts.

"FINISH HER, PYRRHA! BREAK HER LEGS!" - Nora shouts, climbing onto Ruby's back, somehow holding herself up. With both of them cheering for them like that.

"I'll say Pyrrha, I was so excited to fight you!" - Yang says with a big smile on her face.

"The feeling is mutual, Yang,"- Pyrrha says, reciprocating Yang's confidence.

"Alright, get ready,"-  Glynda says, raising her whip in the air. Pyrrha and Yang get into combat stances, facing each other.

"The most experienced combatant against the most intense combatant, this is definitely going to be a very interesting fight to watch,"- Coco says.

"Yang... Pyrrha... give it your best," Jaune thinks, keeping a serious expression.

"So, who are you rooting for?" - Sage asks. Team SSSN and CRDL were sitting together watching the fight begin.

"Honestly, I don't know. I wish both of them could advance to the next round, actually." -  says Sky, with great respect for the two who managed to defeat them in their ambush. 

"BEGIN!" -  Glynda says, slamming her whip on the ground, marking the beginning of Pyrrha and Yang's confrontation and the definitive start of the second phase of the Beacon Games.

Chapter Text

Yang charged toward Pyrrha first, leaping forward, propelled by Ember Celica's shots, and attempting a quick flying kick with her right foot to Pyrrha's face. Pyrrha quickly managed to bring her shield forward and sweep her shield arm, knocking Yang away. The blonde girl from Team RWBY somersaulted and regained her composure, but nearly lost her balance when she realized Pyrrha had thrown her into the corner of the arena.

"Damn!"- Yang thought, watching the Mistral champion throw her shield toward her. It seemed Pyrrha wanted to end this as quickly as possible.

Yang countered Akouo with a direct punch, sending him flying toward Pyrrha, but the red-haired girl continued forward, and her shield became enveloped in a purple aura, circling Pyrrha and returning it to Yang. Pyrrha throws Milo to further reinforce her offensive attack, but Yang manages to strike with a downward strike, driving Pyrrha's spear into the ground, but ends up taking a blow from the shield that hits her head.

"No!"- Ruby thinks, thinking Yang would lose so quickly to Pyrrha.

"As expected of the Mistral champion, she'll be a tough opponent to deal with," - Cardin thinks with his arms crossed, watching the fight intently.

"I'M NOT GOING TO FALL THAT EASILY, PYRRHA!" - Yang shouts, driving one of her feet hard into the concrete, forcing her to a halt in the arena.

"Interesting." - Pyrrha says to herself, focused. She was already in front of Yang, ready to try to take her down, but the blonde dragon from Team RWBY was much better at unarmed combat, and managed to dodge one of Pyrrha's punches and land a punch aimed at her stomach, propelled by the shotgun blasts in her gauntlets, knocking Pyrrha back.

"I have to take advantage of the fact that her shield and spear haven't returned yet! I have to attack!" - Yang thinks, kicking her foot off the concrete of the arena, sending several small pieces of debris toward Pyrrha with her destructive force.

"Oh no, Pyrrha will be caught without her weapons," - Nora says, worried.

"Don't think like that, Nora... Pyrrha is still the strongest person in our class after all." - Says Ren. 

Pyrrha closes her eyes for a moment as if beginning to concentrate, then opens them, deflecting all the concrete rocks Yang threw at her with extremely precise punches and kicks, surprising Yang to see that Pyrrha could indeed fight as well without weapons as with them.

"Keep going! Just keep going! I won't let you get your weapons back!" - Yang thinks, punching each of the rocks that came her way and then leaping toward Pyrrha, who stares Yang down with a cold, strong calm, the calm of someone who has experienced many battles.

As Yang attacks Pyrrha, the Team JNPR gladiator manages to grab Yang's arm and throw her to the ground with a precise judo throw, causing Yang to exhale as her back hits the hard concrete floor.

"Come on, Yang... don't let the fire of battle blind you... you need to stay calm, fight fiercely but wisely." - Taiyang thought, clenching his fists nervously, seeing his daughter in a difficult situation.

Yang opened her eyes, recovering from the attack, and quickly put an arm in front of her head, parrying a shield blow that Pyrrha delivered straight to her face. The blow was so strong that the ground beneath Yang cracked with the impact.

"Pyrrha is really fighting seriously here... I don't remember seeing her so fierce in any class fight," - Jaune said.

"Pyrrha knows Yang's potential, in fact, she knows the potential of each of us... it doesn't matter which of us wins our fights, it's best for all of us to be prepared to face this Pyrrha,"- Blake said analytically.

Yang tried to defend herself against Pyrrha's shield blows, but defending with only one hand while the other was immobilized was a very difficult task, causing several of the gladiator's repeated attacks to find their way into Yang's defense.

"Come on... keep focusing on attacking me! Do it!" - Yang thinks with a slight smile, twisting to pull her knees closer to her stomach.

Pyrrha realizes Yang's plan a little too late, with the girl's feet already on her stomach and pushing her hard to get off. Yang jumps up and charges at Pyrrha, taking advantage of the gladiator's imbalance to land a two-punch combo to her face. Pyrrha manages to block the third punch with her shield and pulls out her spear, launching a piercing attack at Yang, which Yang blocks with the metal part of her gauntlet.

"You're doing well, Champion of Mistral, are you trying to end this fun quickly?" - Yang asks with a smile, having managed to come face to face with Pyrrha.

"I wouldn't want to face that girl who finished off Sky in the forest," - Pyrrha says playfully. Using her Semblance, she makes Yang's fist slip to the side. After all, Ember Celica was made of metal, meaning that Pyrrha could control Yang's fists to some degree.

"Shit!" - Yang thinks, watching as Pyrrha spins her body, giving her a ribbon, and lands a blow with the blade of her spear right on Yang's face, serving as both a cutting blow and a blunt blow, sending Yang rolling to the ground.

Pyrrha transforms Milo into her rifle form and fires at Yang, but the blonde girl gets up with impressive speed and manages to block all of Pyrrha's bullets with ease, surprising the gladiator.

"Well, now the real fight will begin for Yang," - Weiss says with a small smile at the possibility of a companion defeating someone as renowned as Pyrrha.

"I think you... WILL HAVE TO FACE THE SAME AS SKY! PYRRHA!" - Yang shouted with a smile, her entire body, especially her hair, ablaze with flames. Her eyes were now red, and she wore a wide, excited smile, eager for battle.

"Uhm..."- Pyrrha still managed to maintain a calm and serene expression even in this situation.

"That's my sister's Semblance! I think this will be hard to handle even for someone like Pyrrha," -Ruby said with an excited smile.

"I detect an increase in all of Yang's physical attributes. Compared to the data I have on Pyrrha, I'd say Yang has the advantage in this situation," - Penny said, standing next to Ruby.

"I don't know, guys... Pyrrha... she seems very calm," - Jaune said, suspicious that Pyrrha had a plan.

Yang charged at Pyrrha with doubled speed, surprising everyone in the audience who were watching. Pyrrha assumes a defensive stance, placing her shield in front of Yang's attack, absorbing most of the impact, using the aura armament on her arms for added support.

"Even with all this... I still feel pain all over my body from her impacts," - Pyrrha thinks, seeing Yang's monstrous strength.

"LET'S GO, PYRRHA!" - Yang shouts with a roar, managing to flank Pyrrha, attacking her with a punch to her rib, making the girl grunt in pain. Pyrrha jumps with a backflip, dodging a sweep from Yang, but Team RWBY's dragon continues to press Pyrrha harder and harder.

"Yang is dominating Pyrrha! Oh no! COME ON, PYRRHA! REACT!" - Nora shouts, rising from her seat and jumping up and down to cheer for Pyrrha.

"Nora... I actually don't think that's it..." - Ren says.

"What?" 

"That girl, she's truly a genius when it comes to battle," - Weiss mused.

Yang attacked Pyrrha with a relentless barrage of attacks. They were punches and kicks, and Pyrrha had to use all her combat skills to dodge, defend, and deflect Yang's attacks. However, her opponent's attacks were so powerful that even defending, she still took damage and felt it. Truly, in terms of raw power, no one could surpass Yang Xiao Long.

"But it's not just power that matters in battle," - Pyrrha thinks confidently.

"Damn! That damn polarity power of hers is making my punches inaccurate because of Ember and Celica... heh, if that's how it is." - Yang jumps back, away from Pyrrha. The redhead was breathing heavily, just like Yang.

"Who would have thought my weapons would only hinder me in a fight against you, but I guess it's okay," - Yang says, throwing her gauntlets to the ground, leaving her hands bare to face Pyrrha, who returns to a serious, yet nervous, fighting stance.

However, something happened, and Pyrrha seemed to realize something Yang didn't. Her posture becomes neutral and she places her weapons on her back.

"It's over, Yang, I win," - Pyrrha says with a smile.

"What? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" - Yang screams, letting her anger flow, making the fire throughout her body grow even more powerful. She runs towards Pyrrha, ready to attack, but someone stops her. A purple aura surrounds her and she is lifted into the air.

"Miss Xiao Long, you lost," - Goodwitch says, levitating Yang.

"What? I lost? How?" - Yang is still confused, until she looks at the large screen that shows her and Pyrrha's auras. Her aura was red and still decreasing, while Pyrrha's was orange.

"Damn it…" - Yang says, the flames disappearing and her eyes returning to normal.

"That's a great demonstration and a very common mistake even for professional huntsmen," -Glynda says, stepping forward, standing between Yang and Pyrrha. 

"Aura is our defense. It makes the blows that would kill us into ones we can withstand. It's our main weapon against the Grimms, but aura is also the fuel that Semblances use to be used. Yang Xiao Long, despite demonstrating great prophecy in combat and a clear ability to defeat Pyrrha Nikos, ended up forgetting that a Semblance as offensive as hers consumes a large amount of aura, which leaves her vulnerable to fighters who can fight more defensively. The outcome of this fight in a real fight would be Miss Xiao Long without aura, defenseless against Miss Nikos,"-  Goodwitch says.

"Pyrrha began to go on the defensive and conserve her aura as soon as Yang activated her Semblance... she had this plan in mind from the beginning." -Says Ren.

"That was an impressive strategy..." -Jaune says. 

"We never really thought about it, but Pyrrha is indeed a four-time Mistral Arena champion in a row. She's definitely faced opponents who surpassed her in every aspect, yet she still managed to defeat them. It's not just strength that matters in a battle... this maturity in combat makes Pyrrha the strongest in our class," - Weiss says, admiration and apprehension about facing Pyrrha evident in her words.

"Heh, your blows hurt even when I was defending, you know?" - Pyrrha offers Yang a handshake. Yang looks at Pyrrha with a big smile, shaking her hand, showing she's not personally affected by the defeat.

"You finished me off, huh? Not everyone can activate my Semblance and come back in one piece to tell the tale, you know?" - Yang says teasingly.

"Haha, I can imagine. Sorry if I made you angry, Yang. It was part of my strategy," - Pyrrha says, a little shyly.

"Relax! No hard feelings, okay?" You did great, and we're still best friends! THIS IS THE WINNER OF THE FIGHT, GUYS! WHERE'S THE APPLAUSE?! - Yang shouts enthusiastically, raising Pyrrha's arm in the air in celebration, drawing cheers and applause from the euphoric crowd, excited by the friendly combat between the two girls.

"Pyrrha vs. Yang: Pyrrha Nikos wins!"

"Next fight: Cardin vs. Sun."

Chapter Text

"Now it's our boss's turn to fight," - Russel said with a serious expression, looking at the arena where Cardin would fight.

"He'll definitely pass," - Sky said with his arms crossed.

"Are you guys sure? Sun is really strong... and he was fighting in that conflict against the White Fang," - Dove said, a little uncertainly.

"Have faith in him, he'll definitely pass because he needs to face Jaune," - Sky said, turning to face Russel, his eyes showing complete confidence in his team leader.

"It seems Jaune and Cardin really have a complicated rivalry for you guys to think so, then, huh?" - Scarlet asked, along with the rest of the SSSN team sitting next to Cardin's team.

"It's strange... it started as a silly rivalry, but now they seem to treat it more seriously out of nowhere? Sometimes it's hard to understand what's going on in their heads, and Cardin, well... he doesn't talk much about himself." - Dove says, slightly saddened, not knowing much about her leader.

"When the time comes, he'll tell you what all this means for you. After all, he's still your leader, isn't he?" - Sage says confidently, with a small smile to calm Cardin's team.

"But Sun won't go easy just because of this rivalry; he'll definitely advance to the next stage," - Neptune says confidently.

"Cardin…" - Jaune clenches his fists. He didn't like rooting exclusively for one of his friends, but seeing Cardin and Sun walking to the center of the arena, he couldn't help but root for the leader of Team CRDL.

"Win this fight, Cardin, you have to win," - Jaune thinks, his expression becoming even more focused on the fight.

"Mr. Cardin Winchester and Mr. Sun Wukong, are you ready?" - Glynda asks between the two.

"You bet I'm ready!" - Sun says excitedly, removing his two nunchucks from his waist and twirling them in his hands.

"Yes, ma'am," - Cardin says seriously, removing his large mace from his shoulder, holding it with both hands, and pointing it at Sun.

"Very well... let the fight begin!" - Glynda shouts, slamming her whip on the ground.

Cardin wastes no time, lunging at Sun with a downward strike, aiming to crush him to the ground. But upon hitting him, Cardin clearly realizes it was just a clone. He's trained extensively with Sun and has experience dealing with his Semblance.

"Behind you, executioner!" - Sun says playfully, simultaneously attacking Cardin's face with one of his nunchucks and the side of his stomach with the other.

"We've seen firsthand that Sun is a truly excellent fighter, both in terms of agility and counterattacks. How will Cardin be able to overcome this fighting style?" -  Pyrrha says, standing in the stands with her friends.

"I have no sympathy for him. I hope this Sun guy gives him a good beating before this match ends,"- Coco says in a harsh voice.

"I don't judge you for that, but something about this team is different," - Blake says thoughtfully, remembering the fight she had alongside Russell and Dove in the forest.

"You bet it is, man, that Sky guy's pretty cool," - Yang says next to Blake.

Cardin was being pushed further and further by the storm of blows Sun was unleashing, gradually reaching the edge of the arena. Despite taking a lot of hits, Cardin's durability was one of his best assets, preventing his aura meter from dropping as low as it would against one of the students considered glasscanon.

"I know he's planning something. I wonder if he's going to use the Executioner's special move? Is he purposely going to the corner of the arena as a gamble?" Don't think I'm going to fall for that idea that you can barely defend yourself against my attacks, Cardin! I KNOW YOU!" - Sun thought, making two clones that came, one from the left and one from the right, to attack Cardin, but Cardin smiled.

The moment Sun paused for a second, Cardin grabbed Sun's arm and used it to hit his own clones, then threw Sun forcefully to the ground, making him roll his eyes with the pain in his back.

"What impressive strength... have you two been giving him lessons?" - Ruby asks, looking at Jaune and Nora.

"Let's all arm wrestle!"- Nora says excitedly.

"I... pass, last time my arm almost twisted..." - Jaune says, his expression slightly frightened by the memory.

Cardin was about to grab Sun's body and throw him out of the Arena, but Sun transforms his nunchucks into a baton, sticks them in the ground, and manages to land a kick in Cardin's face, making him back away.

"Man, gasp... your attacks hurt like hell, you know that?"- Sun says with a playful smile, wiping the blood from his mouth.

"And did you know it's fucking hard to hit a monkey like you?" - Cardin says with a defiant smile to Sun. Cardin slams the Executioner into the ground, causing an explosion that sends him charging at Sun at a high speed that catches the monkey faun off guard.

"Using the weapon to cover something you're weak at, a great approach," - Weiss thinks, a little impressed to see Cardin thinking strategically.

Cardin attacks Sun again with a backflip, but this time Sun can't dodge and has to defend himself by placing Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang above his head to defend himself.

"WHAT STRENGTH!" - Sun thinks, feeling her entire bones tremble with Cardin's attack, sinking her feet into the concrete arena floor.

"Let's turn that aura of yours into red now!"- Cardin thinks, ready to activate the Executioner's fire dust and cause a massive explosion at close range on Sun. However, Sun sacrifices his defense, loosening his grip and taking a glancing blow from Cardin's club, only to summon a clone that appears next to Cardin and strikes him hard with his staff, knocking Cardin to his left side, where he falls rolling to the ground.

Cardin stands up and realizes he's practically at the edge of the arena. He looks at Sun, seeing him grab the hand of one of his clones, spin him around quickly like a top, and then launch the clone toward Cardin.

"HE WANTS TO TAKE ME DOWN!" - Cardin thinks, using another blast from the Executioner to launch himself out of the way of the clone flying toward him.

"You won't be able to use the Executioner to compensate for your speed forever, Cardin! The fire dust will run out at some point!" - Sun shouts, advancing on Cardin with two more clones, attacking him from all sides. 

"The situation doesn't look good for him," - Ren says.

"Come on, Cardin... you can do it," - Sky thinks, clenching his fists, a drop of cold sweat pouring down his face from the tension of the fight.

"GO SUN! FINISH HIM!" - Neptune shouts, punching the air, cheering for her leader.

"Sun's right... i can't use that kind of thing as a crutch... I only have one more explosion... so..."- Cardin starts thinking of a way out, being pressed back again with several blows.

"He may have great durability, but with that amount of hits, his aura will quickly reach the red! I just have to keep the pressure on and watch for his next attack!" - Taking another hit from his mace with the fire dust would make me stay in the red aura and he would win… - Sun thinks.

Then Cardin lifts the Executioner into the air, charging her attack. Sun thinks that this moment and then he makes the Clones come towards him to make a defense, but it seems that Cardin misses the attack and hits the ground with an explosion, raising a large cloud of dust and debris that flies towards Sun, but the monkey king doesn't seem to care and continues to watch intently.

"YOU'RE THERE! IT'S OVER!" - Sun thinks, stepping into Cardin's shadow, seeing the Executioner raised, and then delivering a strong blow with his weapon, a quick thrust that would knock him out of the arena.

"CARDIN!" - shouts Team CRDL and Jaune, worried that this would be the end for Cardin at the Beacon Games.

But what Sun hit wasn't Cardin; he only hit the hilt of the Executioner. What was in that large cloud of dust was Cardin's weapon, not Cardin himself. Sun seems to understand what Cardin did and turns quickly, but it's too late. Cardin manages to flank Sun without him noticing, using the opportunity for an easy victory as a way for the monkey king to lower his guard.

"ORYAAAAAAAAH!" - shouts Cardin, delivering a strong punch straight to Sun's stomach, knocking the wind out of him, but more importantly, knocking him out of the arena.

"MATCH OVER!" Victory for Cardin Winchester!"-  Glynda says, raising her hand toward Cardin, announcing the victory. The crowd cheers, especially Team CRDL.

"THAT WAS AMAZING!" - Dove says, almost in disbelief, holding back tears.

"Heh, the boss always manages to surprise us" - Russell says, still sitting in the stands with his arms crossed, but with a proud smile.

"THIS IS OUR BOSS! WELL DONE, CARDIN!" - Sky shouts. Cardin looks at his teammates, trying to look away so as not to blush at the admiration his teammates had for his victory.

"I must say, Mr. Winchester, over the last two months you've shown such improvement and seriousness that I'm grateful for. Your performance was great, and you should already know the criticism I have." - Glynda says.

"Yes, thank you, Miss Goodwitch," Cardin says politely. "And Mr. Wukong, when you realized your enemy was slower than you, you became more hasty in your fight, which clouded your judgment of the situation. Semblances with clones are very strong in one-on-one combat, but they still cause gaps,"-  Goodwitch says, walking to the edge, helping Sun up with her Semblance.

"Yeah, I realized that in this fight, haha. You really finished me off, man." - Sun says with a smile. Cardin crouches down and offers Sun a hand, helping him back into the arena.

"I managed to be this strong thanks to you and your team, Sun. I have a lot... a lot to thank you for... and it wasn't easy to defeat you," - Cardin says.

"Idiot, if he had paid more attention, he would have won." - Scarlet says.

"Come on, Scarlet, the fight was great and very close, both of you had an equal chance of winning," - Sage says, a little more relaxed. "And that was a hell of a fight! YOU DID WELL!" Neptune shouted to the two fighters in the arena, who had ended their fight amicably.

Before leaving, Cardin stared at Jaune, their defiant eyes meeting, and then Cardin pointed at Jaune, a signal only the blond knight could understand.

"You're waiting for me, aren't you…"

"Well, now it's between the two of us," - Ruby said, standing up next to Weiss.

"I accept you as the leader of our team, Ruby, and I wouldn't have it any other way, but how about you think of this as the final test? That way, any doubts my sister and I have about your leadership will be dispelled," - Weiss said with a small smile.

"YOU'RE MAKING ME MORE NERVOUS!" - Ruby said tearfully.

"Just deal with it, Leader," - Weiss said with an ironic tone, going downstairs to get ready for her fight.

"Come on, Rubes, you can do it!"-  Yang says, giving Ruby a thumbs up.

"And of course Weiss is just joking. Even if you lose, I doubt she'll turn back into that grumpy thing from the beginning of the year," - Jaune says.

"Wait, has she ever stopped being grumpy?" - Nora asks.

"I'M LISTENING!" - Weiss shouts.

Chapter Text

"Now it's my little Ruby's turn... so young and she's already come so far..." - Taiyang says to himself, his mind flashing to a woman who looked very much like Ruby, but who wore a white cloak instead of a red one. He gives a melancholic yet happy smile at these memories.

"You would certainly be very proud of her, Summer," - Ruby and Yang's father thinks.

"Weiss will fight... I haven't seen her fight since the broadcast of that conflict with the White Fang..." - Winter thinks, her arms crossed, her expression neutral but stern. She remembers watching that entire broadcast with her heart pounding. She truly thought it would be the end of her sister.

"I thank you... I thank you for coming to Weiss Valley. Maybe... maybe in Atlas, where the culture is more individualistic... you wouldn't have friends to protect you like you did..."

The third match of the second phase of the Beacon Games was about to begin. Weiss and Ruby, with their combat gear and weapons in hand, were entering the arena. 

"Are you ready?"- Glynda asks the two students.

"Yes, ma'am," - Weiss says, spinning the drum of her rapier and checking the ammunition with Dust.

"You bet we are!" - Ruby says with an excited smile, already holding her scythe in both hands.

"What do you think, Pyrrha?" - Yang asks.

"Uhm... neither Weiss nor Ruby are fighters who can last a long fight. Weiss works as a support while Ruby works as DPS... let's hope that in this fight the two won't land any hits on each other and that the fight will probably be decided with a few attacks... however..." - Pyrrha says.

"However?" Blake asks with a raised eyebrow.

 "Weiss's Semblance is, in my opinion, the strongest Semblance in our class... I read a bit about it, and it's a hereditary Semblance, and the possibilities of what the glyphs can do seem endless... Of course, it depends on how Weiss uses them, but still, it's a really difficult power to deal with," - Pyrrha says.

"In terms of aura, Weiss also has a bit more than Ruby, but they're evenly matched... it's a very even fight." - Ren says.

"Very well... BEGIN!" - Glynda shouts, lowering her hand.

The moment Glynda tells her to begin, Ruby begins using her Semblance, leaving rose petals in the air as she advances in a direct strike against Weiss. However, from her experience, the girl heiress seems to understand what attack pattern Ruby would initiate, already materializing a large griffin that serves as a wall, blocking the attack from Ruby's scythe blade. 

"Damn it…" -  Ruby thinks, looking up, watching Weiss soar higher and higher into the sky using her glyphs.

"She's technically still in the arena area and can stay in the sky… there are no rules against it," -Pyrrha says.

"Phew… she was clever," - Jaune thinks.

Weiss begins to wave the Myrtenaster as if it were a wand and she were casting a spell. Just above Ruby, several glyphs appear everywhere and then begin to shoot ice spikes toward the red-hooded girl.

"Oh no! No, no, no, no, no!" - Ruby thinks, running as fast as she can to dodge Weiss's ice attacks, using her Semblance a few times. However, Ruby knew she needed to conserve her aura so it wouldn't diminish on its own. 

"I have great aura control... Ruby may not realize it, but little by little I'm guiding her using my glyphs to make her go further and further to the edge of the arena, and by staying safe in the glyph here in the sky, I can attack you without you being able to attack me, a perfect strategy." - Weiss thinks with a proud smile.

"Weiss has great aura control; she can maintain it, and her aura is still in the green," - Nora says, impressed, seeing that Weiss was using less aura to attack than Ruby was using to dodge.

"Yes, but Weiss's strategy isn't perfect," - Jaune says.

"What? Isn't it?" - Yang asks.

"Yes, if Ruby realizes this, she can knock Weiss out of her comfortable position,"-  Pyrrha says.

Ruby is at the edge of the arena, being cornered by Weiss's various glyphs in the air, placed randomly and at random heights. Ruby grits her teeth, looking at all the glyphs, and then she smiles.

"Huh? Why is she smiling?" - Weiss thinks.

"Did you forget, Weiss? I trained with you!" - Ruby says, convinced. The Glyphs shot toward Ruby, but she moved quickly toward them. Ruby used one of the ice cubes as a platform to jump toward one of the Glyphs, using it as a platform, then another, and then another, jumping from Glyph to Glyph.

"I KNOW YOU'RE NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN USE THEM AS PLATFORMS!" - Ruby said.

"DAMN!" - Weiss tried to deactivate the glyphs, but Ruby's speed was too fast for her to react. Ruby managed to reach Weiss and delivered a sweeping blow with her scythe, hitting the ice queen squarely, sending her crashing to the arena floor.

"A direct hit!" - Yang said excitedly, watching her sister manage to outdo herself.

"THAT'S MY GIRL!" - Taiyang shouted excitedly, punching the air. 

"It was a good strategy, sister, but you shouldn't get cocky about it, especially with someone who probably knows how your Semblance works,"- Winter thought.

Weiss quickly created a glyph shield in front of her to defend herself, as Ruby was in freefall, shooting at her with Crescent Rose in her Rifle form.

"You didn't calculate that, Ruby!" - Weiss said, creating several glyphs on the ground and then launching blasts of ice into the sky.

"Damn!"-  Ruby's mobility in the sky was much more limited, only being able to use Crescent Rose's bullets to dodge the ice spikes, and with luck, she managed to use her own spikes to deflect them. However, Weiss was only using her powers as a distraction. She jumped upwards using a glyph that propelled her and then fired a piercing blow of electric Dust at Ruby, hitting the girl squarely.

Or so Weiss thought. Ruby had extended her blade as high as she could, pulling the lightning toward the tip of the Crescent Rose, not toward her.

"So you've been doing your homework, huh?" - Weiss said sarcastically, using a glyph to stay aloft. But Ruby, fearlessly, jumped toward Weiss, standing on the same glyph as her.

Rubies and Weiss engaged in a melee against each other on the glyph she and Weiss were on. However, Weiss had a weapon with shorter range, and at the moment, she could land more piercing blows with her rapier than Ruby could with her scythe.

"RUBE! YOU NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE, COME ON!" - Yang yelled.

"I don't think it's the smartest move to try and fight Weiss like this…" - Nora commented.

"She's desperately trying to get Weiss out of the Glyphs. If the fight continues in the air, Weiss will have the upper hand," - Jaune said, watching with his arms crossed. 

"You wanted the fight to come closer to you, didn't you, Weiss? The lightning dust was just a clever distraction," - Winter muses.

"If my calculations are correct... Ruby's aura is almost orange now... So if I attack like this!" - Weiss ducks under a blow from Ruby's weapon hilt and delivers a piercing blow with her rapier, pressing a button that causes gravity dust to push Ruby even harder off the platform.

"NO!" - Ruby yells, quickly pointing her scythe back and pressing a button that makes Crescent Rose fire a shot, but a much more powerful shot, almost like a rocket propelled toward Weiss.

"FIRE DUST!? WHEN DOES CRESCENT ROSE WORK WITH DUST?!" - Weiss thought, surprised as Ruby flew overhead. Her leader landed a headbutt right in the middle of Weiss's chest, both of them falling from the griffin platform to the ground.

Weiss quickly gets up, but Ruby is already in perfect combat distance against her. Her scythe has flames on its blade, and each attack Weiss receives from Ruby further damages her aura.

"You're not going down with just one surprise blow from that Ruby!" - Weiss yells, making two Glyphs that launch toward Ruby like two sharp Frisbees. Ruby deflects one with her blade, but the other ends up hitting her leg, knocking her to her knees. However, Ruby manages to defend another piercing attack from Weiss by placing the blade of her scythe in front of her face.

Ruby activates that Dust again, making it emanate like a rocket from the hole in Crescent Rose's Rifle. Ruby slams hard into Myrtenaster, knocking her to the ground, and then spins her body around, delivering another flaming slash to Weiss. This served more as a slam attack due to the angle, sending her rolling across the arena, almost knocking her off her feet.

"IT'S OVER!" - Glynda shouts, stopping Ruby and Weiss from rejoining the fight.

"Miss Schnee, your aura has turned red," - Glynda says. Weiss looks at the screen showing her and Ruby's aura levels, and Ruby's aura almost turned red like hers.

"Understood, then, I lost," - Weiss says, but her voice doesn't seem to convey any sadness. 

"So you made new modifications to Crescent Rose, right?"-  Weiss asks.

"H-hehehe, Dust is quite expensive, so I wasn't using it, but kind of... you provide Dust for everyone, so I think it would be an interesting surprise for the fights." - Ruby says with an awkward smile, scratching the back of her head. Weiss walks over to Ruby and pats her shoulder.

"Good job, leader, you really caught me by surprise," - Weiss says in a friendly tone.

"YES! MY LITTLE GIRL PASSED! WELL DONE, RUBY! WOOOOOOOOOW!" - Taiyang shouts, jumping in his seat, the people next to him staring at him with irritated and strange looks.

"She's much stronger than when I saw her on the broadcast... even though she lost, I could see it wasn't a defeat due to incompetence, and this Ruby girl... she really is much more than she appears to be." - Winter said, watching the two fighters being celebrated by the audience, while Weiss seemed to complain to Ruby about taking her Dust without asking, while Ruby just lowered her head apologetically.

"Heh, well, I guess it's up to us now, isn't it, Jaune?" - Blake asked, standing up from the stands and looking at Jaune.

"That's right... let's do our best!" - Jaune said, offering a handshake to Blake, who accepted without a second thought.

"You can be as rough with me as you want~" - Blake said, using the handshake to pull Jaune closer and whisper in his ear, making him blush deeply.

"W-what?"

"Uhm, I'm detecting actions that by human standards could be considered flirting. I think I should take notes and observe them for my future interactions." - Penny said, staring at Jaune and Blake in a strangely creepy way. 

Jaune went down to the stands so he could go to the locker room to prepare, on the way back he found Ruby and Weiss and congratulated them both on the great fight, but after the two left, Jaune and Cardin's eyes met, it was almost as if he was looking for the young black knight, they looked at each other seriously, with fire in their eyes and determination.

"I have to answer his call, as equals... after all, we're the only two who... who feel like we shouldn't be here." - Jaune thinks, clenching his fists and shaking his head.

"No! I'll show him that I can be here, just as he can be at Beacon!" - the knight thinks with strong determination.

"It's Jaune, and this is just a tournament match, I don't need to think so much, but... but I really feel nervous..." - Blake thinks, realizing that her arm was shaking involuntarily. She holds it tightly to stop it from shaking. 

"I have the advantage because of my Semblance, my agility, and my combat experience... however... I don't know why, but Jaune, he..."- Blake can't help but think back to the moment Jaune was fighting Adam, with those horrible injuries. Even then, his aura only grew, and he remained standing. His eyes glowed golden, so much so that, if she were Jaune's enemy, she would certainly be frightened and completely intimidated when facing him during the White Fang conflict.

"He emanates a much stronger presence..."

Chapter Text

"Now… this is going to be an interesting fight," - Weiss thought, watching Jaune and Blake step onto the combat arena.

"I'll tell you, I don't really know what to expect from this fight," - Yang said.

"From my analysis, Blake Belladonna is a much better Huntress in practically every aspect than Mr. Jaune Arc is as a Huntsman," - Penny said.

"Wow, Penny, you don't have to say it like that… Jaune is definitely improving,"- Ruby said.

"Well, I meant as Huntsmen, but analyzing Mr. Jaune Arc as an individual, he's a bit of a mystery in any fight for me; it's strange," - Penny said, her expression deep in thought as she stared at Jaune.

"Pyrrha, Ren, you guys are our combat analyzers here, what do you think?" - Yang asked.

"I… I have nothing to say," - Ren said.

"Me neither," - Pyrrha said.

"WHAT?!" "Is this serious?!"- Yang says, surprised.

"Well, logically, betting on Blake is the obvious choice... however, after everything we've seen... it's very difficult to analyze any fight Jaune is in," - Pyrrha says, sweating slightly.

"I can't quite understand what they mean," - Penny says.

"You'll understand when the fight starts," - Ren says.

"GO, MY LITTLE GIRL! MOMMY'S CHEERING FOR YOU!" - Khali shouts from the stands, waving eagerly at Blake, making the Faunus girl blush as her mother acts like a mother spoiling her little girl.

"Okay, are you two ready?" - Glynda asks.

"Yes," - Blake says matter-of-factly, wanting to get the fight started quickly.

"Yes, we are! Good luck, Blake!" - Jaune says with an excited smile.

"Very well... begin!" - Glynda shouts, slamming her whip on the ground.

It was an abrupt change Blake wasn't mentally prepared for. Just seconds ago, Jaune had been giving her his brilliant smile that would cheer even the saddest person, with that pure, lighthearted air he always has. But the moment Glynda began the fight, the blade of the Crocea Mors was aimed at Blake's forehead with a piercing blow.

Blake barely had time to react to deflect Jaune's attack, throwing her blade upward. However, Jaune already turned his body, aiming a spinning heel kick at Blake's face, but the hot girl ducked, still shocked by what was happening. Jaune quickly regained his composure and then swung a blow with the tip of his shield, aiming to crush Blake to the ground, but she managed to dodge it by jumping back three times, the impact of Jaune's shield crushing the ground.

"That's what we were talking about... when Jaune's in a real fight, he's something else entirely... you never know who will win when he's really serious." - Pyrrha says, swallowing hard, seeing that perfect combo Jaune used to attack Blake. If he'd had more speed, he could have ended the fight right there.

"Blake... I know you're an opponent I won't defeat if I don't fight with everything I've got," -Jaune says.

"... Sorry, I was a little surprised by all of this." - Blake says, taking a deep breath and then staring seriously at Jaune. He wasn't what she thought he was. Blake knew Jaune was in no way weaker than them, and now she would take that seriously too.

Blake advances toward Jaune, her speed too great for Jaune to counterattack. Blake crouches and aims a slash with her katana, trying to sever the bindings on Jaune's knee, passing through the blonde knight's side.

"Superficial..." - Blake thinks. She uses one of her shadows to have Juane attack with Crocea Mors, going behind Jaune and delivering a piercing attack to the joints of his other knee, but her katana doesn't penetrate very far.

"Surface again... it's like I'm trying to cut through a concrete wall with a pocketknife," - Blake thinks.

"Oh no... he's taking too many hits!" - Nora says, worried about her leader, seeing Blake always manage to dodge Jaune's attacks and counterattack him at a specific point.

"Yeah, but Blake's attacks aren't very effective either. They're draining little of Jaune's aura and only superficially wounding him." - Yang says.

"Come on, Arc... you might be incredibly resistent, but if you just keep taking hits without landing one, you'll win!" - Cardin thinks. He never thought he'd actually feel nervous about the possibility of Jaune losing now.

"Blake knows she can't hurt me that well. She's slowly trying to open up the wounds she's already caused, making it harder to heal and thus causing me to waste more aura." 

"You see now, don't you, Penny? Jaune may not have combat experience, but he doesn't have combat experience as we know it, as we know it through combat and martial arts," - Pyrrha says.

"Damn, he never falls?!" - Blake  thinks, transforming her weapon back into a katana, taking advantage of Jaune's removal of the shield from his head, probably to see where she was attacking. However, this was bait for Blake to attack Jaune's face. Just as she tried to cut the knight, Jaune grabbed the blade of her katana with hes teeths, ignoring the wounds Blake's blade was inflicting on her mouth.

"Jaune is the only one who can fight like that," - Pyrrha said, a slight, proud smile appearing on her face as Jaune delivered a shield blow right to Blake's face.

Before rolling to the ground, Blake managed to turn her katana back into a firearm, forcing herself out of Jaune's mouth.

"One attack from him and my head is already spinning, heh. No wonder he has all this strength, training without aura since he was eight years old," - Blake thought, staggering to her feet. Jaune was about to lunge at Blake, but he ended up falling to his knees. 

"Too much damage... I can't keep fighting like this for long. Blake's aura is extremely sharp, and her attacks are getting stronger... If I lose my movement against her, I'll lose everything... because I don't have much speed anymore," - Jaune thinks, forcing himself to stand.

"I finally managed to break through that damn defense of yours, huh, Jaune?" - Blake says playfully.

"Hah, you can bet it'll take more than a few wounds to stop me," - Jaune says, concentrating a medium amount of aura into his shield and slamming it into the ground, sending a large amount of dust and rocks flying into the air.

"This won't work... I'm a cat faunus, Jaune, I can smell you very well where you are," - Blake thinks, closing her eyes and letting the scents flood her nose. Now with blood, Jaune's scent is much stronger, and he's moving flanking her, almost out of the arena.

"A great opportunity!" - Blake thinks. Jaune appears to Blake's left, and the girl quickly aims for his legs again, but before she can shoot, Jaune manages to strike first, attacking Blake with an aura blade that he launches directly from the blade of the Crocea Mors.

"He finally did it!" - Ren says excitedly, watching Jaune launch an aura blade that doesn't break apart mid-flight.

But Blake was already expecting a ranged attack. She uses her Semblance to switch places with her, her shadow receiving the attack while Blake gains a speed boost, heading in the direction.

"NO! HE'S ON THE EDGE!" - Nora says, seeing that Jaune was in an unfavorable position.

"YES, BLAKE! GO FOR IT!" - Ruby shouts excitedly.

"JAUNE!" - Cardin shouts, wanting Jaune to somehow escape the situation.

Blake slashes, channeling the maximum aura the armament can give her into her blade, slicing Jaune's torso in a gash that runs from his right shoulder to his stomach. Jaune's blood sprays, and Jaune begins to fall from the arena.

But Jaune is smiling; not only that, he seems satisfied with how things have turned out. Blake was so focused on Jaune's opening that she didn't notice he was shieldless, leaving Jaune with one hand free to grab Blake by her arm and essentially throw her out of the arena while simultaneously pulling herself back in, before falling and being officially disqualified.

"What? It was all a bait?!" - Blake thought, falling out of the arena, looking at Jaune, who was holding the slash wound on his stomach.

"Damn… the kid really has a genius mind." - Ghira, slightly impressed that Jaune had everything planned from the start of these attacks.

"Ahwww… but our little girl fought really well! And it's good for a husband to be as strong as his wife!" - Blake's mother said.

"Yeah, ugh… it sure felt good to finish now," - Jaune said, falling to his knees.

"Match over! Winner Jaune Arc!" - Glynda said, announcing the blond knight's victory.

"YES! WELL DONE, BROTHER!!" - Says Kai, jumping excitedly in his seat in the stands.

"I have to admit, the kid has quite a mind... like he's always three steps ahead of his opponent," -Taiyang thinks, arms crossed, showing slight approval of Jaune as Huntsman.

"I'd even help you get up, Blake, but I think I'm the one who needs help," - Jaune says playfully, eliciting a small laugh from Blake, who leaps back into the arena.

"It was a good match. I don't have much to add other than that you might need to find ways to deal with opponents who are focused on resisting attacks, and you, Mr. Arc, you know I don't approve of your combat style that exposes you to excessive danger," - Glynda says, giving Jaune a stern look.

"Why... why do I get lectured even when I win?!" - Jaune thinks with a tired sigh, with Blake helping him walk. 

"Okay, let's take a break and then prepare for the semifinal fights, which will be..." - Glynda presses the button, showing the audience on the big screen.

Pyrrha Nikos vs. Ruby Rose

Cardin Winchester vs. Jaune Arc

"So it's going to happen..." - Cardin thinks, looking at his own fists.

"I'm going to fight Cardin in the semifinals..." - Jaune thinks, looking at Cardin. Their eyes lock again, a kind of conflict only they could understand.

"OH NO! It's not fair! I'm going to fight Pyrrha right now?!" - Ruby says, falling onto the bleachers, dejected.

"S-sorry?" - Pyrrha says, a little awkwardly, unsure how to console Ruby.

"Hey, good job, Vomit Boy! But that strategy was risky," - Yang says, playfully punching Jaune in the arm. It actually hurt him, but Jaune prefers to keep it to himself.

"Yeah, if it's Blake, I had to get her out of the arena somehow. I'm sure I couldn't defeat her directly with that hit-and-run strategy," - Jaune says, managing to sit back down with Blake's help.

"You should go to the infirmary, Jaune. That last attack from Blake was serious," - Weiss says.

"Ooooh, you're worried about your knight, aren't you?" - Nora asks teasingly, poking Weiss's cheeks, making her blush and become irritated.

"I-It's nothing like that! BUT I-If he wants to be at his best to fight CARDIN, H-He better go!" - Weiss says defensively.

"You're right, Weiss," - Jaune says, standing up.

"I have to answer Cardin in kind, just like I know he'll answer me." - Jaune says with a very serious and distant expression, stepping down from the bleachers to receive treatment.

"Oh, those two... I can't understand what's been going on with them these days," - Yang says.

"Boys sometimes communicate better with their fists than with words," - Blake says.

"You definitely got that from one of your weird books, didn't you?" - Ruby asks.

"I-I didn't! I mean... maybe, but what I said still fits!" - Blake says, blushing, still unable to accept that everyone on her team and Jaune's team knows what she likes to read.

Chapter Text

The atmosphere in Junior's club had completely changed after the two Huntsmen entered and issued an arrest warrant for Roman Torchwick, who was sitting there, looking very calm for someone who had just been caught red-handed.

"You're confusing me. I don't know what you're talking about or who this Roman Torchwick is," -Roman said with a hint of irony in his voice.

"Are you already drunk or something? even I smell like gin, I can tell it's you," - Qrow said, irritated by Roman's tone.

"What? Do any of you here recognize me as Roman Torchwick?" - the master thief asked, rising from his seat at the bar and looking around.

"That's not Roman, he's just an old friend of mine," - Junior said with his arms crossed, giving the two Huntsmen a fearless, sharp look.

"Oh, I think I can see what's going on here." - Port says, stroking his mustache with a worried expression. Qrow looks at him doubtfully, waiting for an explanation.

"In case you haven't noticed, Qrow, we're in enemy territory now, meaning no one here is actually going to testify against Roman," - Port says.

"Hmph, and I bet it shouldn't be hard for you guys to tamper with the camera footage and buy off the cops, right?" - Qrow says with a defiant smile on his face.

Junior jumps down from the counter, holding a large club made of solid metal with a red tint.

"Unless you have a warrant for an investigation, I demand you leave my establishment. After all, there's no one you're looking for here." - Junior says, standing threateningly. He could certainly hold his own in a fight against them.

"Ha, if we catch this bastard and take him with us, there's no way you'll be able to make up anything. Even the cops you buy off will be left with their tails between their legs." - Qrow said, getting into a fighting stance with his sword.

"You two get out of here now," - Junior said to Roman and Neo.

"Okay, let's go! Too bad we won't be able to stay for the party with these men who, I'm sure, have me confused!" - Roman says, waving goodbye to Qrow and Port, and quickly enters the door behind Junior, probably to escape through the back.

Port quickly moves toward someone with his body mass, using Junior's bar counter to leap toward Roman and Neo, who were fleeing. But before he can land a blow with his axe on one of them, Junior steps in front, his arm transforming into something heavy, coated in a black, iron-like layer.

"Did you know, Port, that the human body is made of 18.5% carbon? Have you ever thought about using this carbon as a weapon?" - Junior asks, grabbing Port's blunderbuss and pulling it out, striking the Beacon professor square in the face with his gigantic club, sending him crashing back against some tables in his nightclub.

"Don't get involved!" - Junior shouts to his subordinates, who are ready to join the fight.

"You'd only disturb me and the Malachite sisters with your presence. Stay as far away as possible." - the mafia boss said, undoing his tie and throwing it to the ground.

"Hahaha! It's been a long time since I've been hit so hard! It's no wonder you're the leader of the biggest criminal organization in Vale," - Port said with a smile despite the blood staining his mustache.

Qrow tried to advance to catch the two thieves, but the twin girls attacked him simultaneously, one of them trying to aim for his face with her claws and the other kicking him in the stomach, aiming to pierce him with the blades on her heels. But Qrow managed to block one's claws with the Harbinger's dagger and the other's shoe blades with the blade of his sword, but the impact of the blow sent him flying backward into the middle of the dance floor.

"Hey ladies, we could do a threesome, but not right now," - Qrow said with a defiant, mischievous smile.

"Hmph, you're not our type," - said Malenia, the one in the white dress. with arms crossed.

"You smell like cheap liquor," - Miltia says, the one in the red dress, giving Qrow a disgusted look.

"You two should be used to it by now since you work at a club, but let's finish this before those two get out of our reach!" - Qrow says, wasting no time, advancing toward the twins.

Port engages Junior in a contest of strength, the two clashing weapons, trying to force themselves on their opponent, coming face to face.

"You're lucky I don't want to destroy my club so I can finish you off! I just need to buy time," -Junior says, gritting his teeth.

"A man with goals, hoho, I can respect that, but…" - Port's aura grew even stronger, his muscles bulging even more, causing the sleeves of his shirt to tear.

"20% lipid! BURN!" - Port yells, managing to push Junior even deeper into the ground, his strength increasing. 

"Where's this power coming from?! It has to be his Semblance! I need to counterattack with mine!" - Junior thought, stomping his foot hard on the ground, causing a sharp pillar made of carbon to appear below Port, surprising Port. Port barely managed to jump back to dodge it, but suffered a superficial cut to his torso.

"So you can do this too? Not just keep it in your body, uh, I'll have to be more careful," - Port thought.

"Normally, I'd be more anxious about having to deal with two women, but this is crazy," - Qrow thought, having to manage the movements of two extremely skilled opponents at the same time. 

This would be difficult enough in itself, but it seemed the two sisters fought in a synchrony that was almost impossible for normal people to achieve. Every attack Qrow tried to land on one another, the other was ready to block, while the two managed to land combined blows with extreme ease on the drunken Beacon Huntsman. 

"They're emanating their auras the entire time during this fight…" - Qrow thought, ducking to dodge a blow from Melania's slashing heel and deflecting the other sister's claws with his blade, which tried to flank him.

"Even with so much aura being wasted like this, I didn't see any semblance happening… could they already be using their semblance?" - Qrow thought, considering a possibility he'd read about twins.

All this perfect synchronization and combined attacks from the twins made it seem like they were fighting as if they were a single being, but there was something that nothing could have predicted, not even their perfect synchronization.

Bad luck.

"ARGH!" - Melania grunted in pain as she felt her high heel sink into the dance floor, injuring and pinning one of her legs. This interrupted the two of them in the middle of a combined blow against Qrow, causing the drunken huntsman to smile and grab Miltia's claw. 

"EVEN YOU CAN'T SYNC WITH SOMETHING LIKE THIS GOING WRONG, CAN YOU?!" - Qrow asks with a smile, burying Miltia's face in the dance floor and following that up with a somersault toward Melania, giving her a deep cut in the torso with his sword.

"Telepathy between twins," - Qrow says, slightly surprising the sisters who were recovering from his attack.

"It's a shared Semblance, something rare in Remnant, where two people share the same mind. You can communicate with each other and sense their intentions, which is why you fight so in sync. A type of Semblance and event that only twins can have," - Qrow says.

"Knowing how our Semblance works won't automatically make you win," - Miltia says, growling angrily.

"No, but you know what completely breaks a synchronicity? The unexpected. My semblance: misfortune makes bad things happen to everyone around me. I bet that was the first time your heels pierced the dance floor," - Qrow says, pointing to Melania's injured leg, making her step back, facing Qrow with her guard up.

"I didn't explain that for nothing... tense shoulders, head lowered, legs spread back... their posture is cornered, their greatest weapon was compromised by me and now it's going to compromise their synchronization too, hehehe, sharing a mind with another person is a double-edged sword, just like my Semblance, I suppose." - Qrow thinks.

 "He's gotten much stronger and a little thinner... I can tell that..." - Junior thinks, dodging an attack from Port, jumping back. Port aims his blunderbuss at Junior, firing a powerful shot that would seriously injure Junior if it weren't for his Semblance transforming the skin on his face into solid carbon with an aura to resist Port's bullets.

"You happen to burn your fat to get stronger, don't you? What a different Semblance," - says Junior.

"Huh, I could say the same about you. After all, we both use the biology of the human body to our advantage, don't we?" - says Port. 

"Heh, my opponent's irony, but please, let's stop this," - Junior says, leaning his large club against a wall. His peaceful demeanor surprised Port a little.

"I'm not a cartoon villain who'd like to kill all the Huntsmen or something, Port. I don't care if you and Qrow live. I care about profit, and unnecessary fights don't bring me that. Roman and Neo have already managed to escape, and you know it very well." - Junior says. Port lowers his gun, staring seriously at the mobster in front of him.

"So, we can keep trying to kill each other, and if you keep fighting, I'll keep fighting for my life, and even if you defeat me, my henchmen are still here to finish you off... or you can leave, and I, like you, will have a better chance of living." - Junior says.

"... Qrow! Enough!" - Port shouts seriously. Just as Port calls Qrow's name, he stops the fight and jumps back, away from the sisters, who even seemed relieved that the conflict was finally over.

"You too, Malenia, Miltia. That was pointless," - Junior says. The sisters grumble but heed Junior's order.

"We're going then, Junior, but we have one last warning... Roman Torchwick is not your ally, he's no one's ally, and he's dealing with things much bigger than just smuggling and the normal crime that exists here in Vale, much bigger than your mafia," - Port says, staring Junior in the eye before turning to leave.

"Shit! I can't believe we're just going to leave with our tails between our legs! Just when I figured out how to defeat those women!" - Qrow says, his hands clasped behind his head, slouching through Vale alongside Port.

"Hohoho, my dear crow, a strategic retreat doesn't mean we've lost the battle," - Port says. 

"Yeah... maybe if it were you and Oobleck instead of me, I might have been able to catch those two," - Qrow says, a little pessimistically.

"Maybe, maybe not. Everything that happened in that club is in the past now! We're both alive, aren't we? And even better, if we hadn't gotten out of there alive, we might not have ended up taking this to Ozpin." - Port says, showing Qrow the Atlasian paladin's construction schematic.

"What? How? How did you get this?" - Qrow asks.

"It looks like Roman left this at the bar before he left. I doubt it's the only copy he has, but it might give us a clue as to what he's planning," - Port says.

"Phew... so at least it wasn't a complete defeat," - Qrow says, looking a little more relieved.

"See?! Your Semblance has no effect on a big, strong Huntsman like me! Hahahahah!" -Port says, putting his arm around Qrow's shoulder and laughing jovially, but then out of nowhere, a Bullhead coil falls on top of him, crushing him to the ground.

"... Okay, maybe it'll have some effect... don't worry, I'm fine!" - Port says, buried in the ground.

"Sigh... I'll definitely go to a bar after I deliver this thing to Ozpin..." - Qrow says.

Chapter Text

"Now... I'm going to fight Pyrrha," - Ruby thinks, holding Crescent Rose tightly as she sits on the locker room bench, her face intense and nervous.

"Pyrrha... Mistral Arena champion four years in a row... the one who set a new record in Mistral... the strongest student in our year, and I'm going to fight her..."

"Heh, I CAN'T WAIT TO SHOW YOU HOW STRONGER I AM!" - Ruby says, jumping off the bench and standing up with a big, excited smile on her face.

"I won't lose!"

...

"Yang was a challenge... a challenge I haven't had since the worst moments I had in the Mistral arena," - Pyrrha thinks, readying her weapons, wielding her shield and spear.

"Ruby didn't come to Beacon this early for nothing, I'm curious to actually fight her," - Pyrrha thinks, excited about her new fight.

...

"Jaune, you're Pyrrha's partner." - We know she's the strongest in our class, but what do you think the fight will be like? Weiss asks, returning to her seat. Preparations for the Beacon Games semifinals had already finished.

"Ruby surpasses Pyrrha in speed and DPS, but that's all... Pyrrha manages to outperform her in almost every other stat, I'd say... but we can't sum up the fight like that," - Jaune says thoughtfully, his finger on his chin.

"But I fought alongside Ruby, just like I fought alongside Pyrrha. Ruby isn't someone to underestimate or put logic in. I bet she knows she's fighting someone very strong and has a plan." - Jaune says, finishing his thought.

"So she's just like our fearless leader! You can't predict her!" - Nora says excitedly.

"Heh, I don't think I'm as impressive as Ruby is, Nora. This fight will be interesting." - Jaune says, taking a pinch that made him scream. Blake, at his side, pinched him.

"You defeated me! If you're going to belittle yourself, it's like you're belittling me too." - Blake says, pretending to be irritated, but just wanting Jaune to acknowledge himself too.

"Y-yes! S-sorry about that, Blake!" - Jaune says, a little nervous.

"I'M ROOTING FOR MY LITTLE SISTER! COME ON, RUBES!" - Yang yells, jumping in her seat and punching the air.

"GO ON, MY LITTLE REAPER! DADDY'S WITH YOU!" - Taiyang yells, acting the same way as Yang, but from a farther stand, only making Ruby more embarrassed and trying to hide behind Crescent Rose.

"Let's have a great fight, Ruby!" - Pyrrha says, offering Ruby a handshake, pulling her thoughts away from her father and sister and returning to the arena.

"Yes!" - Ruby says with a smile, squeezing Pyrrha's hand.

"Okay, hold your positions," - Glynda says. Pyrrha and Ruby quickly take a medium distance from each other.

"Okay... FIGHT!" - Glynda shouts, slamming her whip on the ground.

The match begins with Ruby already transforming Crescent Rose into sniper rifle mode and firing at Pyrrha mercilessly. The gladiator advances toward Ruby with her shield in front of her, defending herself from the first bullets. Ruby, noticing the position of Pyrrha's shield, shoots at her legs, but the gladiator manages to use her Semblance to deflect the bullets without hitting her legs.

Pyrrha manages to reach Ruby's zone, striking Ruby with a powerful shield attack.

"Ugh... even without a Semblance of speed, she's very fast," - Ruby thinks.

"Ruby is much faster than Pyrrha, I would have thought it would be harder for her to reach Ruby," - Nora says. 

"Not exactly," - Ren says. 

"Ruby has a Semblance that increases her speed whenever it's activated. However, what activates this Semblance is Ruby's own reflection." - Ren says.

"Oh, unless she's walking around with her Semblance activated, she could still be caught off guard this way due to the activation delay," - Jaune said.

"And of course, having a Semblance activated is asking for a loss of aura," - Weiss added.

"Grr, but Ruby won't lose just because of that!" - Yang said confidently in her sister.

The fight had reached Ruby, and the reaper was now realizing why Pyrrha was the strongest girl in Beacon's first year.

Ruby used her Semblance to surround Pyrrha and try to attack her from behind with Crescent Rose. But Pyrrha had high reflexes and experience and even seemed to know where Ruby was going to attack, blocking the attack by placing her blade in her back and then spinning around with a kick to Ruby's face. But the gladiator didn't stop with just that attack; Pyrrha advanced, attacking Ruby relentlessly with a storm of slashes from her spear.

"This... is worse than it looks." - Sky Lark says, looking far more nervous about this fight than his other teammates.

"What do you mean?" - Russell asks.

"Just like my halberd, for a scythe to be effective in combat, it needs to be at a medium distance from the opponent, so that sweeping attacks can hit. Pyrrha is staying close to Ruby, preventing her from launching many of these attacks and keeping herself safe from Ruby's scythe blade," -Sky says.

"Damn... this Pyrrha girl really is frighteningly strong," - Sage says.

"If I keep letting her get into my zone, I'll just lose! But I can't just waste aura like that," - Ruby thinks, using the Crescent Rose's handle to try to defend herself from most of Pyrrha's attacks. But with each attack, it was becoming more difficult for Ruby to defend herself, and little by little, Pyrrha was managing to push the reaper back.

"Now!" - Pyrrha thinks, seeing an opening to use her polarity Semblance to lower Crescent Rose a bit, giving her the opportunity to pierce Ruby in the shoulder with Milo.

"Pyrrha landed a direct hit!" - Jaune says, impressed.

"Tsk, Pyrrha is methodical... she uses her Semblance only to give her small openings for fatal attacks... that way she uses almost no aura and still has a big impact... she really grew up in the Mistral arenas," - Weiss says, biting her lip in nervousness for her leader.

However, Ruby doesn't despair at being hurt. Roses surround Ruby and the girl spins as if using her Semblance, turning into a large red blur resembling a hurricane.

"What?" - Pyrrha thinks, being hit by Crescendo Rose in the stomach. Stepping back, Pyrrha notices the cut Ruby managed to make with the counterattack. 

"I managed to get her out of my zone, but..." - Ruby notices the aura levels and sees that hers is yellow, almost orange, while Pyrrha's is green.

"It won't work like this... I'll lose if I don't take the risk," - Ruby says, holding the Crescent Rose, her face ferocious.

"The fight isn't over yet. Ruby isn't just any opponent I've faced in the arena... if Yang is that strong, I need to respond in kind to the leader of Team RWBY," - Pyrrha thinks, staying focused.

Pyrrha and Ruby charge toward each other and clash blades. Pyrrha throws her shield at Ruby, but the girl manages to dodge it by throwing herself to the side, spinning with the Crescent Rose, and then crouching to try and hit Pyrrha's legs. But the gladiator manages to jump high, dodging Ruby's attack, transforming her spear into her rifle and firing three shots at Ruby. However, instead of trying to back away, Ruby dodges, circling Pyrrha, getting even closer.

"What? What is she thinking?" - Pyrrha thinks.

"Ruby must be trying to knock Pyrrha out," - Jaune says.

"What? Seriously?" - Yang says.

"Yes, from my analysis, this is Ruby's only real chance of victory. It's all or nothing," - Blake says.

Ruby was about to land a downward strike toward Pyrrha's shoulder, but the girl's shield bounced back and hit Ruby in the head, sending the reaper tumbling to the ground. Pyrrha quickly grabbed her shield and turned to finish Ruby off with a blow that would have crushed her to the ground.

"What?!" - Pyrrha feels the muscle in her arm tense, preventing her from attacking Ruby. She looks up and notices a slight jolt of electricity in her arm.

At some point while dodging Pyrrha's bullets, Ruby had fired a bullet laced with electric Dust at Pyrrha's arm, and she hadn't noticed.

"How fast was she?" - Pyrrha thinks, impressed.

"This is it!" - Jaune shouts, rising from his seat to better observe the outcome of the fight. 

Pyrrha sensed Ruby was going to attack her, trying to knock her out. She quickly tried to defend herself using more of her Semblance, placing her shield in front of her face where Crescent Rose would hit her. However, Ruby crouched down again and instead of attacking Pyrrha, she... trapped her?

"Hum?" - Pyrrha looked, noticing only the Crescent Rose's blade on her back in her armor while Ruby was still in front of her, holding her by the handle.

"This is my only chance! HAAAAAAA!" - Ruby started to spin again, but Pyrrha was trapped between the Crescent Rose's blade and handle and spun along with Ruby at surprising speed.

"She caught Pyrrha in a trap?!"-  Jaune asked, not even expecting that kind of attack from Ruby.

"Is she going to try... to knock Pyrrha out by spinning like that?" - Nora asked. 

"No... that's a bold move for Ruby... she's really going to..."

Before Weiss could finish her sentence, she heard a war cry from Ruby, who stopped spinning and launched Pyrrha away at full speed, throwing her along with Crescent Rose, sacrificing her weapon.

"DAMN!" - Pyrrha tried to use her Semblance on her own armor to counterbalance gravity, but suddenly Crescent Rose burst into flames of dust from Ruby's new enhancement, making her stronger than Pyrrha.

"MATCH OVER!" -  Glynda shouted as Pyrrha fell to the ground alongside Crescent Rose, falling out of the arena.

"Close..." - Ruby thought, seeing her aura meter. Pyrrha's was still in the green while hers was in the orange, almost reaching the red.

"Ruby... managed to... defeat Pyrrha?" - Jaune asked in surprise. Everyone on Team RWBY and JNPR seemed very surprised by the result.

"YES! THAT'S MY GIRL!" YOU ARE THE BEST! RUBY! DADDY IS SO PROUD OF YOU! - Taiyang shouts from the arena, making Ruby blush even more as she offers Pyrrha a hand.

"I have to admire you, ugh... I didn't think you'd get rid of your weapon like that. I thought you'd go for a knockout." - Pyrrha says with a smile, not looking mad about losing.

"Well, I thought about it, but I thought it would be too obvious since I was cornered, so I decided to risk the little aura I had left to use my Semblance," - Ruby says.

"That was impressive. I, Pyrrha, name you the new champion of the Mistral Arena! It's not official, but you can consider yourself." - Pyrrha says jokingly, placing her blade on both of Ruby's shoulders as if crowning a knight.

"Hehehe, it was a risky plan!" If you had any more idea of what I would do with my improvements to Crescent Rose, I would definitely lose." - Ruby says.

With that, Ruby qualifies for the Beacon Games finals. She and Pyrrha return to their seats, with the entire audience praising them and getting excited about the tournament's outcome.

"Well, I guess it's me now," - Jaune said, standing up with a much more serious and calm expression, which didn't go unnoticed by his friends, but they decided not to comment, after all, this was between him and Cardin in some way.

"I'm going, wish me luck," - Cardin said, rising from his seat, his team and Team SNNN staring at him in silence, knowing this fight was important to him in some way.

Jaune and Cardin exchanged glances before entering the arena, each saying to the other in their own way, 

"I'm going to defeat you."

Chapter Text

"The atmosphere... is pretty tense, don't you think?" - Dove asks with slumped shoulders, watching her team leader climb into the arena and Jaune climb up on the opposite side, the two staring at each other seriously.

"These two... their auras are much stronger than usual. We've known for a long time that a person's emotions influence their aura, even contributing to their strength." - Scarlet says with her arms crossed, watching the fight curiously.

"I just know this fight is going to be awesome! Man, I don't even know who to root for!" - Sun says with a big smile on her face.

"GO JAUNE! YOU CAN DO IT!" - Ruby shouts, waving her arms in the air.

"I hope he doesn't overdo it..." - Velvet says with her hands together, worried about her knight.

"This is what you were training Jaune for... show him the results of your training" - Yatsuhashi thinks.

"WOO ... GO FOR IT BIG BRO! - Kai shouts from the stands, cheering with much more vigor than at any fight.

"Alright, are you ready?" - Glynda asks.

"I've never been more ready," - Cardin says, gripping the Executioner tighter.

"I say the same," - Jaune says, his sword still in its sheath, but a sharp hand on his dagger ready to draw it.

"…Alright, then…" - Glynda raises her whip. Jaune leans forward, looking like a cheetah ready to pounce on its prey. Cardin holds his mace in the air like a professional beater, never taking his eyes off Jaune.

"START!" - Glynda shouts, slamming the whip on the ground. As Glynda slammed her whip into the ground, Jaune quickly advanced, transforming Crocea Mors into its Claymore form and attacking Cardin. Cardin struck Jaune with a massive blow from the Executioner, the two clashing weapons so hard that it created a shockwave that reverberated through the arena, cracking the ground beneath the two heavyweight fighters.

"DON'T THINK THIS CLAYMORE WILL BE ENOUGH TO STOP ME, ARC!" - Cardin shouted, adding more force to his attack, making Jaune stumble back, but soon Jaune managed to match Cardin's strength.

"It's not just a mere imitation, Cardin! I trained specifically to DEFEAT YOU!" - Jaune yells, delivering a front kick to Cardin's stomach, knocking him back slightly, and then lunging forward with a horizontal attack with his blade. However, Cardin manages to place the handle of his mace in front of him, blocking Jaune's blow. Then, spinning his mace in the air with Jaune's blade, deflecting it to the left and lunging forward with a punch to the center of Jaune's face, sending him staggering back.

"This kind of fight is pretty intense... this is much more than just a tournament match," - Taiyang thinks, able to see beyond the fight with his combat experience.

"YOU'RE NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO TRAINED!" - Cardin says, attacking Jaune repeatedly with crushing strikes from his weapon, forcing Jaune to retreat with jumps backward. However, Cardin makes a different move, reversing his grip and delivering a piercing attack to the center of Cardin's chest, using the other end of his large mace, catching Jaune slightly off guard. 

"I WON'T LET YOU GET BETTER THAN OF ME!" - Cardin yells, managing to land a clean blow to Jaune's head. Despite Jaune's durability, a blow from Cardin was one of the most destructive attacks of the first year.

"Oh no, if that somehow shook his brain, he might lose his agility in the fight... and Jaune's problem is his lack of agility," - Blake says.

"Their aggression levels toward each other in this fight are higher than in the last one, I wonder why," - Penny says.

"Jaune and Cardin have a complicated relationship... we don't quite understand each other and thought it was just that bully-victim thing, but... but it seems like somewhere along the line, things changed," - Weiss explains to Penny, without taking her eyes off the intense fight.

"Cardin... where did you get the idea that I wanted to be better than you?" Jaune asks, resisting the blow with his feet, despite the blood on his face.

"Don't give me that Arc! YOU DID IT! YOU GOT YOUR PLACE IN BEACON!" - Cardin yells, lunging forward with a downward strike toward Jaune's head. However, Jaune manages to defend himself with his Claymore and rolls toward Cardin to avoid another front kick, only to be met with a knee from Cardin.

"WHILE I HAVE NOTHING!" - Cardin yells, managing to land another blow on Jaune's stomach, causing Jaune to vomit blood and roll, nearly falling out of the arena.

"DON'T FALL!" - Cardin yells, waking Jaune up and slamming his Claymore into the ground, getting up.

"Nothing ahm... I forgot you can talk a lot of shit when you want, Cardin." - Jaune said, standing up, supporting his Claymore on his shoulder.

"What did you say?!" - Cardin asked, his teeth grinding even more.

"Do you think someone who doesn't deserve to be here could make it to the semifinals of a tournament? Could they pass the trials Ozpin set for us? No, I don't think they could."- Jaune said, pointing his Claymore at Cardin.

"Tell me, why do you want to become a Huntsman?!" - Jaune asked. Cardin's expression fell, and he looked down.

"Tsk... I still don't... I still don't have that answer."

"May your search for it be the fuel you need to keep standing! And continue to stand by our side! I'll beat you up until you find your individual motivation!" - Jaune shouted, jumping toward Cardin.

"ARC!" - Cardin shouted, advancing on Jaune as well.

 Both Cardin and Jaune manage to land an attack on each other simultaneously, with Jaune striking Cardin's right torso and Cardin striking Jaune's left torso. However, Jaune advances, withstanding the pain much more, and attacks Jaune's face with a blow from his Claymore, hitting him squarely with a cut that would only have been fatal due to Cardin's aura healing and protecting him.

"ORYAAAAAAAAAH!" - Cardin recovers, landing an attack on Jaune, who manages to block with his Claymore, but is dragged back by Cardin's strength.

The two warriors attack each other relentlessly, Cardin landing blows on Jaune and Jaune landing blows on Cardin. But the curious thing about their fight is that they always remain in the center of the arena, no matter what.

"They... they're not even trying to knock each other down from the arena." - Sage says. 

"For Cardin, this fight is more than a competition, it's a test of strength. It's like him drawing a line between himself and Jaune... and I believe it might be similar for Jaune; neither of them wants the other to fall from the arena." - Sky says.

"Man... I'm not going to lie, this is intense, but it's pretty awesome! It's like a man-to-man battle in the Wild West! You can't help but root for them both." - Neptune says.

"I think even the audience agrees with you; everyone seems to realize this fight is different." - Sun says, looking around, noticing the different behavior of the people watching. Everyone was silent and their eyes glued to the fight. If they blinked, they knew they'd miss something important.

"He hasn't used any of his mace's explosive attacks yet... he's holding something back," - Jaune thinks, covered in blood from his wounds, avoiding healing to avoid wasting his aura.

"I know you have that special Arc move, I have something prepared for him!" - Cardin thinks, as injured as Jaune, also prioritizing not healing to avoid wasting his aura.

"Ozpin, I'm not from Beacon, nor do I have jurisdiction here, but I can see that this fight is a little beyond competition," - Ironwood says, sitting next to Ozpin.

"We're training people to protect the world, James. After all, these people are still teenagers, and these teenagers have their own conflicts, especially those involving their place in the world. Resolving and overcoming these conflicts is essential for maturing both as a person and as a warrior," - Ozpin says, smiling slightly as he watches the two fight.

Cardin takes a blow to the face with the metal flame of Jaune's Claymore but counters by hitting Jaune with a quick thrust of the Executioner, both of them pulling away from each other, their faces dripping with blood and sweat.

"Obligation, no... I'm not here out of obligation... or because I need to be here for my family..." -Cardin thinks, hitting the Executioner with the Crocea Mors over and over again, each clash of the weapons creating a wave of wind that flew across the arena.

"No... I wouldn't be pushing myself to my limit just out of obligation... there's something more here." – Cardin thinks, resisting a piercing attack from Jaune, grabbing Jaune by the arm and throwing him to the ground with force, but Jaune manages to deliver a double kick to Cardin's face, knocking him away from him so he can get up.

"I don't know who the bastard was who put this idea in his head that you can't, Cardin! BUT LOOK! LOOK HOW WRONG HE IS!" – Jaune thinks, getting up and attacking Cardin again without stopping, who responds in kind.

"This… this fight… if it weren't a tournament, I'd think those two would be trying to kill each other…" - Nora says with a nervous smile, both she and Yang and Ruby having stopped cheering due to the tension of the entire fight. 

"Tsk... boys are idiots, it always has to be like this..." - Weiss thought, crossing her arms. She didn't want to speak, but this fight was really making her worry about Jaune's well-being, as were everyone on Team RWBY, CFVY and JNPR, who couldn't express themselves at that moment, just watch.

"Arf... arf..." - Jaune was on one knee, leaning on his sword to keep from falling.

"Arf... arf..." - Cardin was in the same situation, holding the Executioner with a weak grip.

"Let's end this, Cardin, once and for all," - Jaune said, pulling his strength to wield his Claymore and beginning to concentrate all his aura on it.

"I'm ready..." - Cardin said, activating a button on the Executioner, causing flames to emanate from the crystal in the center of the weapon. 

"It's the weapon upgrade I made. He'll be able to unleash the full power of the fire dust with a configuration that will cause a massive explosion... but it will also damage him" - Sage said, her expression showing concern for Cardin and the potential damage he would suffer.

"So now it's all or nothing... come on, boss, you've got this," - Russell thought.

Cardin and Jaune charged their attacks until they felt ready to attack each other. Attacks charged not only with power but with each other's feelings, emotions, and trauma, attacks whose weight only they could understand.

"CARDIN!!!"

"JAUNE!!!"

Crocea Mors's blade and the executioner's hammer collided in a massive attack, causing a massive explosion throughout the arena, fire and aura soaring into the sky. The audience and the two fighters' four friendly teams watched in awe and horror at the massive conflict unfolding. No one had the words to shout the two fighters' names, they just stared at the dust clearing in worry.

And against all odds, both Cardin and Jaune still stood, their weapons thrusting against each other. Neither would give up, neither wanted to stop this now, not until they truly understood each other...

"ENOUGH!" - Glynda screamed, separating the two using her telekinesis.

"WHAT?! NO! WE'RE NOT FINISHED YET!" - Cardin screamed, struggling.

"Your aura reached red before Jaune's, Mr. Winchester. You lost," - Glynda says, pointing to the screen, where Jaune's aura was almost red, but Cardin's reached red by a few centimeters.

"THE WINNER IS JAUNE ARC!" - Glynda shouts.

The audience rises to applaud, but not with their usual enthusiasm. It seems everyone there has realized that this conflict isn't over, that it didn't have the outcome it deserved. Cardin and Jaune stare at each other still in the arena, looking at each other's wounds and blood that has already mixed all over the floor.

"Heh, this isn't for us, is it, Arc? After seeing the real thing, it's monotonous," - Cardin says with a smirk.

"Hmm, you read my mind, Cardin," - Jaune says, smiling back.

"So you know this isn't over." - Cardin says, turning his back and placing his mace on his shoulder, staggering out of the arena with difficulty.

"Yes, I know it's not over... we're going to do this..." - Jaune thinks.

"Yes, we're going to have to do this..." - Cardin thinks.

"We're going to have to duel for real, outside the arena rules."

Chapter Text

"That fight took a while, huh?" - Nora says impatiently in her accent.

"Jaune and Cardin suffered slightly more serious injuries due to the intensity of the fight. Even though we didn't fight for real, leaving auras so we could heal later, and with the infirmary's support to help us, he still got hurt pretty badly," - Ren says.

"But it was worth it! Jaune totally ruined his race!" - Coco says, excited and satisfied with the result.

"No, it's not over," - Yatsuhashi says, drawing everyone's attention.

"It's like in my tribe... honor above all else... this hasn't been resolved and never will be until they face each other for real. Jaune and Cardin must know that," - the larger swordsman says.

"Ugh... this never ends..." - Weiss complains, sounding tired.

"Well, now it's going to be a tough fight, because I don't know who to root for." - Blake says, watching Ruby climb onto the arena on one side, and Jaune climb onto the arena on the other side.

"I didn't think I'd make it this far to be able to fight you, Ruby," - Jaune comments, a little nervous.

"I say the same! T-this is insane for me! Am I doing everything right? I hope so!" - Ruby says, showing off her nervousness, almost looking like she was at initiation.

"Hey, Ruby, calm down, okay? You're doing great! We're both in the last fight!" - Jaune says, trying to calm Ruby down.

"I must remind you that you two are opponents," - Glynda says, staring at the socializing of the leaders of Team RWBY and JNPR.

"Oh, that's right, well, ahmm, good luck, Jaune!" - Ruby says, extending her fist to Jaune, who greets Ruby by lightly punching her fist with his own.

"Same goes Ruby!" - Jaune says excitedly. Jaune and Ruby take their positions to begin the final match of the Beacon Games, facing each other with respect and seriousness, knowing each other's potential.

"So, who do you think will win?" - Fox asks.

"Jaune and Ruby are almost two opposing sides in combat," - Ren comments.

"Yes, just as we think Ruby has the advantage because of her speed and combat experience, we can't forget that Ruby isn't a fighter with great durability," - Pyrrha comments.

"They both have strengths where the other is weak; it's as if the perfect duo is facing off right now. The fight will depend on how far Ruby can attack Jaune and how far Jaune can withstand Ruby's attacks to find an opening and strike with a strike," - Penny says.

"And not to be pessimistic, but if Ruby can withstand two hits from Jaune, that's already a lot; he has some of the greatest brute strength in our class." - Weiss comments, as undecided as everyone else on her team.

"Ruby, this little girl is the leader of our daughter's team, and she made it to the finals," - Blake's mother says.

"Beacon has some great talent this year, I must say. I'm impressed with almost every match," -Ghira says.

"The two leaders are going to fight now, aren't they? I wonder which one will come out on top in all this," - Winter thinks.

"Come on, girl, you made it to the finals. You can beat that kid named Jaune! He did pretty well, though," - Taiyang thinks, not really wanting to admit that Jaune might be able to beat Ruby.

"Very well… BEGIN!" - Glynda shouts, slamming her whip on the ground.

Ruby quickly transforms Crescent Rose into its Rifle form and begins firing at Jaune, hoping to inflict as much damage as possible. Jaune, in turn, places his shield in front of him and begins advancing toward Ruby. The girl tries to shoot Jaune's legs but it seems that the Beacon knight had learned his lesson and throws himself with a roll to the left and then with a roll to the right.

Jaune manages to close the distance with Ruby and attempts a piercing blow toward the girl with the Crocea Mors blade. However, at the last second, Ruby dodges, ducking, and manages to land a blunt blow with the Crescent Rose in Rifle mode, slamming the butt into Jaune's stomach.

"She didn't use her Semblance to dodge," - Yang says.

"Even without her Semblance, Ruby is still very fast and good at dodging attacks. Using Semblance uses up aura, and Ruby must be trying to conserve as much as possible, after all, she's up against the person with the largest aura reserves in the first year," - Pyrrha says analytically. 

Jaune is stunned by the blow to his stomach. He tries to anticipate Ruby's attack, thinking she's going to attack him with Crescent Rose and puts his shield in front of his face. But in reality, Ruby is sliding under Jaune's legs, and with Crescent Rose still in her rifle mode, she fires a bullet with all her might, discharging a massive amount of electrical dust right in the middle of Jaune's face.

"She wants to paralyze him," - Ren thinks.

Ruby switches Crescent Rose to scythe mode and tries to attack Jaune from behind. However, Jaune quickly turns and counters Ruby's scythe attack with a swing of his sword, causing Ruby to feel the impact throughout her body and be knocked back.

"I knew he had a lot of strength, but I think this is the first time I've felt a blow like that..." - Ruby thinks, feeling her hands ache from holding Crescent Rose. 

"And even with all that electricity, his muscles didn't tense enough to paralyze him for long enough. Heh, Jaune's body isn't normal," - Ruby thinks with a smirk.

"Clever girl, she hasn't used her Semblance yet, just using her natural agility. She's also tricking me with bait and using her small size to her advantage. That's my Ruby," - Jaune thinks, a hint of pride in the girl emerging, but he's once again preparing to fight.

Jaune lunges forward with a downward strike, which Ruby manages to dodge and hits Jaune in the face with the Crescent Rose handle. But Jaune spins his body 360 degrees and nearly lands a cut on Ruby, forcing her to jump back. However, Jaune recovers from the spin quickly and attacks Ruby with a thrust of his shield, forcing Ruby to use her Semblance to circle Jaune behind her and deliver a powerful blow with her scythe, sending Jaune rolling across the arena floor. 

"I don't think you can go without using your Semblance forever, right?" - the knight asks in a good-natured tone, quickly getting up from the ground.

"Come on, I was just giving you a break since you don't have a Semblance," - Ruby says playfully, resting Crescent Rose on her own shoulder.

"And yet I can still finish you off without one, shorty," - Jaune says, making a "come on" gesture with his hand to tease Ruby.

"Oh, we'll see, walking lamppost," - Ruby says, taking Crescent Rose off her shoulder and getting into a fighting stance.

"This is the friendliest final battle I've ever seen," - Coco says.

"What could we expect? These two are like that, aren't they?" - Velvet says, enjoying this kind of atmosphere. Last year, when she was a first year, it seemed like her class really wanted to kill each other.

"YOU TWO, WIN!" - Yang shouts. 

"Yang, that doesn't even make sense," - Weiss says.

"Shut up, Snow Angel! I want to root for both of you!" - Yang says.

"STOP CALLING ME A SNOW ANGEL!" - Weiss says, angrily stomping her feet.

Ruby and Jaune clash their weapons, creating a slight shockwave in the air. However, the difference in strength is too great, causing Ruby to stagger back, giving Jaune the opportunity to charge toward her. Ruby aims Crescent Rose in its scythe mode at Jaune and fires a blast of fire that hits him squarely, or almost, because Jaune manages to protect himself a bit with his shield. This gives Ruby an opening to attack Jaune from his left side, which was blind.

Ruby continued to attack Jaune in this way, always trying to use as little of her Semblance as possible and delivering destructive blows with the dust she had obtained from Weiss, thus conserving aura and dealing a lot of damage even without using aura. However, Jaune managed to catch Ruby's pattern and when she went to attack Jaune again from his blind spot, Jaune grabbed the Crescent Rose's blade with his own right hand, despite taking damage, he had managed to grab Ruby's weapon.

"I GOT YOU!" - Jaune yells, delivering a crushing blow with his shield to Ruby, causing the smaller girl to hit the arena floor, shattering it and bouncing upwards like a ball.

"IT'S A LOT OF… STRENGTH… I NEED TO RESIST!" - Ruby thinks, feeling herself lose consciousness from just one blow from Jaune. But the girl manages to resist. Using her speed, Ruby pulls herself up with Crescent Rose and lunges at Jaune's face, delivering a drop kick with both feet.

Ruby falls to the ground breathing heavily, realizing that one of her arms had been pierced by the Crocea Mors.

"Yeah, despite everything, his agility is improving. I can't believe he thought he didn't belong at Beacon," - Ruby says.

"Using speed to gain momentum and have a stronger impact. Although Ruby lacks strength, she can gain impact force with just her speed, which is a great way to compensate." - Pyrrha says. 

"If he's already caught my pattern, then I just need to be so fast that he doesn't have eyes to observe my movements," - Ruby thinks, advancing on Jaune and then attacking him directly. Jaune can't react quickly, but he tries to counterattack. However, Ruby dodges and attacks him from his left and then his right, unleashing a storm of attacks from various sides of Jaune using her Semblance.

"The strategy has changed; now Ruby wants to bet on how much damage she can inflict on Jaune until his aura reaches red," - Ren says.

"RESIST, FEARLESS LEADER!" - Nora shouts, waving pom-poms she got from Penny.

"It's Ruby, I can't keep up with you, but…" - Jaune was in a defensive stance at the time, but after an attack, he charges his fist with a massive amount of aura.

"I HAVE A LARGER ATTACK RANGE!" - Jaune thinks, punching the ground, releasing all that aura with a massive shockwave that hits Ruby, throwing her away, causing a good amount of damage. Luckily, Ruby manages to hold on to the arena, dragging Crescent Rose's blade stuck in the ground. But despite the blow, Ruby was smiling widely.

"Jaune! Do you think that psychopath could defeat us now?!" - Ruby asks, advancing in an exchange of blows with Jaune.

"I bet he wouldn't stand a chance against us, Ruby!" - Jaune replies, even amidst the exchange of attacks, their friendship clearly evident.

"That way... that way she looks at him..." - Taiyang thinks, looking into Ruby's eyes, her silver ones filled with admiration and affection for the blond knight in front of her.

"It's just like us, isn't it, Summer?"

"I've gotten stronger, and I'll get even stronger so I can fight this guy who's after me! You won't have to fight alone to protect everyone, Jaune! I'll always be by your side!" - Ruby thinks, making Crescent Rose's blade ignite, giving it more power. Ruby pretends to attack Jaune with the blade, forcing him to defend himself. But Ruby spins her body and deflects Jaune's shield downward with the handle of her scythe, then immediately lands the flaming blade blow squarely in the boy's chest.

"IT'S OVER!" - Glynda shouts, stopping Jaune and Ruby.

"Mr. Arc, your aura has reached red." - Glynda says. Jaune looks at her in surprise, realizing it was true. His aura was red while Ruby's was orange.

"DID SOMEONE MANAGE TO TURN JAUNE'S AURA TO RED?!" - All the teams shout in their thoughts at once. In all this time, Jaune has only been defeated by either knockout or being thrown out of the arena. Depleting his aura seemed an impossible task, but perhaps not for the small silver-eyed girl.

"Hahaha, look who's the winner of the tournament!" - Jaune says, excited about Ruby's victory.

"I won? JAUNE, I WON!" - Ruby says, jumping on Jaune and hugging him. Jaune spins Ruby around in the air, hugging her back.

"RUBY! YOU'RE THE BEST, HAHAHA! THAT'S OUR WINNER!" - Jaune says, letting Ruby sit in his arms, lifting her high to celebrate her victory. The audience erupts in euphoria and applauds.

"YES! THAT'S MY LITTLE GIRL! SHE WON JUST LIKE HER MOTHER DID IN FIRST YEAR!" - Taiyang says loudly, wiping away his tears. At this point, everyone around him has already moved away. All the teams, JNPR, RWBY, SNNN, CRDL, and CFVY seemed super satisfied with how the tournament ended. Even Cardin gave a small smile at the way it unfolded. However, there was a group of three people watching from the audience.

"What do you think?" - Mercury asked.

"I understand Tyrian's interest in this boy now," - Cinder said, her arms crossed.

"Seriously? To me, he just looks like an ordinary huntsman," - Emerald said, confused.

"You know the saying, the higher you rise, the harder you fall?" - Cinder asked. Mercury and Emerald stared at her, waiting for an answer.

"He's pure, the ultimate hero stereotype... fufufu. The problem is that in this world, heroes like him tend to have tragic ends in this profession... whether it's dying or going into madness from the things they've seen... you don't want to be by a kind man's side when he's furious," - Cinder said, getting up to leave the stands. Emerald and Mercury didn't seem to quite understand what she said.

Chapter Text

"I'd like to say a few words before we end this event," - Ozpin said, stepping onto the stage. All the competitors in the second part of the Beacon Games were behind Ozpin, with Ruby in front, as she was the one who won the tournament. Glynda and Ironwood stood to the left and right of the headmaster.

"First, I'd like to say that no student failed this event. Even those who didn't make it past the first phase were assessed so we knew only a few would make it to the second phase. The assessment is designed to assess your critical thinking in dangerous situations and the unknown, and I must say that this class is to be congratulated. However, if you were already struggling with your grades, the Beacon Games might not save you," - Ozpin said playfully.

"AW COME ON!" - Yang and Nora shouted, frustrated in the stands. 

"With that, we have some promotions to make, like Miss Ruby Rose, the winner of our tournament, can now be classified as Semi-Grade 1." - Ozpin says.

"WHAT?! SERIOUSLY?! I'M ALMOST AT PYRRHA JAUNE'S LEVEL!" - Ruby says excitedly, hugging Jaune. He holds her close, looking very happy with Ruby's achievement.

"And Mr. Jaune Arc and Cardin Winchester can now be considered Semi-Grade 2." - Ozpin says. His words surprised both Cardin and Jaune.

"Wait, me?" - Jaune asks, confused.

"But why? That doesn't make sense," - Cardin says, raising his voice.

"It doesn't make sense to you now, but I believe you'll make sense of it soon." - Ozpin says with a warm smile to Jaune and Cardin, as if he knew what was going to happen. After Ozpin's speech, there was time for the teams to congratulate each other and for the Beacon students to speak to their families and friends who had come to see them, and then bid them farewell as they returned to "normal" school life in Beacon.

"We have to celebrate this! You and Jaune practically made it to the next level!" - Yang said excitedly, everyone gathered in Team JNPR's room, which was the most spacious between the two dormitories.

"I can't believe I'm almost going to Grade 2 In six mouths, I've managed to improve so much... everyone, I can only thank you all for this, truly... without you all, I wouldn't be half the man I am today! THANK YOU SO MUCH!"-  Jaune said, looking at his updated ranking on his Scroll and bowing to both teams.

"Come on! That's not the attitude of a fearless leader! Get up! Puff out your chest and hold your head high!" - Nora says, appearing beside Jaune out of nowhere, adjusting her leader's posture as if he were a test dummy.

"and Jaune, this is all thanks to your hard work too! You're the hardest-working guy in our entire class, maybe even the school," - Yang says.

"Exactly, you shouldn't be surprised to progress so quickly with the dedication you have. Most of the students could look to you as a great example," - Weiss says, trying to maintain a compliment without losing her "demanding" demeanor.

"We may have helped you, but this is still much more your merit, Jaune," - Ren says.

"That's right, you need to give yourself some credit too," - Pyrrha comments.

"Well... maybe so, but still, I feel very lucky to have all of you, hahaha, that's all, just thank you, really." - Jaune says, scratching the back of his head a little awkwardly.

"I still can't believe our little Ruby here managed to win the tournament!" You really are Beacon's prodigy, aren't you?! - Nora says, hugging Ruby from behind, ruffling her hair.

"S-STOP NORA! Believe me, I didn't even think I could win! My strategy against Pyrrha was a desperate act," - Ruby says, struggling to free herself from Nora's embrace, although Ruby certainly knew she couldn't escape if Nora wanted to.

"I didn't expect you to get rid of your weapon, Ruby, you really caught me completely off guard," - Pyrrha says with a smile of pride. She hadn't been upset by the defeat; quite the opposite. Pyrrha now understood that at Beacon, she had people of equal standing who could be by her side.

"It was a really risky strategy, since you're completely defenseless without a weapon, but I think that's why it was so unexpected," - Blake says, looking up from the book she was reading sitting on Jaune's bed.

"Just like Ruby needs to learn to defend herself without her weapon, I think I need to learn to dodge better. I can't take hits all the time," - Jaune says. He likes to be like a bastion protecting his friends from harm, but in a solo fight, he should be agile enough to avoid attacks; he can't always defend himself with his shield.

In the middle of the conversation, Jaune receives a message on his Scroll. He looks at whoever it is, and his eyes grow more serious.

"What's wrong, Jaune? You look worried," - Pyrrha says.

"It's nothing, guys." - Jaune says, smiling at his friends.

…

"Come on, are you sure you don't want to do anything?!" - Sun asks Cadin. Team SNNN and CRDL had been hanging out together and were eating at a diner in Vale.

"Just this is fine, I have an appointment tonight," - Cardin said, keeping his expression.

"Are you sure, Cardin? You've practically just moved from Grade 3 to Semi-Grade 2, maybe you'll even be Grade 1 by the end of the year," - Dove said optimistically.

"Exactly, you take this all very seriously, unlike our leader here," - Scarlet said, giving Sun an irritated look, who raised her hands in surrender.

"Oh... are you two really going to start fighting here?" - Neptune asked, looking tired of Scarlet and Sun's arguments.

"But Cardin, is something bothering you?" - Sky asked, looking concerned for Cardin.

"Hey, boss, you'd usually brag more about an achievement like this, and I'd definitely be on your side, hahaha," - Russel said.

"It's nothing, guys, I'm fine." - Cardin said, looking at his Scroll, seeing the message he had sent to Jaune, and now Jaune had replied.

"Let's settle things tonight at 11:00 PM, at that place you know."

"Okay, I'll be there."

Cardin and Jaune had sealed their fates at that moment, the real conflict, without rules, just two men fighting against each other to find out what they were really doing in Beacon, to finally understand each other as rivals, and as Huntsmen.

…

"This can't be real... how did they get past our security?" - Iroonwood said, dumbfounded by the entire Atlasian Paladin construction plan in front of him, the plan Qrow and Port had recovered from Junior's nightclub.

"I know how this actually happened," - Port said, standing next to Qrow. The two had just returned from their mission and were reporting to Ozpin's office, with Oobleck and Glynda, of course, in addition to the director, present. 

"When we raided Junior's nightclub, I could tell the girl next to him matched the descriptions Team RWBY and JNPR gave us... but the girl simply disappeared, and a completely different person started running away alongside Roman. It's like..."

"As if she had a semblance that made her become someone else," - Glynda adds.

"Interesting... that makes everything much more complicated for us. We need to create a code so we can identify each other! OR RATHER... HOW WILL I KNOW NONE OF YOU ARE THE ENEMY?!" - Oobleck asks, appearing next to each of the members, eyeing them suspiciously.

"Just emanate your auras," - Ozpin says calmly. Everyone looks at each other, slightly confused, and does as instructed. Ozpin closes his eyes and releases his aura, colliding with everyone in his office.

"A person can change their appearance, their bones, even their blood type... but since their aura is linked to their soul, they can't change that... it's okay, we're all real here," - Ozpin says, opening his eyes with a calm smile.

"Dude, i don't want your aura touching mine like that, that was really gay," - Qrow says playfully. Everyone just stares at Ozpin's handyman with a blank expression.

"What? Did I say something wrong?" - Qrow asks.

"Qrow just... shut up," - Glynda says. 

"But not all of us have the same aura sensitivity as you do, Ozpin. You're a special case, being a special grade, while all of us are just Grade 0." - Ironwood says, still looking concerned about security; after all, the security of the once-proud Atlas has been breached.

"That's why important decisions will only be made in my presence. However, one thing we're forgetting is that this practically confirms that Junior and his mafia are with Roman Torchwick, which is even worse if that man decides to join this war…" - Ozpin says.

"Are you talking about the butcher? No, he retired, if I remember correctly? So much so that he left Junior, his son, in charge of the mafia." - Qrow says.

"We have to deal with possibilities. Despite having no semblance, the Butcher of Vale was considered the strongest mafia of all time, and if he returns to active duty because of something Roman and our enemies are planning, he's an additional force, and a dangerous one, for us to face." - Ozpin says. 

"Tsk… Tyrian, the Butcher… it's as if several important names are slowly appearing to come back to haunt us," - Glynda says, arms crossed.

"This is an omen of an approaching battle; we must take action now," - Port says with determination.

"And we will. We will not let these people disturb the peace and future of Remnant. No matter what the cost, we will try to resolve this before it reaches a critical state, before others have to join this war," - Ozpin says seriously, but without stopping to sip his cup of coffee.

…

The Beacon Games had come to an end. The families and friends of the Beacon students returned to their homes, and the students returned to their dormitories to rest for the next day. However, the night still continued, and the night was far longer for two Huntsmen-in-training who found themselves in the middle of a stone road in Beacon. Cardin and Jaune stood facing each other, their armor on and weapons drawn.

"I knew you'd understand where to find me," - Cardin said with a smirk.

"The place where we both fought Tyrian, the place where you and I realized how weak we are," -Jaune said, returning Cardin's smile. Somehow, the two had developed this camaraderie amidst their rivalry.

"Pathetic, isn't it? You and I are so overwhelmed by the power gap that it feels like we have to take it out on each other. We have to make sure we're strong. It's like we're always proving ourselves to each other. What do we want from that?" - Cardin asked. 

"I don't know, Cardin... my answer is the same as yours. Maybe we just want to provide security. After all, you and I are both leaders of our team... maybe we're desperate to become stronger and not feel so helpless again in a situation like this. I think we both have issues with being helpless, don't you think?" - Jaune says, staring into Cardin's eyes. 

The two remain silent for a few seconds until Cardin pulls the Executioner from his back and Cardin pulls the Crocea Mors from its sheath, both entering a fighting stance at the same time.

"When we're done with this, I'll tell you my motivations for being a Huntsman, Arc..." - Cardin says.

"Show me the real Cardin, that's what I want," - Jaune says, his voice and eyes sharp.

Chapter Text

"Heh, looks like we're going to have an audience here, Arc," - Cardin said with a smile.

"Yeah, I think even they're curious to see how this all plays out," - Jaune said, returning Cardin's smile.

Teams RWBY, JNPR, CRDL, SNNN, and CVFY were gathered around Jaune and Cardin, a good distance away so as not to be caught in the crossfire of the two rivals. Each of them was silent and simply watched intently. Even though they didn't fully grasp the seriousness of the situation for the two leaders, they knew this confrontation was important.

"We... we don't know what's going on, but we're rooting for you two!"-  Ruby said, a little awkwardly, unsure how to encourage the situation.

"Th-that's it! We're in this together, boss!" - Sky said.

"Go for it, you two!" - Sun shouted with her usual enthusiasm.

"Do your best." - Pyrrha said with the polished voice and posture of a gladiator.

"Men have to settle things this way, don't they? Then settle it!" - Coco said with her arms crossed.

"B-be careful!" - Velvet said, even urging Cardin to be careful.

"Let's get this over with and stop worrying our friends, okay, Cardin?" - Jaune asked.

"You read my mind, Jaune!" - Cardin shouted.

Cardin and Jaune wasted no time and quickly attacked each other, striking at the same time. Jaune landed a piercing blow with Crocea Mors to Cardin's shoulder, and Cardin landed an attack with Executioner to Jaune's stomach.

Neither of them flinched from this attack. Cardin quickly crouched, ignoring Jaune's blade, cutting his shoulder further as he went down, and then threw himself at Jaune, trying to grab him.

Jaune slams his shield into Cardin's head several times, but the Black Knight of Beacon withstands Jaune's powerful blows and manages to grab him.

"OAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" - Cardin performs a German suplex on Jaune, slamming the Golden Knight of Beacon's head into the ground so hard it made a loud cracking noise, cracking the surrounding bricks.

"Jaune… come on, you can fight!" - Blake thinks silently, along with everyone else. The tension of the fight made no one want to speak, just watch. The fact that there was no aura counter to protect the two knights now made the battle even worse.

Cardin gets on top of Jaune and almost crushes his head with his mace. But Jaune reacts quickly and rolls to the side, delivering a quick slash to Cardin's leg, knocking him to the ground, and then lunging forward with a shield punch to Cardin's face.

"You're so strong, you've gotten much stronger, Cardin!" You're going to Grade 2 just like me," -Jaune says, placing his blade on his shield and activating Crocea Mors in its Claymore mode.

"IT'S NOT ENOUGH! I'M NOT HERE BECAUSE I DESERVE IT!" - Cardin yells, advancing on Jaune, the two exchanging blows at breakneck speed, each blow creating a shockwave with the physical strength of both knights.

"YOU FOUGHT WHITE FANG JAUNE!" - Cardin yells, landing a punch square in Jaune's face.

"YOU BROUGHT HOPE TO THE FAUNOS!" -  Cardin manages to land a downward blow to Jaune's face with his mace.

"YOU BECAME A HERO! NO MATTER WHAT, YOU'RE A TRUE HUNTSMAN! I AM NOTHING!" - Cardin yells, hammering Jaune's head and his mace bursting into flames.

Everyone looked worried and horrified at the unsupervised fight. However, Jaune managed to bravely withstand the blow to his head, despite the blood and burns on his face. He stood upright with a determined expression on his face.

"YOU HAVE US ALL!" - Jaune yelled, hitting Cardin square in the chest with the Claymore, knocking him back.

"YOUR TEAMMATES ARE INSPIRED BY YOU! SKY, DOVE, RUSSEL—THEY ALL ADMIRE YOU!" - Jaune shouts, feinting around Cardin and striking him in the ribs.

"YOU THINK SOMEONE WHO'S NOT WORTH IT COULD MAKE ALL THESE PEOPLE COME HERE?! THEY ARE HERE FOR US!" - Jaune shouts, referring to the five teams that came to watch their fight.

Cardin and Jaune fought like two sworn enemies. It was as if each wanted to kill the other, but this pure form of combat, this true form, was a way for each of them to show their respect for each other, to give their all, not to underestimate their opponent, to show that they are worth it and should be treated seriously, like true Huntsmen.

"Are we… are we really going to let this continue?" - Weiss asked, slightly concerned about the intensity of it all.

"Yeah... Jaune would never forgive us if we interrupted this," - Yang said.

Jaune and Cardin clashed their weapons again, sending the Crocea Mors flying and plunging into the ground, while the Executioner flew and stuck in a tree trunk. Jaune and Cardin stared at each other, their faces and bodies battered with blood, wounds, cuts, and bruises. But they had never felt so alive in their lives.

"Like the old times? How about  it Arc?" - Cardin asked, smiling, taking off his metal chest plate and throwing it on the ground.

"What's he doing?" Scarlet asked, confused.

"Heh, I like your idea," - Jaune said, also removing his armor.

Jaune and Cardin removed the torso portion of their armor, as well as their shoulder pads and gauntlets. Left with just the two of them, the legs of the ensemble shirtless, like ancient gladiators resolved their conflicts, like in ancient martial arts, just men and their fists.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" - Cardin advances on Jaune, landing a cross-punch to his face.

" ORYAAAHA!" - Jaune retaliates with an uppercut to Cardin.

" Jaune… thank you… I didn't think anyone would understand, that anyone could comprehend the feeling of being useless… the feeling of having gotten to where you are without deserving it… by cheating…" - Cardin thinks, dodging two of Jaune's punches, grabbing him by the torso and kneeing him in the stomach, then throwing Jaune to the ground.

" Cardin… we are bigger than this, we can be bigger than this! You are not alone! You may have started off on the wrong foot, but I'm here to support you! We all are! You are not useless!" -Jaune thought, rolling quickly and getting up from the ground, dodging a stomp Cardin was about to land on his head and quickly running toward Cardin, delivering a front kick to his chest.

"This is it…"

"This is it…"

Cardin ran, resisted Jaune's spinning kick, threw himself at him, knocking him to the ground and then began punching Jaune in the face repeatedly. But Jaune barely managed to pull his right leg back and force it into Cardin's stomach, sending him rolling backward, then getting up, running and kicking Cardin to the ground as if he were a soccer ball.

"Both of us…"

"Both of us…"

Jaune and Cardin ran toward each other and punched each other in the face at the same time. Both of them went blank-eyed and slowly fell to the ground, on opposite sides.

"…We're the same."

"…We're the same."

Jaune and Cardin fell to the ground, motionless, the five teams just staring in anticipation of what was about to happen. They didn't know whether to intervene now or not; everything was so unclear about what Cardin and Jaune wanted.

"House Winchester…" - Cardin's voice said, surprising everyone.

"House Winchester... our family is famous, and Vale, some of you may know... we fought in wars and did our part, mostly in politics and aristocracy... but our Semblance... the Magma Semblance was something that shaped our family's image..." - Cardin says, continuing to ramble, just staring at the sky.

"You don't have that Semblance, do you?" - Jaune asks, appearing conscious.

"Yeah..."

..."ten years ago."

"When you awaken the Magmakinesis Semblance, you'll definitely improve your training, boy," - says an older man with a pompous mustache and hair styled like Cardin's.

"Heh, do you really think I can, Dad?" - asks a seven-year-old Cardin, getting up from the ground holding a wooden mace after training all day.

"Of course, son, after all, you're of the Winchester line!" And so far none of your cousins ​​have shown any signs, so you're probably the child destined to inherit Magmakinesis. - Cardin's father says.

"You two are arguing about this again, aren't you?" - Asks a woman with long red hair and black-framed glasses, wearing a clearly expensive dress.

"Guy stuff, love, that's all, hahahah, our boy can't wait to represent the Winchesters at Beacon." - Cardin's father says, standing up and kissing his wife; the two seemed to have a great relationship.

"Cardin, go take a shower before eating! Marvis will take care of the mess you made" - Jaune's mother says, with a Faunus maid with an ocelot tail growing out of her back.

"RIGHT! I'M HUNGRY AFTER TRAINING SO MUCH AHAHAHAHA!" - Cardin says, laughing proudly. …

"But… in the end, the years passed and I didn't manifest my Semblance… it turned out that my Semblance manifested itself with a younger cousin, and at a very young age… my parents seemed to look at me like a failure after that…" - Cardin says, his voice growing sad.

"I know what that's like… not completely, but… because I didn't awaken my aura early, my father thought I wouldn't be able to come to Beacon…" - Jaune says, empathizing with what happened to Cardin.

"However… things only got worse…" - Cardin says, returning to the memories he didn't want to face.

…

"Flashback continued"

"I can do it… I know I can do it. I need to tell my father! I have a training plan and… and he can be proud of me again!" - Cardin thinks at ten years old, a fragile, hopeful smile on his face.

"DAD!" I'M GOING...

Cardin stopped in front of the bedroom door, his eyes wide, his expression falling completely. He saw his father in bed... but not with his mother, he was with one of the housekeepers, her name was Marvis, if he remembered correctly, the Faun maid.

In the end, Cardin's father's betrayal was discovered by the boy's mother because Cardin told her what happened, even though he didn't fully understand what it meant. And everything in Cardin's life got even worse.

...

"The affair was covered up... the Winchester family has a reputation to maintain... my father became more distant with me, and so did my mother... they fought constantly and only saw me as a failure... I became very unmotivated to train because of it... I was weak... and I admit I was weak, but... even so, I used my influence to get into Beacon and pretend at least that I made it, that I'm not a failure." - Cardin says.

"I was angry, Jaune… angry at the world… angry at my parents… angry at that maid… angry at everyone… it felt… it felt like the whole world was just putting me down and trying to tear me apart… but my anger… was just…"

"Just fear," - Cardin says, standing up and sitting on the floor.

"How…"

"This whole thing… humanity always acts out of fear… we're hurt in our lives by people and then we shut ourselves down, we're aggressive with others because we're afraid of them getting close, we're afraid of being hurt again and ending up at the bottom of our own pit… I can understand that, Cardin… really, you know I do." - Jaune says, standing up and standing in front of Cardin.

"But don't be afraid to get hurt, Cardin! You're strong! You're a great leader! And you can be as strong as the rest of us! Fear drives us into isolation! You don't need to isolate yourself! Have… have some courage and trust us! We won't betray you like your parents!" 

"Heh… you're a damn Arc," - Cardin said, smiling, accepting Jaune's grip and taking his hand, helped by the blond.

"I know why I want to be a Huntsman, Jaune," - Cardin said, face to face with the knight.

"I want to be a Huntsman to be strong! Truly strong! To gain enough strength to never again feel weak and powerless in any situation! Where everyone I want to protect, I will be able to protect!" - Cardin said, with determination and conviction, everything Jaune wanted to see.

"And I bet you'll achieve that, Cardin! Welcome to Beacon!" - Jaune said. 

Despite all the tension and mysterious force in the air, the final confrontation between Cardin and Jaune ended in a way that left everyone satisfied, as well as leaving a certain director who was watching from afar very satisfied and with a smile on his face, as he sipped his coffee and walked away, leaving the teenagers to sort it out.

Chapter Text

"ARC! YOU THINK YOU WON THAT, BUT THAT WAS STUPID!"-  Cardin yells, slamming his head into Jaune's head.

"STOP BEING A SHITTY LOSER AND ACCEPT THAT I'M MORE PHYSICALLY STRONG THAN YOU!" - Jaune yells, slamming his forehead into Cardin's, the two competing to see who's the toughest forehead in the Beacon Academy hallways.

"You know... I thought after all that they'd finally put a stop to it," - Weiss comments, walking alongside Pyrrha, Sun, and Dove.

"I think... is that how rivalries work? I mean, they're much better off, but I think their relationship will be like this, h-hehehe." - Pyrrha says with a wry smile, watching Cardin try to strangle Jaune with his arms while Jaune tries to free himself by elbowing him in the ribs. 

"Just don't get in front of these guys when they're like this, or you'll get caught in the crossfire," -Dove said, warning slightly startled, backing away from Jaune and Cardin's "fight." Jaune now had Cardin on the ground, his legs entwined with his right arm as he pulled with his own, threatening to break.

"YOU GIVE UP?!" - Jaune yelled.

"NEVER!" - Cardin yelled.

"Wow, how dangerous it would be to get caught in the fight between BOTH of them!" - Sun had just been pulled into the middle of Cardin and Jaune's fight, turning into a cartoon-style ball of dust. The other three simply ignored Sun's pleas for help as he unwittingly joined the fight, and for some reason, Cardin was now immobilizing him while Jaune used Sun's face to practice boxing.

…

"As I was saying! Aura is much more than just the soul energy we use for combat!" - Oobleck said in the middle of his class, as always moving quickly from one side to the other as he explained to the students who struggled to keep up.

"Since your aura is directly connected to you, you can sense your state of being through it! If your aura flows very volatilely and has a much darker color than normal, it means that this person may be under the influence of anger and feelings that evoke it! If the aura is dark but flows extremely calmly, almost unnaturally, it means that the person may be falling into a state of depression! Everyone who wants to take the Huntsman interrogation course needs to understand this to be able to detect lies and flaws in any suspect's speech!" - Oobleck said.

Jaune was struggling to concentrate in class, but Oobleck spoke too quickly, and Jaune unfortunately had to admit that when it came to aura, he understood absolutely nothing! Of course, Ren helped him a lot, but he still has years of experience difference compared to everyone else there.

"Excuse me, Professor! But could you explain why Faunus usually make up the majority of Huntsmen working in interrogation?" - Blake asks, raising his hand.

"Great question, Miss Blake! Faunus, because they have a stronger connection to the extinct through their animalistic nature, can somehow sense certain things better than ordinary humans! For example, a Faunus, an animal that would normally be prey in nature, can better identify psychopaths hidden in crowds because their soul and body are designed to better identify dangerous beings! Meanwhile, Faunus, who would normally be predators, can better identify and assess an enemy's strength level!" - Oobleck says, stopping in front of Blake's desk and drinking an unhealthy amount of coffee.

"See! I told you we were superior at this," - Blake says, giving a satisfied smile to Cardin, who just grumbles.

"I already apologized to you and Velvet!" No need to humiliate me! – Cardin says.

"It's still fun." – Blake says, returning his attention to the class.

 "I accept your apology, okay?" – Velvet says, turning to speak to Cardin.

"Yeah, but I don't think Coco did. She almost beat you up." - Scarlet says, arms crossed.

"I still can't believe you were such a jerk, like, if you were always nice to me... kind of, you're always grumpy." - Sun comments.

"Sun... shut up." - Cardin says.

"Hey, Velvet! Since you're in this class, how about having a sleepover with us?" - Yang asks, standing next to Velvet.

"Seriously? Can I really go?" - the bunny girl asks, surprised to be invited.

"Sure! Invite Coco too! It'll be super fun!" - Ruby says, excited.

"Hey! I didn't hear about that sleepover." - Jaune says, listening to the girls' conversation.

"Oh, sorry, Jaune. It's a GIRLS-only party, you know?" - Yang says, emphasizing the word "girls" enough so Jaune can understand.

"Oh... but why would it be girls-only?" - Jaune asks, turning his head like a confused puppy.

"My dear students of this beautiful set of tables and chairs... if you don't want to attend my class, I invite you to leave the room, is that what you would like?" - Oobleck asks, catching the attention of all the teenagers who shook their heads.

"That's exactly what I thought! So, back to class..."

...

"I don't understand. My sisters and I always had our sleepovers, and I was in the middle." - Jaune says, sitting in the Beacon cafeteria, but instead of eating with Team RWBY and his team like he always does, he was just with Ren and was eating alongside Team SNNN and CRDL.

"Jaune, girls do these things, like, girls who aren't your sisters, you know? They have no family ties." - Neptune says with a mouthful of noodles.

"Dude, swallow before you start talking! We already talked about table manners," - Scarlet says, slightly disgusted. 

"I never really cared that much," - Sage said calmly.

"Pfft, you better not look at Russel eating then," - Sky said, holding back a laugh.

"What about me?" - Russel asked, his cheek smeared with food and sauce; he was practically face-planting into his plate.

"I… lost my appetite," - Scarlet said.

"So can I eat your food?" - Russel asked.

"You're welcome, away from me," - Scarlet said.

"At least you weren't with Nora when they invited her." - Ren said.

"What did your partner do?" - Sun asked.

"She never had any friends to do those girly things with, you know? So when they invited her to the sleepover, Nora got so excited that she destroyed Jaune's bed," - Ren said, so casually that it startled those at the table, worried about how often this reaction occurred.

"MY BED?! WHY MY BED?!" - Jaune screams hysterically.

"She was smelling your pillow when the girls told her, so she was in your bed." - Ren says.

"Jaune, why do you let Nora smell your pillow? That's bizarre!" - Cardin says.

"I don't let you?! Ren, why the hell was Nora smelling my pillow!" - Jaune asks.

"According to Nora's own words, she needs to constantly smell things from me, you, and Pyrrha to always recognize the scent of her wives on the battlefield." - Ren says, keeping his expression blank.

"Okay... if she has a really good sense of smell, that makes sense, but... why did she call you three 'wives?'" - Dove asks, a little unsure how to begin the topic.

"Look... despite living my whole life with Nora, I still don't think I know how to unravel all the mysteries behind that mind that manages to be both brilliant and stupid at the same time." – Ren says, giving a tired sigh.

"If you don't know something... I'd say much less me..." - Jaune said, looking at the table and seeing the girls chatting among themselves, the whole RWBY team with Pyrrha, Nora, Velvet, and Coco joining in the conversation. They seemed to be having fun, Jaune thought.

"Hey, do you think... they're talking about us?" - Neptune asked, also looking at the group of girls.

"What if they are? What's the problem? I bet they're saying I'm too hot and my abs are delicious."- Sun said, smugly, putting his feet up on the table.

"Start acting like a leader, please," - Scarlet said.

"Come on, tell me you're not even a little curious about what the girls are talking about? After all, you're a teenager too, aren't you?" - Neptune asked with a mischievous smile to Scarlet, who only blushed a little, thinking about the possibilities.

"I'm sorry, but that kind of thing doesn't interest me!" Unless what those girls are talking about is a way to get stronger faster, I have no interest whatsoever. – Cardin says with his arms crossed.

"There's no way Sun and I are the only normal teenagers here! Ren! Jaune! You two always sleep in the same room with two super beautiful girls! Tell me you've already done it!" - Neptune says.

"Um... we did what?" - Jaune asks, confused. Ren leans in close to Jaune's ear and whispers something, making him blush deeply when he realizes what the two of them were talking about.

"WHAT?! N-NO! I'M NOT EVEN LOOKING FOR A GIRLFRIEND RIGHT NOW!" - Jaune yells, slamming both hands on the table.

"Why... why is the mood at the girls' table suddenly so depressing?" - Sage asks, whispering to Dove.

"I don't know, girls are weird." 

"That's it! Let's have our own party! Boys' night!" - Sun says, getting up from the table and pumping his fist in the air like a general declaring war.

"Are you serious? Are we going to start acting like a bunch of high school kids?" - Russell asks.

"You were a generic bully a few days ago," - Scarlet comments, leaving Russell speechless.

"Okay, good counterargument, I'm in," - Russell says with a shrug, after eating Scarlet's entire plate.

"What time is this? Cardin and I were planning to train together all weekend," - Jaune comments.

"Wow, but you two are obsessed with training, you know? You and Ren are always hanging out with girls, you know? Ren, you've literally lived your entire life with Nora! Cardin! You've been depressed in your rich house and barely interacted with anyone in any meaningful way other than being a bully!" And Jaune, you didn't even have any friends besides your seven sisters! - Sun says, pointing to each of the three.

"Hey, putting it that way, it sounds like we've had a shitty life…" - Jaune says, Ren and Cardin sitting together in the corner of the wall, depressed.

"But… isn't it canon that they've had a shitty life?" - Sage says.

"That's exactly why! Let's show these three what it's like to have real guy friends! Let's have a hangout just for the guys, no girls!"-  Neptune says. Despite everything, the boys there seemed to be getting more and more excited at the idea of ​​being able to hang out together without the girls.

"I think I get it… that kind of spirit! Girls must think that way too!" - Jaune says, getting up from the floor.

"RIGHT, FRIENDS! ARE YOU FEELING THE TESTOSTERONE FLOWING?!" - Sun asks, for some reason raising his aura, looking like a Super Saiyan, his eyes glowing.

"YES!" – All the boys scream in the same way as Sun, for some reason everyone's uniform shirt ripped with so much ki being raised, I mean, with so much aura being raised.

"SO LET'S ALL GO ON A QUEST TO FIND OUR MANHOOD!" - Sun yells.

"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH! GUYS! GUYS! GUYS! GUYS!" - all the boys yell again for some reason. They've all grown Viking beards and are holding medieval spears and axes.

"What... what's going on with these idiots?" - Weiss asks, glancing sideways at the group of boys, just like the rest of the girls.

"I don't know... boys are weird," - Ruby says.

Chapter Text

It was around 8:00 PM throughout Vale. The Beacon students had already finished their classes and were now free to do whatever they wanted. Generally, everyone was supposed to be in their rooms by 10:00 PM, which was the school's curfew, but of course, most students didn't obey and always found a way to avoid Goodwitch's patrols. The most obstinate students trained late, like Jaune Arc and Pyrrha Nikos. Others, like Sun, Yang, and Coco, took the opportunity to go out and find some fun at school, while others spent their time in the library like Yatsuhashi, Lie Ren, and Blake. But on this day, these two genders were separated into groups to do their own things!

"I'M SO EXCITED! A SLEEPOVER WITH FRIENDS! I'VE NEVER HAD GIRL FRIENDS TO HAVE AN ALL-GIRL PARTY!" REN AND I USED TO STAY UP LATE AT OUR CAMPSITES TALKING ABOUT ALL THE THINGS! I MEAN, ACTUALLY, I DID MOST OF THE TALKING AND HE JUST LISTENED, BUT I GUESS THAT COUNTS FOR SOMETHING, DOESN'T IT? I MEAN, MAYBE I CAN CONSIDER HIM MY FIRST FRIEND TOO? HE CAN LOOK LIKE A GIRL SOMETIMES WHEN HE WANTS TO. " - Nora says, speaking at a speed almost impossible to understand what she's saying, moving as quickly as she could to each of the girls scattered around Team JNPR's dorm, which was much larger than Team RWBY's (and also less hazardous).

"My god, my head hurts just trying to keep up with her... please tell me you guys don't have to deal with this redheaded hurricane every day." - Coco says, rubbing her forehead with a pained expression and looking at Pyrrha, almost pleading for a solution.

"We ended up getting used to her way, let me show you how it's done," - Pyrrha says with a slightly nervous smile, picking Nora up by her head like a doll and making her sit next to her.

"Stay seated, Nora," - Pyrrha says.

"OKAY, PYRRHA! I'LL SIT NEXT TO YOU!" - Nora says, still with a big, excited smile on her face.

"Wow, they really managed to tame her," - Yang whispers to Blake.

"Tame... tame... d-don't use that word, please," - Blake says, whispering to Yang, who looks confused for a second, then changes to an expression of understanding and then a teasing smile on her face.

"Ahwww, those ninja books of yours must have a lot of stuff about 'taming,' don't they?" - Yang says. 

"STOP, DON'T MENTION IT NOW!" - Blake yells.

"What? What are you guys talking about?"-  Velvet asks curiously, approaching Blake and Yang.

"I-It's nothing! It's nothing, is it, Y A N G?!" - Blake says with an expression like someone who just escaped from a mental institution.

"Ahw... that's right, we're not talking about anything,"- Ruby's blonde sister replies, fearing for her life.

"They're talking about that book, 'Ninjas of Love,' of  Blake, which is a filthy book!" - Ruby says, her head buried in her Scroll while playing a game with Weiss, who seems to be having much less difficulty than her.

"RUBY!" - Blake yells, blushing, realizing that now everyone besides her own team knows her secret.

"IT'S TRUE! I'LL NEVER BORROW THEM AGAIN! THEY'RE FILTHY! FIIIIIILTHY!!" - Ruby yells, pointing at Blake accusingly.

"I won." – The heiress says with a satisfied smile, looking at her Scroll.

"WHAT?! NOOOOOOO! Blake, you've made me lose my attention!" – Ruby says.

"And you've made me lose all the respect I still had from the others"… – The faunus girl says, lying down on the floor dejectedly, taking advantage of the fact that everyone had placed blankets on the floor so they could sit comfortably.

"Hey, calm down, Miss Blake, I like to read some NSFW stuff too." - The CFVY team leader says, appearing next to Blake and patting her on the back.

"How can you say that so... casually?"-  the Faunus girl asks.

"Nah, I've never been shy about anything! I don't mind appreciating hot guys and hot girls." - Coco says, shrugging.

"Oooooh, so you're a sniper who attacks both sides, huh?" - Yang asks.

"Attack both sides? Are we talking about combat now?" - Pyrrha asks, a little confused.

"Only if it's another type of combat, heheh, like wrestling," - Yang says.

"Wrestling that can only be practiced in bed, sweetie."- Coco adds, adding to Yang's words. The two look at each other and realize they would get along great.

"Excuse me? I think... I think I'm missing something." 

"Relax, Pyrrha… this conversation isn't your level," - says Velvet, even realizing it was good to maintain Pyrrha's innocence in some matters.

"Very good! As I'd say, why only be with one when you can have both by your side!" - Nora says in front of Coco.

"Hoho, a colleague who doesn't turn down any kind of food! I respect you!" - Coco says, standing up, and she and Nora give each other the most masculine handshake two girls could muster.

"We were talking about combat, and now we're talking about food? Sorry if I can't keep up, it's my first sleepover too!" - Pyrrha says, a little nervous because she doesn't understand everything.

"I already told you, Pyrrha, all this naughtiness isn't worth your time," - Velvet comments.

"Since we're on the subject, why don't we talk about this kind of thing?" - Coco asks, getting the girls' attention.

"What do you mean?" - Ruby asks. 

"I won again," - Weiss says, her small smile widening even further.

"OMG!" - Ruby shouts.

"Of course I'm talking about love interests!" - Coco says with a big smile on her face.

…

While the girls were having fun, the boys were somehow together on the streets of Beacon, but they… were lost?

"So… what do we do?" - Jaune asks, sitting on a bench next to Ren and Cardin.

"THOSE BASTARDS! I can't believe they're just going to ignore us!" - Sun says, angrily stomping his foot.

"Scarlet said it in so many words, this is stupid and I won't participate," - Neptune says with her arms crossed.

"But what about Sage?" - Sun asks.

"He… you know he's kind of shy, I think he doesn't want to come and will make up some excuse," - Neptune says. He then receives a call on his Scroll and answers it.

"See?" He said his grandma fell down the stairs and he needs to help her" - Neptune, speak.

"Ugh... Cardin, what about your team?" - Sun asks.

"I'm waiting for Sky. Russell and Dove are going on a double date with their girlfriends." - Cardin says with his arms crossed, but at the mention of the word "girlfriend," all the boys present stare at him with wide eyes and dropped jaws.

"RUSSEL AND DOVE HAVE GIRLFRIENDS?!" - everyone yells at once (even Ren), gathering in front of Cardin.

"YES, FUCK! GET AWAY FROM ME, DAMMIT!" - Cardin yells, struggling to push everyone away.

"Their lives didn't start they lives at Beacon, did they?! They have girlfriends from their days at the combat academy." - Cardin speaks.

"I can't believe that Russel the rude and Dove the coward have girlfriends and I don't... what did I do wrong..." - Neptune thinks, curled up on the floor, dealing with his own shame.

"Whoa, guys, sorry I'm late! I was... uh... what happened to him?" - Sky asks, running over to where the boys were, then stopping when she sees Neptune's depression.

"He just had a reality check," - Cardin says with a cynical smile.

"No need to be mean to him, Cardin," - Jaune says with a stern look.

"Oh, stop it, Arc! You're too soft!"

"You're the one who's so cruel!"

"WANT ME TO SHOW YOU CRUELTY!"

"I'LL FIX YOUR CRUELTY WITH A PUNCH!"

"And there they go again," - Ren sighs, watching Cardin and Jaune fight for the tenth time that day. 

"Speaking of which, what kind of girl would you guys be?" - Sun asks, lifting Neptune by the collar of his shirt and slapping him twice in the face to get him back on track.

"Girls, huh? Uhmmm, I think it would be a girl shorter than me and more delicate," - Neptune says, seeming to enjoy this topic to cheer herself up.

"An elegant and strong girl! One who can be good at things I'm not!" - Sun says with conviction.

"Look, I like girls with a gothic style... and who seem cold and distant on the outside." - Sky says with a shrug.

"And you three?" - Sun asks, seeing Ren trying to break up the fight between Jaune and Cardin, whose faces were swollen and teeth broken.

"Us what?" - they ask all three at the same time.

"What kind of girl do you guys like?" - Sun asks.

"What nonsense is this?" I thought we were going out together just to forget about girls, where this whole masculinity thing or whatever.” - Cardin says, letting go of Jaune's collar, letting him fall headfirst to the ground.

“But that's just man talk, damn it!” - Sun says.

“I don't know! Uhmmm… maybe some girl who prioritizes me in her life, just like I would prioritize her in mine.” - Cardin says.

“Geez, Mommy issues.” - Neptune and Sun say at the same time with blank expressions.

“I'M GOING TO KILL YOU BOTH! I SWEAR I WILL!” - the leader of Team CRDL yells, almost charging at Sun and Neptune if Jaune weren't able to hold him back.

“Uhm, I don't really care if it's a girl or a boy, but despite everything, I like lively and innocent people.” - Ren says with a shrug. 

"Wait a minute... you don't care if it's a boy or a girl?" - Sun asks.

"If I like the person, it doesn't matter to me... and please don't give me that look, I find you guys disgusting," - Ren says with a blank expression to Sun, Neptune, and Sky.

"Phew... WAIT A MINUTE, WHAT DO YOU MEAN, DISGUSTING?!"

"A kind of, uhm... I don't know... I'd say I had a type of elegant, delicate girl with a ruthless aura, but... I think things have changed in Beacon... I don't know if I have a type. If the girl likes me, I guess that's it? Anyway, I'm not looking for a relationship right now."- Jaune says with a shrug.

"YOU'RE WASTING YOUR TEENAGE YEARS, JAUNE! ARE YOU REALLY GOING TO MISS THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPERIENCE A MOVIE-WORTHY TEENAGE ROMANCE?!" - Sun asks, his arm around Jaune's shoulder, as if pulling him into a serious conversation.

"This is a waste of time, hey Arc, let's train in some empty room somewhere," - says Cardin.

"I think I'll go with Cardin on this, guys," - Jaune comments.

"Calm down! I JUST HAD A BRILLIANT IDEA!" - says Neptune, stepping in front of Cardin and Jaune so they don't leave.

"And what would that be?" - asks Cardin.

"Hehehehehe, follow me and you'll see~" - says Neptune with a sinister smile on her face. Cardin and Jaune look at each other, seemingly communicating with each other. They both seem to understand that something really bad and stupid is about to happen.