Jaune groaned as he tiredly dropped his head on his desk, letting the pencil he was holding fall out of his hand. It is nearly four in the afternoon, and he has been working on practice quizzes in Grayson's class for over an hour now. It is getting close to the end of his first semester at Beacon, and while he doesn't have to take any final exams yet, there are some big exams coming up that could make or break some of his grades. He has finally started taking his education seriously, and he has been spending extra time studying and going to tutoring sessions.
However, that added with his nightly combat training sessions with Pyrrha means that he is extremely tired. Not only is his mind exhausted from his long studying sessions, but he is also physically tired, because Pyrrha has not gone easy on him. If she did, then he wouldn't be able to improve as quickly.
Grayson heard the thump that Jaune's head made when it hit the desk, and he looked up to see that his student may have finally hit his limit. He stood up from his chair, stretching his limbs a bit, since they began to get a little stiff from sitting in his chair for so long.
He moved over to where Jaune was hunched over, and he snatched the quiz into his hands to quickly look it over. At this point, he has all of the answers memorized, so it didn't take him longer than a couple of minutes to finish grading it. Once he was done, he looked down at Jaune with what seemed to be a satisfied grin.
"Well, I am definitely impressed, Jaune. On this last quiz, you managed to only get five of the questions wrong." he said. It has taken a while, but ever since the blonde-haired boy improved his study habits, his grades have become on par with most of the other students. "I think that we can call it for today's session, Jaune. You are obviously tired, and I don't need you passing out in class tomorrow."
Jaune slowly sat up in his seat, rubbing the back of his head tiredly. "Yeah. That is probably for the best." he responded. He still feels like he could use some more work, but he admits that Grayson has a point. All this studying won't do him any good if he ends up just falling in sleep in class, which he has done well in avoiding, at least for the most part.
Grayson noticed the small look of disappointment that settled on Jaune's face, and he gave the teen a reassuring smile. "Don't let it bug you too much, Jaune. Yeah, you could still do a bit better, but I'd rather not put too much pressure on you. You've improved well enough already to ensure you make it to the next semester, and I think you should be proud of that. If you keep at it the way you have been, I think that you'll be alright."
"I guess you're right. Thanks, professor." Jaune said before collecting his things and heading towards the door. "I'll see you in class tomorrow."
However, that reminded Grayson of something that he wanted to ask the teen, and he stopped him before he could leave. "Before you leave, I wanted to ask you if you could inform Pyrrha that I would like the two of you to skip your nightly training session for today."
Jaune turned around and raised his brow at the professor. "Why?" he asked.
"I thought that I'd do you a favor. You are already exhausted, and I don't need you to collapse from a lack of sleep, especially tomorrow. If you haven't forgotten, tomorrow's class is special, and you won't have to worry about any of your other classes, since we aren't sure when we will finish."
"Oh, right. I almost forgot about that." he admitted sheepishly, making Grayson want to face-palm in response. "There have been a lot of second-year students, and some third-years talking about tomorrow's class. They said that they already knew what you had planned, because you did the same thing with them."
Grayson nodded in confirmation. "Yep. I've done this ever since I started teaching. I believe that it will be very useful, especially for you and the other first-years. It will help prepare you for next semester when you start shadowing Huntsmen on missions."
"You don't think you could maybe give me a bit of a clue of what to expect?" he asked hopefully. The older students haven't said anything, other than that they've experienced this lesson before.
"Sorry, Jaune, but you'll just have to wait and see like everyone else. Though, I will say one thing." he replied, catching Jaune's interest. "I will be watching you and the other students from the sidelines, but I will be keeping a close eye on your performance, specifically. Given the nature of tomorrow's class, I believe that it will give you the chance to show off your true potential."
Knowing that he specifically will be watched made him a bit nervous, though it also gave him something to strive for. He will do his best to show that all the help he's been given hasn't been for nothing.
"I won't let you down, professor." the blonde swordsman said with a small but confident grin on his face.
Seeing this side of Jaune made Grayson happy. He doesn't show it often, but it at least shows the improvement he has made so far. "I'll hold you to that, then. Anyways, you should probably get going. Surely my class isn't the only one you need to study for." he said with a knowing smirk.
Jaune's face paled after hearing that, remembering just how much he needed to get done. Without another word, the young teen ran out of the room, more than likely heading straight for his team's room or the library to study. Though, either one probably wouldn't be very helpful, considering that is Nora or someone from Team RWBY is in either place, not much studying will probably end up being done.
"If only I could get them to take their studies more seriously, as well. Heck, I'd be performing a miracle if I did. Maybe then Ozpin would give me a raise…"
However, he quickly dismissed the thought when he remembered just how difficult it was to get the hyperactive hammer-wielder of Team JNPR to focus on anything school-related that didn't involve fighting. The sisters of Team RWBY weren't much better either, despite Ruby getting help from Weiss.
Grayson sighed and returned to his desk, putting all thoughts of a possible raise aside and taking out his scroll. He dialed in the all too familiar number and held it up to his ear. It took a moment for the receiver to pick up, but Grayson had to stifle a chuckle when he heard the irritated grumbling from the other end of the call.
"What do you want?" Stella asked. Though, as much as she sounded angry, she also seemed very tired, considering that she sounded out of breath.
"I apologize if I was interrupting you. Jaune just left, so I figured that now would be a good time to call and see how far you've gotten with the preparations."
The other end of the call was silent for a moment before the blonde-haired woman let out a tired huff. "Things are almost done on our end. Although, things would be going a lot quicker if you'd be here helping out instead of sitting around in a classroom all day."
"Hey, it seems to be working, at least. Jaune is finally starting to come around. Though, tomorrow will be his first real test to determine if he has really absorbed all that he has learned."
"That is, if we get these preparations done in time. We're almost done, but I'm exhausted, and Jenny can only hold off the Grimm for so long by herself."
Grayson frowned. "All the more reason why I shouldn't tag along. If I go, then Grimm will just start converging in one place, and as impressive as Jenny's skills are, I'm not sure if she'd be able to handle a hoard of Grimm."
As much as she didn't want to admit it, he had a point. If anything, it would probably just set back whatever progress they already managed to make. They might as well stick it out for a bit longer. "Fine, but I hope that you've got a lot of Lien saved up, because it seems as though you're going to end up owing us another shopping trip for this." she said, not sounding upset about it at all.
"It's a good thing that I went on a couple of hunts recently." Grayson thought.
"Fine." Grayson agreed, much to his displeasure. "Just get the job done, and we can discuss that later." he said before hanging up.
After hanging up with Stella, he placed his head in his hands, groaning in annoyance. "I ask them to help me with one thing, and this is what I get in return? I swear, these two are going to make me broke one of these days." he muttered to himself.
The next morning, Teams RWBY and JNPR stepped into their classroom, only to find it crowded with students. Many of them they recognize from some of their other classes, though others they have never met before. However, some of the students are from second or third-year teams, so they aren't too surprised by the new faces. They are also wearing their combat clothing, since that is what they were told to come to class with.
"Man. It really wasn't an understatement when the professor said that all of his classes would be participating in this lesson. If I didn't know any better, I would assume the entire school was stuffed into this one room." Yang said.
"I'd say that is a bit of an exaggeration, but you aren't wrong when you say that it is packed in here." her partner agreed. She can't help but feel a little uncomfortable in a situation like this. She is okay around other people, but such a large crowd doesn't appeal to her very much.
Ruby let out a cute giggle. "It's a good thing none of us are claustrophobic." she stated. Although, after she said that, she immediately looked around at her friends a bit sheepishly. "No one is claustrophobic…right?" she asked hopefully.
Jaune shrugged his shoulders in response. "Nah. You sort of get used to being crowded when you live in a family with seven sisters." he chuckled.
Nora's eyes went wide at that statement. "Seven! Man! Your parents must've been going at it like rabbits!" she exclaimed, a bit louder than she should have.
Some of the others blushed at the implications, whereas Ren just scolded his partner for saying something like that. However, the young leader of Team RWBY looked on with slight confusion.
"What is that supposed to mean?" she asked innocently.
Her sister looked at her awkwardly, exchanging quick looks with their other teammates. "Um…don't worry about it, Rubes. Just…forget about it for now." she said, hoping that her other teammates would back her up.
"Yeah. You'll…find out when you're older." Weiss told her partner, attempting to help out the older sister. She had no intentions on having The Talk with the young team leader.
Seeing as though the conversation had taken a rather…awkward turn, Pyrrha decided to redirect back towards the original topic. "Anyways, I do wonder what our professor has planned for us. He hasn't given any indication as to what it is going to be, but judging by the older students' reactions, it must be big."
Jaune nodded his head in agreement, more than willing to get Nora's statement out of his head. "Yeah. I tried to ask him during our tutoring session yesterday, but he didn't really give any hints that would be useful." he added. Though, he left out the part about Grayson keeping an eye on him in particular. He isn't sure what he has planned, but if he has high hopes for Jaune, then he has no intentions of disappointing him. He wants to prove that he has what it takes, and that the extra effort hasn't been wasted on him. "Still, it doesn't matter if we don't know what to expect. We just have to take whatever he throws at us and prove that we can overcome it." he said with confidence.
His partner smiled upon hearing his newfound conviction. She knows that he stills has a way to go, especially when it comes to combat, but she knows that he has been trying his best. She much prefers to see this side of him, then what he was showing when Cardin had blackmailed him.
"That was quite the little speech you just gave. I sure hope that you've got the skill to back it up." a voice said.
The group turned around and are now standing face to face with four other students. The one who just spoke was the girl in the front of the others, resembling a fashionista with her designer outfit. She has fair skin, short dark-brown hair, and dark-brown eyes. Her outfit consists of a long, cocoa-colored shirt with a dark brown waist cincher. She wears long, dark brown trousers with ribbons on the left side and a brown belt with bullets. She also wears a pair of dark-brown, high-heeled leather boots. It doesn't appear like she has a weapon, aside from a handbag that she has at her wasit.
On her right is a boy with dark skin and messy copper hair. He wears a sleeveless, orange zipper vest with a black lining and a high collar. He also wears a pair of black jeans, and brown, laced shoes. His eyes are pure white, making the group assume that he is blind. His weapons are a pair of red blades that attach to his wrist.
On the boy's right, there is what many would describe as a giant. He is seven feet tall, with a bulky build. His black hair has been shaved to be extremely short, and his skin is slightly tanned. He wears a long, short-sleeved robe over a black muscle shirt. The robe is fastened by the waste with an armored belt. He also wears a pair of brown pants, a pair of black and green boots, and an armored plate on his left shoulder. His weapon is a massive great sword, held on his back by a strap on his shoulder.
The members of RWBY and JNPR aren't entirely familiar with them. However, they are very familiar with the last person of the other team. She is a girl with long, brown hair and a pair of bunny ears on top of her head. She is wearing a short, long-sleeved brown jacket with a golden zipper, brown shorts detail and black leggings. She wears a black undershirt beneath her jacket, along with golden spaulders and vambraces on both of her arms. She doesn't appear to have a weapon, like the other girl, but she is carrying her camera with her.
"Hey, guys." she greeted kindly with a small wave. There have been occasions when her team wasn't around, and she ended up sitting with them in an attempt to avoid being bullied by Cardin. They don't talk very often, but they consider each other friends.
"Hey, Velvet!" Ruby greeted cheerily. "How have things been?"
The rabbit faunus shrugged her shoulders in response. "Things have been alright. I've had to deal with the usual racism, though other than that, things have been perfectly fine." she responded, a hint of sadness in her voice.
This made Blake frown. "I still can't believe how ridiculous some of these students are. They are training to become Huntsmen, yet they bully others just because of their appearance."
"Yeah, but you don't need to worry about me!" she reassured. "They don't mess with me when my team is around, and Professor Canis gives them a piece of his mind whenever he notices someone bullying me." she said.
"I almost feel sorry for whoever gets on his bad side." the brown-haired girl next to Velvet said. Though, she doesn't really feel sorry for them, since she feels like they deserve it for picking on her teammate. "I remember last year, he scared one team so bad that they pissed themselves." she said, not even bothering to hide her laughter. Some of the others joined her, believing that it served them right for bullying innocent people.
"I remember that, too. Although, that was one time that I wished that I hadn't had an enhanced sense of smell." she said with a small frown. The giant behind her patted her on the back to comfort her.
"Hey, they could've done something way worse than piss themselves. Be grateful that they didn't." the boy with copper-colored hair said.
"Man, he might be my favorite teacher." Yang said after she had calmed her laughter.
"It serves them right for being bullies." Weiss said, struggling to keep herself composed.
Once the laughter had finally died down a bit, Velvet's team decided it was time to introduce themselves. "Anyways, my name is Coco Adel. I'm the leader of Velvet's team, Team CFVY. This big guy is Yatsuhashi." she said directing one hand towards the giant. He didn't say anything, but he gave them a small nod of greeting. He is the quiet one of the team. "And this is Fox." she said, pointing towards her dark-skinned teammate.
Nora looked like she was about to ask a question, but Fox answered before she could ask. "Yes. I'm blind. Though, I've learned how to sense things using my aura, so that it doesn't matter if I technically can't see." he explained. He gets asked that question so many times, it has gotten to the point where he just expects it.
Pyrrha smiled at the other team, happy to make some new friends. "It is nice to meet you. I'm assuming that you are all second years, since you are on the same team as Velvet."
They nodded in confirmation. "Yeah. Though, if you were expecting us to spill the beans on the lesson, you'll just have to wait until the professor gets here. However, I can tell you that it is going to be quite the experience for you first-years. Enjoy, because this is quite possibly everyone's favorite lesson from him." Coco explained.
"Why?" Blake asked curiously.
"I don't want to ruin the surprise, but let's just say that things are about to get really competitive." Coco responded with a sly grin.
The two first-year teams exchanged worried glances with each other, not really happy with the way she said that. Seeing their faces made Velvet giggle a little. "Don't worry. It won't be bad. In fact, it is actually kind of fun, once you get into it."
"As long as I get to break some legs, I'm happy with whatever." Nora replied.
Ren sighed. "Nora, I doubt that the professor will let you do that."
"No, but you will get to hit a lot of people." Coco responded. Though that didn't completely satisfy Nora, an evil grin etched its way onto her face at the thought of getting to demolish Team CRDL with her hammer.
"I feel bad for whoever she runs into." Jaune said, with the others nodding in agreement.
While they waited for their professor to arrive, the three teams chatted amongst each other, talking about their different classes and simply getting to know each other. They all seemed to get along well enough, aside from Velvet and Weiss. Velvet has nothing against Weiss; however, the Schnee heiress distanced herself from Velvet. The others noticed this, but they didn't say anything, since she wasn't trying to hurt Velvet like some of the other students would do.
Soon, Grayson walked into the classroom, followed by Jenny and Stella. Some of the male students couldn't help but take in the beauty, as they watched the two gorgeous women and their assets make their way to the front of the classroom. Meanwhile, some of the girls envied them, wishing to have such bodies.
Grayson did a quick look over the room, and he saw that most of his students were accounted for. "Alright. Since almost everyone is here, I'm going to get started with the explanation of today's lesson." he announced. "Now, this is something that I've been doing ever since I started teaching here at Beacon. I believe that this lesson not only teaches you how to work with other Huntsmen as well as your team, but it also gives you first-hand experience of how being on a real mission would be like. So, today you will all be split up into two teams, and you will be going head-to-head against each other in the Emerald Forest."
Some people got excited at this, thinking that it would be interesting to have an all-out battle. It would be a nice change from the one-on-one, partner, or team battles. Although, others seemed to have the opposite reaction. There are many students here who are from the older teams, which means that none of the first-years know anything about their fighting styles, weapons, or semblances. The same thing can be said vice versa.
"You will have to think quickly to gather information on your teammates, so that you can come up with a sound strategy to defeat the opposing team. If you run out of aura, then that means that you are unable to continue, and you are to make your way back to Beacon Cliff. Once all members of the opposing team are out, then the match is over."
Yang raised a fist, letting one of her gauntlets activate. "So, in other words, we basically just have to beat up everyone on the other team? That doesn't sound too difficult."
"You need to remember that a lot of the other students we will be up against have more experience than us. We can't just jump head-first into a fight without thinking carefully for a plan." Weiss said.
Nora just waved off the white-haired girl's concern. "Quit worrying so much! We've got this!"
"Um, Nora? You do realize that there is a chance that our teams may not end up working together, right?" Ren asked.
Nora's eyes widened in realization. She then turned towards the members of Team RWBY, stomped her foot, and gave them a glare. "You're going down!"
Ruby saw this a declaration of war, and she returned the glare, though it ended up looking more like a cute pout. "You're on!"
"Don't encourage her." Weiss and Ren said at the same time.
"If you'd let the professor finish, you'd realize that there is more to the lesson than that." Coco said, making the two freshman teams realize most of the class was staring awkwardly at them. They didn't even realize that they were causing a disturbance.
"We're sorry!" Pyrrha apologized, feeling a little embarrassed with everyone staring directly at them, even though she hadn't done anything.
As soon as the eight students quieted down, Stella began to speak. "Anyways, while that is one of the ways to win, there is another way, which may or not be the quicker and easier option." she said, pulling up a hologram projection for all the students to see.
The projection is split into two screens, each of which showing what appeared to be a small fort made out of hardened dirt. Both of them are surrounded by trees, so they assume that this is footage directly from the Emerald Forest. These forts were made by Stella's semblance.
In a way, her semblance can be compared to Professor Goodwitch's Telekinesis, due to the fact that both are able to create structures. However, Stella's semblance is actually a form of energy manipulation. She can control dust without using a weapon as a catalyst for it. Using lots of earth dust, she created the two forts, making them extra durable because they were infused with her aura. When it comes to battle, she isn't the strongest. However, she makes up for it with her stunning amount of aura control.
"Each team will have a flag that you will place somewhere in these forts. The other way for your team to win is for them to steal the opposing team's flag. So, you have two options. You can either go out and hunt down all of the opposing team, or you can send someone to infiltrate the other fort, steal their flag, and then bring it back to your fort. However, just because you go after their flag, that doesn't mean that they can't still go after yours."
Some of the students groaned at the prospect, not liking that there were multiple ways for their opponents to win. If they focus too much on trying to capture their enemy's flag, then their enemies could sneak around them and go after their flag. Although, if they focus on defending, then their enemies could trap them at their base and slowly pick them off. To ensure victory, you have to have a good balance between offense and defense.
Jenny placed a small box on a table in the front of the class. "Okay. Now we need each team leader to come down and pick your teams. You will each reach into the box, and you will randomly select a slip of paper. If you pick red, then you are on the red team. If you pick blue, then you are on the blue team." she quickly explained, believing that it was relatively simple to understand.
Ruby, Jaune, and Coco each went to pick for their respective teams, with the other team leaders quickly forming a long line. It took a while, with how many teams there were, but the line eventually got to Ruby. She reached her hand into the box with closed eyes, hoping that she would end up picking the right team. When she pilled out her slip of paper, she opened her eyes, and she smiled when she saw that she had picked the red team.
"Maybe this is a good luck sign." she thought, happy that she got her favorite color.
She turned around to go back to her seat, and then it was Jaune's turn to pick. He wasn't sure which team would be the best to be on. Though, as he pulled, he was hoping for red, so that he could work together with his friends. So, when he saw the red slip of paper in his hands, he smiled and let out a relieved huff.
When he returned to where his friends were, he happily showed them the red slip of paper. "It looks like we managed to get on the same team after all. At least we should be able to work well together." he said. He doesn't really feel comfortable working with a bunch of people he didn't know, but having at least them to help him, it made him feel a little more confident.
"Ah yeah! With us eight together, we are sure to win!" Nora declared. Although, their attention was drawn whenever they heard someone laughing. It was Coco.
"Sorry to burst your bubble, but it looks like you eight are out of luck." she said, showing them the blue slip of paper in her hand. "Tough luck, but we aren't going to go easy on you, just because you've been kind to Velvet. Our team won last year, and we are hoping to keep the streak going." she said with a confident smirk.
Fox scoffed. "Yeah. Although, it would've been nice had that jerk and his team not been stuck on the blue team, as well."
"How'd you know that they are on the blue team? Aren't you blind?" Ruby asked, somewhat confused.
"My sense of hearing is stronger due to the loss of my eyesight. I overheard them talking about being put on the blue team." he explained. Besides, they aren't sitting that far away from them, so it wasn't like it was hard to overheard their conversation.
Velvet's ears drooped a little, though she still has a small grin on her face. "That's too bad. Oh well. I'm sure that they won't get too out of control, as long as they know that the professors are watching." she reasoned.
Coco nodded in agreement. "Plus, I don't really care if he is on our team. If they try anything to mess with you, then I'll personally knock some sense into the four of them." she said holding up her handbag.
It wasn't long before the rest of the team leaders had picked their teams, and they had returned to their seats. "Now that you've all got your teams, we will be heading out. There will be several bullheads, so make sure that you get on the right ones for your team. You will be taken right above your respective forts, where you will then have to jump. From there, you will have some time to set up your flag and come up with a strategy. I will launch a flare into the sky whenever your planning time is up." he explained. "Now, any questions?"
The first one to raise their hand was Jaune. "U-um yes. You said that we would be jumping. Uh…will we be given- "
"Nope." Grayson said, cutting Jaune off. "It is just like the initiation, in the way that you will have to land in the forest without any outside help. When you are on a mission, you won't always have a clear or safe place to land, which means that you will have to improvise and come up with your own landing strategy. Although, personally I find it much easier to land after jumping from a bullhead than I do being launched from Beacon Cliff."
After hearing that, Jaune immediately shut up, not wanting another instance like what happened during the initiation. The only reason he didn't end up falling to his death was because Pyrrha had been there to stop him. Though, now that he thinks about it, he didn't have his aura when that happened, so if she would have missed his hoodie, then she very well could've ended up impaling him.
That thought made him gulp. "Man, I got lucky." he thought.
After that, there were no further questions, so everyone began to head outside where they found their respective bullheads. Once everyone was onboard the ships, the pilots took off and headed straight towards the Emerald Forest.
While the students were on their way to the forest, Grayson, Jenny, and Stella made their way to the top of Beacon Cliff, where they were ready to watch over the students via a scroll. Thanks to the cameras set up throughout the forest, they can watch the students' progress without getting in the way. Although, unlike the initiation, if something comes up and big Grimm like the Nevermore or the Deathstalker show up, then they will step in so that none of the students get seriously injured.
"So, who do you think will end up winning this little competition?" Jenny asked. When Grayson first told her about this lesson, she thought that it was an interesting idea. It also made her think of how fun it would've been to have something similar during the Grand Magic Games. Maybe once she manages to get back to Earthland, she could possibly suggest it to the planning committee.
Stella hummed in thought. "Team CFVY is most certainly one of the most impressive teams at Beacon. Their team also has quite a few of the other second-year teams, so I would argue that they have the better shot at winning, due to the extra experience."
Grayson nodded in agreement. "You make a fair point. They definitely have more experience than some of the students on the other team. Though, with both Team RWBY and Team JNPR on the red team, I believe that they have a fair shot at winning. Despite Jaune needing a bit more improvement, they are quite the formidable group, especially among the first-years. I wouldn't count them out, if I were you."
"Speaking of Jaune, how do you think he is going to do?" Jenny asked.
Grayson shrugged his shoulders in response. "I'm not sure. I know that he has the potential to lead his team to victory. However, it is up to him if he rises to the occasion or not."
Above the landing zone, the bullheads carrying the red team hovered, and the doors opened. The students looked out and down into the forest, some of them immediately regretting it. It isn't a crazy as their initiation, but it is still a rather far drop.
Surprisingly enough, Ruby was the first one to step up to the exit. "Welp, I guess I'll see you guys at the bottom." she said before jumping out of the bullhead. Weiss rolled her eyes at the cloaked girl's behavior before following behind her.
"Last one down is a dead Ursa!" Yang said before jumping out of the ship. Blake, on the other hand, jumped out without saying a word.
As the other students began to jump out of the bullhead, Jaune looked down at the floor of the forest nervously. "Is this really necessary?" he asked, not really expecting an answer. He flinched when he felt something touch his shoulder, though he calmed down when he realized that it was Pyrrha.
"You'll be fine, Jaune. Even if you fall, your aura will protect you." his partner reassured.
"It'll still hurt." Jaune said fearfully.
"Pft. Man up, Jaune!" Nora said before jumping out of the bullhead. "Bonsai!" she yelled on her way down.
Ren sighed before following after her. "I'd better get going. Who knows what she'll do if she is by herself for too long."
With them gone, that left Jaune and Pyrrha, the latter of which is still trying to calm her leader down. "Just take a deep breath, Jaune. You can do it." she encouraged.
Jaune did as she said and took a deep breath. He took another look down at the ground, and he almost hurled, which he was surprised he hasn't already done. He is still nervous, though he knows that stalling won't make it any better. So, with another deep breath, he leaped from the bullhead, immediately regretting his decision.
As he was falling, he could feel his stomach turn. It was one thing to be launched into the forest. It is another to willingly jump into the forest. However, he is still just as unprepared as he was last time. Instead of panicking, he should've spent his time on the ship thinking of some kind of landing maneuver.
He continued to fall, trying to come up with some sort of plan as he could see the ground coming closer. The adrenaline rushing through his system made it hard for him to think of a proper plan. However, just as he was about to hit the ground, he remembered a video that he had seen online. In it, the guy had tucked and rolled. Instead of taking the full impact through just his legs, it spread throughout his body when he rolled. He also remembered hearing Pyrrha say she did the same thing whenever she had landed in a tree during the initiation.
Not having any better ideas, he attempted to do the same thing. He landed with the tips of his toes, and he then went into a roll. It was going alright at first. However, he got a little tripped up, and he ended up landing on his back, instead of continuing the roll. He let out a small groan of pain as he looked up into the sky, seeing stars.
"Well, that didn't work as I was hoping."
Pyrrha landed a couple feet away from him. When she saw him lying on the ground, she went over to him and pulled him up, letting him get his bearings before letting go.
"Thanks, Pyrrha." he said.
"It was a good effort, Jaune. You just need to keep practicing."
Jaune sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, I guess so. Anyways, we should probably meet up with the others and start coming up with some sort of plan."
The two of them met up with the other two members of their team before meeting up with Team RWBY. Afterwards, them and the rest of the red team went to scout out the fort.
Overall, it isn't very big. Though, it has two floors, consisting of several different rooms. There is also a small wall surrounding the fort, with only a single entrance near the front of the fort. Plus, there are also several windows throughout the fort, which means that they also must be careful of anyone that might try to climb through them.
After about ten minutes familiarizing themselves with their fort, they all went outside, and someone drew a sketch of the fort in the dirt with a stick. After minutes of discussion, they finally decided to place the flag in one of the rooms on the top floor. Sure, it might be the most predictable spot, but it is still one of the most easily defendable areas. Not everyone will be able to climb up to the top floor, which means that they would have to get in from the bottom floor and fight their way up to the top.
That was a plan that most of them ended up agreeing with. Although, something that took a little more discussion was their plan of attack. They are going up against students who have more experience than them. If they rushed them in a head-on attack, they would probably end up being overpowered, and they would lose too many teammates. They also have some people who have experienced this lesson before, and so they have probably already come up with decent strategies of how to get their flag.
"I say that we split the team in half, and then while one half protects our flag, the other half will rush the other team's fort and make a break for the flag. Surely, they wouldn't be able to take on everyone at once, and someone would be able to sneak past them and get the flag." one of the students suggested.
Another student shook his head. "Have you ever seen Coco of Team CFVY fight?! She'll just mow everyone down." he protested.
"Yeah. I say that we send someone in from behind and sneak in. We can provide cover for them as they are retreating." another student suggested.
"But how will that person get to the flag? We have no idea where they are going to set up their flag, and it isn't like they are going to leave the flag unguarded. Whoever we send would probably be outnumbered at least four or five to one."
Everyone argued back and forth, trying to figure out what their best plan of action was. That is another reason why this lesson is important. When dealing with this many people, it is hard to come up with and coordinate a plan, especially with so little time to make one. However, is someone steps up and takes leadership over the group, then they would be able to keep everyone on the same page and focused on the task at hand.
Yang groaned as she sat down on the cool grass. "We aren't getting anywhere. No one can agree on a plan. I say that we just send in all of our heavy hitters, and while they are distracted with them, we send in someone to snatch up the flag."
"Of course, your solution to the problem would be to think with your fists." Weiss responded.
"I agree with Yang." Nora said. "We'll hit em' so hard that they'll never see it coming!"
"And the brute agrees with the other brute. You can't just solve everything with pure strength. You need to think strategically."
"Do you have another plan, Ice Queen?" Yang asked, smirking a bit when she saw Weiss glare at the mention of that nickname.
Although, the white-haired girl then faltered a bit. "Well…no, not really, but- "
"Then I really don't see anything wrong with the plan. It is better than nothing." Nora responded.
Not wanting their arguing to escalate any further, Ruby stepped in between them. Come on, guys. Stop fighting amongst yourselves. If we want any chance at beating the other team, then we need to work together, not against each other."
Pyrrha nodded her head in agreement. "Ruby is right. Now is not the time to lose our heads. We must keep calm and collected if we are going to come up with a smart strategy."
"I suggest that we keep most of our heavy hitters closer to the flag. If they do manage to reach our flag, then we need someone there that can take them out quickly." Blake suggested. She noticed that her partner and Nora weren't very happy about that plan, since it meant they wouldn't be in the middle of all the action. "You'd still get to fight, because I am sure that they are going to be heading towards the flag. After all, it would be easier to get their hands on the flag than it would be to eliminate such a large team. Plus, I think that we should have some of our more maneuverable fighters going for the flag."
Ren nodded in agreement. "I agree with that. Although, it will still get tough to get anywhere near their flag. I think that is going to be the toughest part to figure out."
While the two teams were discussing, Jaune stayed rather quiet. He was trying to take all of the information in, trying to figure out the best course of action for getting to the flag. He agrees that some of their stronger fighters should stay behind to guard the flag. Obviously, whoever goes to get the flag should be good with stealth, so that they could avoid most of the other team, and they would also have to be fast to get back to their fort without being stopped. What they need is some sort of distraction, something to get the people guarding the flag to leave.
"Jaune, are you alright?" Pyrrha asked, snapping him out of his thoughts. "You've been awfully quiet."
"Yeah, Vomit Boy. You okay over there?" Yang asked, chuckling at the use of his nickname.
"Y-yeah. I'm fine. Actually, I…um, I think that I have an idea." he said. Although, almost as soon as he said that, a student that was nearby let out a loud scoff.
"Please, like you could come up with a decent plan. You almost flunked out of every one of your classes, and you are by far the weakest student in Beacon." the student said.
"He may not be perfect, but none of us are. I know that Jaune isn't the strongest, but during the initiation, he showed that he had a strategical mind when we took on the Deathstalker." Pyrrha defended. She then looked back at her team leader, giving him a smile. "If you think your idea will work, then let's hear it."
He returned her smile. He doesn't understand what he did to have such a great teammate, but he is grateful for everything Pyrrha has done for him. No one expects much from him, but she knows that he is capable of more. He isn't about to let her down.
"Right! Alright. Here is what I think we should do…"
Nearly half an hour later, Grayson decided that they had enough time to prepare. So, he took out a small flare gun, and he launched the flare into the air, signaling for them to begin. He then turned his attention to his scroll, seeing Jaune and some of the other students preparing for the battle ahead.
"Show me what you've got, Jaune. Show me that you have what it takes to become a great huntsman."
A/N: Well, I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter! It was originally going to be a bit longer, but then I decided that I was going to split this chapter into two separate chapters. This one basically set up what is to come in the next one. However, the next chapter will include some intense fighting, so get ready for that.
I would've had this update done a little sooner, but I was having a bit of trouble writing Team CFVY's interactions with RWBY and JNPR, at first. We don't know too much about them, and they haven't appeared too often in the show. Though, after a couple of rewrites, I think that I got it down pretty well.
I imagine Yatsuhashi as being more of the silent type, considering we have only ever heard him talk during his fight in the Vytal Festival. We haven't heard Fox speak at all, from what I can remember, though from other FanFics where Fox was a commonly reoccurring character, he seemed to have a sort of joking personality to him, so I wanted to aim for something like that. Honestly, I think that it would fit him rather well, and I can't wait to see what he is actually like when he finally talks I the show.
As for Coco and Velvet, I mainly had them do the talking, because they seem to be the more conversational of the four members of their team. Coco also gives me a sort of protective vibe, so I'd like to imagine that she would be very protective over Velvet when it comes to bullying.
Anyways, with all of that rambling aside, if you enjoyed, please leave a review, because I am eager to hear feedback from all of you. Although, I would also like to ask that you please refrain from asking something that doesn't pertain to FanFiction in the reviews. If you would like to ask me for advice, or something along the lines of that, please send me a PM instead. Anyways, now that everything is really out of the way, I hope that you all have a wonderful day/night!