Jaune Arc was a promising Huntsman-in-training, a fourth year student at the prestigious Beacon academy, the leader of Team JNPR; quite possibly the single best team currently in attendance. He had a sharp mind with a prodigious grasp on tactics, though he was no slouch in straight-combat as well (thanks to his team's efforts to whip him up to shape).
He was travelling to the Beacon campus to attend his fourth and final year.
And he was trying his hardest not to puke out his guts. Aura could fix a lot of things; but unfortunately for him (and to the amusement of his team- those traitors!) it couldn't fix his motion-sickness, something he lamented everytime he traveled via Bullhead.
At-least, Pyrhha Nikos; four-time Mistral tourney winner and his partner, was compassionate enough to let him lie his head on her lap, stroking his hair all the while with a serene smile on her face, unlike the hysterically snickering hyperactive menace that was Nora Valkyrie and her smirking partner Lie 'Master of passive-smugness' Ren.
Jaune pouted- his team was so mean to him!
"Guyysss..." he whined pathetically, "Stop bullying me!"
His team chuckled, and the other fourth years nearby gave them amused looks.
"But it's so fun to see our glorious fearless leader in such a rare moment of weakness!" Nora mocked him, a teasing grin on her face.
"I concur," Ren agreed, thoroughly amused by the two's antics. Banter was a regular and treasured activity that all teams partook in; team JNPR was no exception.
Jaune sobbed theatrically.
"Pyr! They're being mean to me again!"
Pyrhha was a kind soul, surely she would stick up for him and save him from these...these cretins!
Pyrhha gave a small snicker, "I'm afraid I have to agree- Jaune, seeing you in this pitiful state is rather amusing."
Oh the betrayal!
"This is mutiny! Mutiny I say!" he cried out in mock-anger, "After everything we've been through? After that glorious panty-raid we did last year?! I thought our bonds were stronger than this!"
Unsurprisingly, the panty raid was Nora's idea. He and Ren got pretty beat up (with Pyrhha and Nora remaining unscathed- how sexist!) but it was so worth it.
Their faces heated up at the memories. The girls of Beacon were rather...er...lewd with their choices of undergarments.
They then all cracked up at the memories of what was dubbed 'The Great Beacon Panty-Raid'. Now, that was a WILD night.
Their bantering was interrupted by the appearance of a hologram of Professor Goodwitch, their combat instructor, in the center of the Bullhead. It caused many of them to immediately sit up straighter and caused conversations to suddenly stop. When she appeared in any shape or form you had better behave yourself, otherwise the consequences would be quite dire.
"Hello, fourth years of Beacon," Professor Goodwitch greeted, her beautiful face set in her usual stern frown, "You will be returning to complete you final year at the prestigious Beacon Academy, the last year until you are free to take up your Huntsman duties and to take missions. This year will mostly focus on preparing you for the missions you will be taking as fully fledged Huntsmen and Huntresses. Remember, you are the best of the best; humanity's bastion against the Grimm, it will be your duty to set a precedent for those who will come after you," Professor Goodwitch said seriously.
She then smiled softly, "That being said, I am proud off all of you for getting this far," she said with pride, making many of the fourth years smile. Professor Goodwitch may be cold and stern, but she was a great teacher, and an undeniably kind woman that all them looked up to.
"Welcome back to Beacon."
And as Jaune and his team looked to the windows and gazed at the magnificent and awe-inspiring site of Beacon in all its glory, small smiles grew on their faces. It was good to be back.
Team JNPR got off the Bullhead in high spirits; excited at the prospect of spending their final year at Beacon.
"Man, it feels like ages since we've last been here!" Nora exclaimed, taking a deep breath of the air.
"I know what you mean. It's good to be back," agreed Pyrrha.
Jaune chuckled.
Ren raised a brow, "What's so funny, Jaune?"
"Nothing," Jaune waved him off, "It's just...pretty weird for students to be excited to be going back to school; then again- this is school for learning to hunt monsters instead of learning math or something, so I can understand the enthusiasm going around," He gestured towards the other fourth years students, and indeed, they were quite excited by the prospect of returning to Beacon, this place had many fond memories for all of them, there was never really a dull day while you were in Beacon; thanks in no small part to the eccentric Headmaster, Ozpin, who was a surprisingly chill dude, the other Beacon staff were just as quirky- hell even Professor Goodwitch had her oddities.
There wasn't a school quite like Beacon, made him glad that he chose to come here instead of someplace like Atlas Academy; he shuddered to think how he would've turned out there. Probably a stiff military man with no sense of fun, it would've been dreadfully boring there.
Ren's lips quirked upwards, "It's pretty jarring isn't it? A striking contrast between regular schools for sure."
Pyrhha nodded in agreement.
"Bah," Nora scoffed, "regular school is dumb! Schools that teach us how to kill Grimm are sooo much better!" She exclaimed.
"No objections from us there," Jaune snickered.
They talked for a few more minutes before Professor Port, their Grimm studies, acting, and tracking teacher came over to the Bullhead docking areas where the fourth years were and greeted them.
"Welcome back, it is good to see you all again, my students!" He greeted them jovially, same old squinted eyes, burgundy jacket, and glorious mustache. The fourth years greeted him with either nods of respect or 'hellos' or in Nora's case an attempted hug that was quickly sidestepped.
Nora's hugs were known to break anyone but Ren's- who built up an immunity to them throughout the years- bones.
"We'll be heading towards the auditorium, where the headmaster and the rest of the staff will greet you," he informed them as Nora pouted at him.
He then turned around and walked to the aforementioned location with the fourth years following along with him.
After the portly professor led them to the auditorium, he climbed the steps of the raised platform where the rest of his colleagues were: the headmaster, who occasionally taught leadership classes when he had the time; and, professors, Goodwitch; Oobleck, their history and tactics teacher; and Peach, their sciences teacher.
After a moment of letting the students settle down, Headmaster Ozpin stepped up to the microphone.
"I'll keep this...brief," he began with the same line every new year.
"I am very proud of you, all of you, for getting this far. One year from now, you will be risking your life and limb for the sake of protecting the people of Remnant from the Grimm, and even sometimes themselves, you will be their bulwark, you will be their hope, and for that I cannot even begin to express the amount of joy that brings me; to be able to have a hand in training such strong youth..." exclaimed the headmaster, emotions stirring in sharp hazel eyes.
This was unexpected; Headmaster Ozpin didn't really do motivating or congratulatory speeches, sure, he did pep-talks, Jaune even got one from him when he was a new and unsure leader- a boy who snuck his way in with forged transcripts instead of the capable almost-Huntsman that he was now, a boy in over his own head and despairing at his own perceived incompetence at being a leader and prospective Huntsman- but he didn't do these types of speeches, not to say he wasn't good at them though, as evidenced from the slightly teary eyes he was getting from some particularly emotional students- Jaune included!
"That being said," he continued, a bit of mischievousness in his voice. The tears suddenly dried, dread taking it's place.
Oh no. No, no, no...
When the Headmaster took that tone, something either hilarious or painful was going to happen to somebody (mostly the latter instead of the former, in exceedingly rare cases maybe evewn both at the same time).
They will never forget the series of sparring matches Ozpin had arranged between the students and the teachers. Thinking of the memories still brings some of them physical pains, evidenced by the slight whimpers some of them let out- Jaune once again included!
"Your first year counterparts will not be as capable as you, so I've established a new system to get them up to speed in their training, a mentorship system, to be precise; fourth year teams will be mentoring first year teams, who will arrive three days from now, after the third and second years arrive," he said in a perfectly stoic tone that somehow managed to be smug.
Oh god, please let this nightmare end. First years!?
First years were usually arrogant bastards that thought they were hot shit because of being able to get into the notoriously-difficult-to-get-into Beacon Academy.
This was a going to be a nightmare.
All at once the entire auditorium was up and arms about the announcement, protesting with all their might. Nobody wanted to deal with first years.
"Silence!" snapped Professor Goodwitch with a flourish of her riding crop nicknamed by the student body as the 'Ass Annihilator'.
Of course she hadn't actually physically hit anyone with it, it was still a Huntsman weapon, albeit a particularly un-lethal one, acting more as a catalyst to use with her Dust spells; but it was still damn scary when she flicked the thing at you.
And so order was restored. Only the truly suicidal would piss off Professor Goodwitch. R.I.P Gelb Bradbury, you glorious yet incredibly foolish bastard.
But the air of discontent was still there. Seriously, they knew firsthand how annoying first years were, they used to be ones.
"I know you might have some...reservations about these first years, but you are all adults now- act like it!" chastised Professor Goodwitch, causing many to lower their heads in shame.
Headmaster Ozpin- the smug bastard!- chuckled, much to the indignation of everyone, " Thank you, Glynda. Anyway, with that announcement out of the way," No way! You do not get to sweep that issue under the rug, "I have already forwarded the location of your new dorms- which will be adjacent to the first year team you will be mentoring-" Many were outright frothing at the mouth at this proclamation, "to your scrolls."
They did not expect something like this when they got off the Bullhead...but in hindsight they really should have- Beacon was crazy like that.
Headmaster Ozpin gave them a- dare he say?- mocking smile, "Welcome back to Beacon, my beloved students!" he exclaimed with so much enthusiasm that it was disgusting.
He looked to his still-shell-shocked team and thought to himself,
'This is going to suck, isn't it?'
He hoped that they were atleast a team of hot girls or something, hopefully with no issues. But knowing his luck they were probably: a heiress to a multi-billion dollar company with an icy personality and an ego to match; a curvaceous, punny and hot-headed brawler with mommy issues; an ex-White Fang operative with an abusive ex, low self esteem, and a pen-chance for running away from her problems; and an adorable girl with special eyes that had some sort of completely overpowered and bullshit ability, a giant scythe, and a dead mother- all of whom with a truck-load of emotional baggage.
He blinked. Where did that come from?
There was no way that could come true, right? Hahaha. he must've been watching too much anime with his sister, Rouge, or something, hahaha, what a ridiculous imagination he had.
'Please,' he begged every deity he knew of, 'please do not let that come true!'
Except for the part with the hot girls, that was cool, perhaps he could woo them with the patented 'Sexy Upperclassman Act™' or at-least he would awkwardly try his best , he still wasn't the best at being suave, although better than when he started- he cringed at the memory of his borderline-desperate attempts at asking girls out on dates when he was still a first year before Pyrrha and Nora finally gave in and showed him how to actually ask a girl out on a date- it was a work-in-progress.
"Dismissed!" Headmaster Ozpin declared.
AN
This is a chewed bubblegum of an idea that just would not unstick itself from my mind. In which the entirety of Team JNPR is about four years older and as a consequence attends Beacon four years earlier, as the yet-to-be-formed Team Rwby's Upperclassmen, or- if you're a filthy weeb- Senpai. It's written in a different way compared to my other works, and it's also noticeably lighter than both Pack Mule and Desperate Measures (which may or may not be getting more chapters idk yet). I also put more effort into this one than both of them: althought, that being said I haven't fully figured out the plot *cough* I have no idea what I'm gonna do with the plot *cough*. I just posted this here to see if people liked the idea and my style of writing while executing said idea.
On the subject of pairings? As a person with absolutely no romantic writing experience, let's admit it, my romance is bound to be shitty and unrealistic, so I'd rather go all the way and do the full harem; but wait! Don't just shoot your monitor in disgust, I swear it's not just because I'm a hormonal fourteen year old or anything *laughs nervously* I'm going to make it an ironic full harem, where the main character, Jaune, points out all the tropes and ridiculous things that happen that ends up giving him the harem and yet fully embraces them, see?! I'm original, right?! *sobs*
Still thinking of adding Ren as an honorary Harem member, hmmmm...
Anyway, enough of my ramblings. Drop a review of your opinion, see ya!