Author's Note: Hi! I felt my first chapter needed a bit of a rework, I don't feel satisfied with what I wrote, so ye.

Here's the revised chapter 1! I merged the initial first 2 chapters into 1.

This is my first story. So to new readers, I hope you enjoy! -Aaron

It had started simply as a promise, a declaration by a five year old Jaune had made as he watched his oldest sister leave for Beacon. He would become a hero, he had to of course, everyone in his family is a hunter, skipping him sadly, but that wouldn't stop him -not in the slightest!-.

Sure: He didn't have the same early training his sisters had gotten, or improved when his dad tried to train him, but that's besides the point; He had shouted to the world, and to his older sisters that he would become a hero just like the Arcs before him.

He just needed a trainer, someone he could learn from. No matter how many times he had tried to train with another member of the Arc family it had always ended in...he wouldn't say disaster, it was just more disappointing for both sides.

Every time he tried to train with his dad it had always ended with him failing to keep his footwork in order, he had tried as hard as he can before his dad had called an end to their training. That stung a lot, a phone from his big sisters had managed to calm him down a lot thankfully.

Then there was what happened when he asked his mom to help train him...even now their back yard still smelled like apricot...the fruit, not his mom who had the same name of course.

Then there were his sisters…Yeah they were a definite no. He loved all of his sisters, but they were...really over bearing and protective to the point they were really scary if he mentioned becoming a hunter too much.

This didn't leave him with much of a choice, he wasn't sure who else to ask. There was only one other person he knew, a family friend that came by often to visit before venturing off for months to weeks.

"You want me to train you?" I nodded to her question, as I looked up to her. A sense of embarrassment started to fill me, I did just pull her away from the party to ask her this. It was hard to keep eye contact with her.

She stood tall, donned in her familiar white coat, with a glimpse of her red shirt underneath. I'd never seen her without. They fit her, and I doubted she would change her apparel anytime soon. She gave me a rare emotion i'd never seen on her face before, curiosity? Turning her back on me, I couldn't see what other emotions went through her, blocked by her long and flowing white hair.

"Yeah, I know you tend to be busy for weeks on end, but I figured now that you're back I could train under you. I-if you're able to of course! I know you're busy a lot of the time and I don't really to assume that you're free when you'r-"

"I'll train you." She agreed. She agreed? I didn't expect it to be that easy, but those words of hers prove me otherwise.

"Really?" I could already feel a smile growing on me. "Thanks Alex." I wondered what type of training she'll have ready for me.

"If you're serious about this, be prepared by 6 am tomorrow. Right now: everything is on a need to know basis, got that?" I nodded, she didn't waste time giving me my first order; not that I was complaining, but she didn't hesitate at all.

Did she say 6am?

Jaune wished he was still in bed, He wished he still had his head resting on his comfy pillow, with the warmth of his blanket still wrapped up around him. Jaune would of still had all of these things, If he didn't ask Alex to help him train.

Jaune would of had the luxury of waking up at 7 instead of 5 am, If he didn't ask his now-mentor to train him, 'to toughen him up in anyway she imagined' to help him for his dream of becoming a hunter. Not that he told her he wanted to be a hunter, as he wanted to keep that a secret until he could get into Beacon.

That happened 30 minutes ago. Jaune at this point was running, he had been for a good 10 minutes or so. His task was simple, capture the red marked flag. This was a beginning challenge his mentor had set up for him, he could approach this anyway he could.

His mentor however, Never included the small -almost minuscule- fact that she would try to stop him. She had already explained, for one: If he got hit by a red paintball, he was immediately 'out'. She of course, was somewhere in the forest as well, as she could be behind any tree, or behind any bush at any moment. And he might not even see her until it was too late.

Something whizzed by his head, as a glance to the right showed him what he dreaded. Red splattered paint.

With that as his indicator, he started to run harder. He knew that she was somewhere on his left, but with only that to work on his options were limited, however.

His mind almost dropped the thoughts entirely as he noticed a clearing up ahead. There stood the red flag.

"The flag!" he rejoiced, sprinting harder, as he hadn't stopped running since the start, when they were still in the outskirt of town.

He stopped right before he could reach the flag. His hand had already reached out to try and grab it, a few inches from simply ripping it off from the pole, as his fate was sealed when he heard a obvious 'click' and a few leaves being crushed under a foot.

Jaune could only sigh. His mentor had gotten him, a few seconds before he would of won. A mere moment away from having his shirt paint clean and almost shockingly clean of dirt.

Most importantly: He was just a second away from being 'saved' in a sense, from his new mentor. Who had most importantly, promised not to tease him when she wanted. If he had just gotten the flag in time, now he could feel the cold plastic barrel of her paintball gun. hearing a click as she pulled the trigger.

Alek's POV.

Jaune's first mistake started from the beginning of the 'trial' as I preferred to call it.

His mistake was simple: He took the open dirt road, although easy to run and move on without the hassle of mud or low hidden rocks and bumps that could trip him. This was a trade between movement and visibility, as he was easy to spot and track.

I kept pace with him, carefully switching between glancing at him every so often and keeping my focus on the path I had chosen. It wasn't the best; it also wasn't the worst as most of the ground was flat besides a few but noticeable bumps, nothing impassable as long as my focus didn't slip and fall mostly on him.

"My footwork was in need of sharpening anyways" popped into my head as there was a few minutes before Jaune would reach the actual flag. There were a few ideas of how to prepare that came to mind, what to place and how to 'out' him: I could easily of shot him with the paintball gun from the get-go, or place a few minor traps that would of splattered him with red paint right at the end, I even had the option of simply tackling him to the ground if both my aim and traps fail.

In the end, my option was to go for a variation of shooting him with the paintball gun, instead of shooting him from the start, stripping the idea of 'choice' from him in an instant. It was more...appealing? no... Beneficial, in a way to at least let him get a feel of how most of his training will be like. -assuming I don't exhaust myself out first-.

My thoughts died down as my hands rose, carrying the paintball gun, firing a single red paintball next to his head.

It missed of course, my aim wasn't focused on hitting him dead on yet.

He was close, at least a few inches away from reaching the flag before I was right behind him, the barrel touching his back as he froze up.

In return I smiled as he sighed, he wasn't going to get out of this easily.

I spoke up as I removed my helmet "It seems we'll be training my way" I tried to not add in a bit of glee at the end, but at that moment. It was a bit difficult.

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