Chapter 6: Jaunedice
Several weeks have passed since the commencement of classes at Beacon, and many of the first year students were once again in Combat Class, where Jaune and Cardin were currently sparring. The blonde haired knight tried his best, though was unable to deal any significant damage to the mace wielding boy. Eventually the two locked weapons, Cardin pressing Jaune downwards with his strength.
"This is the part where you lose." Cardin boasted.
"Over my dead…" Jaune began before being kneed in the gut by his opponent, collapsing to the ground moments later. Cardin loomed above him, mace held high above his head. The boy prepared to follow through when a buzzer sounded and the lights returned to normal, causing Cardin to pause his swing.
"Cardin, that's enough!" Ms. Goodwitch spoke, the boy lowering his weapon and stepping back a few steps.
"Students, as you can see, Mr. Arc's Aura has now dropped into the red. In a tournament-styled duel, this would indicate that Jaune is no longer fit for battle, and that the official may call the match." Goodwitch explained. Pyrrha saw Jaune still on the floor of the arena, a sad look overtaking her face.
"Mr. Arc, it's been weeks now. Please try to refer to your Scroll during combat. Gauging your Aura will help you decide when it's appropriate to attack, or when it is better to move to a more... defensive strategy. We wouldn't want you to be gobbled up by a Beowolf, now, would we?" She continued, Jaune looking at his blinking Aura level on his scroll.
"Speak for yourself..." Cardin muttered, just loud enough for Jaune to hear. The professor looked to the students in the crowd.
"Remember, everyone, the Vytal Festival is only a few months away! It won't be long before students from the other kingdoms start arriving in Vale, so keep practicing! Those who choose to compete in the combat tournament will be representing all of Vale!" Silva noticed Verden, Lee and Rowan, along with team RWBY, were excited by the prospect.
"Can't say that I'm not excited myself." Silva thought with a smile. The bell chose to ring at that moment, and the crowd began to disperse. Pyrrha noticed her leader still sitting on the stage, his head hanging dejectedly as everyone left the amphitheater.
At lunch, teams RWBY and JNPR were sitting across from each other at one table, team SLVR sitting nearby behind them. Silva chuckled at the story Nora was telling everyone.
"So! There we were, in the middle of the night..." Nora spoke.
"It was day." Ren corrected.
"We were surrounded by Ursai..."
"They were Beowolves."
"Dozens of them!" Nora yelled.
"Two of 'em." Ren interjected.
"But they were no match… And in the end, Ren and I took them down and made a boatload of Lien selling Ursa skin rugs!" Ren sighed as his partner finished her narrative.
"She's been have this recurring dream for nearly a month now." Ren explained, sipping the mug of coffee he was holding. Pyrrha noticed Jaune was picking at his food morosely.
"Jaune, are you okay?" Pyrrha asked, concerned for her leader/partner. Jaune snapped out of his thoughts
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Why?" Jaune asked, not convincing them.
"It's just that, you seem a little… not okay." Ruby explained.
"Guys, I'm fine. Seriously! Look!" He said, holding a thumb up while laughing nervously. He looked over to where Cardin's team was, seeing them harassing another student.
"Jaune, Cardin's been picking on you since the first week of school!" Pyrrha spoke.
"Who? Cardin Winchester? Nah... He just likes to mess around! You know, practical jokes!"
"He's a bully." Ruby said.
"Oh, please! Name one time he's 'bullied' me." They brought up several examples, such as where Cardin knocked his books from his hands, activating the shift function of his sheath/shield which got him stuck in a doorway, and when he shoved Jaune into one of the school's rocket propelled lockers, launching him a short distance away from the school.
"I didn't land far from the school!" Jaune said.
"Jaune, you know if you ever need help, you can just ask." Pyrrha assured him.
"Ooooh! We'll break his legs!" Nora suggested, a diabolical grin on her face. Verden chuckled at the girl's eagerness.
"Guys, really, it's fine! Besides, it's not like he's only a jerk to me; he's a jerk to everyone." Jaune explained. Everyone turned as laughter sounded nearby, seeing Cardin harassing the girl sitting farther down the table SLVR was at, tugging painfully at one of the girl's rabbit ears, indicating that she was a Faunus.
"Please, stop..." She pleaded.
"I told you it was real!" Cardin laughed.
"What a freak!" Russell added. Cardin released the girl's ear and she quickly walked away, hiding her face from RWBY and JNPR's table..
"Atrocious. I can't stand people like him." Pyrrha said, a bit of anger in her tone.
"He's not the only one..." Blake added, eyes glaring daggers at the boy.
"It must be hard to be a Faunus." Yang said. Jaune had gotten up and looked to his team, sighing before going to drop off his tray. Cardin watched Jaune leave, a smug grin on his face when something wet struck his cheek. He wiped the substance, which happened to be chocolate pudding, off his face and turned to where it came from, seeing Silva as the only one nearby with pudding on his tray. The orange haired boy quickly got to his feet and made his way over to where Silva was sitting, the rest of CRDL in tow. Silva continued eating until Cardin tapped him on the back.
"What's up, doc?" Silva quipped as he turned towards Cardin.
"What's the big idea, runt?"
"Huh? Oh, that? I just thought your face was missing something. I have some peas here if your brain is feeling lonely." Silva continued with a grin. Rowan and Verden laughed, Lee even showing a small smile at his leader's comment. Cardin's face twisted in anger as he slammed his fist down on the table.
"Now listen here. You'd better watch it, or-"
"Or what?" Silva interjected, slightly annoyed. Silva turned back to his food before being turned around by the boy.
"You think you're so tough."
"Considering I've beaten you in combat before, yes. Yes I do. Certainly more than you and the rest of the brain trusts you call a team." Silva attempted to turn back to his food when Cardin pulled the boy from his seat by the collar. Silva placed one of his hands on Cardin's shoulder, before violently kneeing the boy in the stomach, sending him to the floor, coughing.
"Guys, let's go." Silva said, fixing his collar and grabbing his tray, his team following suit.
"You're gonna regret this." Cardin hissed as SLVR dropped their trays off and left the dining hall. Cardin got to his feet and brushed himself off before he and his team left too. Yang laughed at Cardin's misfortune, and even Blake cracked a small smile. Pyrrha smiled a little at seeing Cardin being one upped, but she was still worried for Jaune.
RWBY, JNPR, and SLVR, among several others, were currently in World History, taught by Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck, a green haired, bespectacled man wearing a partially tucked white shirt, a slack yellow tie, green slacks and mismatched brown and black shoes. The man was talking quickly and was moving around the room as he spoke, so quickly he almost appeared to be a blur each time he moved. Everyone assumed that the cause of this to be the coffee he'd been drinking since the lecture started. A large board behind the man had a map of Remnant, along with various notes connected with red string, linking several of them together in some fashion. Most of the students were paying attention, though some, like Jaune, were asleep.
"This is prior to the Faunus Rights Revolution, more popularly known as the Faunus War! Humankind was quite, quite adamant about centralizing Faunus population in Menagerie." Oobleck punctuated by pointing the stick in his hand to a section of the map behind him. "Now! While this must feel like ancient history to many of you, it is imperative to remember that these are relatively recent events! Why, the repercussions of the uprising can still be seen to this day! Now! Have any among you been subjugated or discriminated because of your Faunus heritage?" The hyperactive teacher asked. A few of the students, including Velvet, the girl being bullied by Cardin earlier, reluctantly raised their hands.
"Dreadful, simply dreadful! Remember, students, it is precisely this kind of ignorance that breeds violence!" "I mean, I mean, I mean just look at what happened to the White Fang! Now, which one of you young scholars can tell me what many theorists believe to be the turning point in the third year of the War?" Oobleck asked the class. Weiss raised her hand.
"Yes?"
"The battle at Fort Castle!"
"Precisely! And, who can tell me the advantage the Faunus had over General Lagune's forces?" The teacher continued. Cardin, sitting behind Jaune, flicked a paper football at the back of the sleeping teen's head, abruptly disturbing his nap.
"Hey!" Jaune yelled. Doctor Oobleck immediately zoomed in front of the boy.
"Mr. Arc! Finally contributing to class! This is excellent! Excellent! What is the answer?" The doctor/professor asked.
"Uhhhh... The answer... The advantage... of the Faunus..." Jaune stammered, looking past Oobleck at Pyrrha, who was subtly trying to give him the answer...had over that guy's stuff… Uhh...Binoculars!" The response was met with the laughter of a good portion of the class. Some, like Silva, winced at the extraordinarily incorrect response.
"Very funny, Mr. Arc!" Oobleck replied, less than impressed. He saw Cardin's lackadaisical attitude and decided to shift the question to him. "Cardin! Perhaps you would care to share your thoughts on the subject!"
"Well, I know it's a lot easier to train an animal than a soldier." Cardin spoke insultingly.
"You're not the most open-minded of individuals, are you, Cardin?" Pyrrha cut in, unimpressed by the boy's narrow-mindedness.
"What? You got a problem?" The orange haired boy accused.
"No, I have the answer. It's night vision. Many Faunus are known to have nearly-perfect sight in the dark." Cardin growled as Pyrrha delivered the correct answer.
"General Lagune was inexperienced, and made the mistake of trying to ambush the Faunus in their sleep. His massive army was outmatched, and the general was captured." Blake chimed in, then turned to Cardin. "Perhaps if he'd paid attention in class, he wouldn't have been remembered as such a failure." Silva smirked at the verbal beating the bully suffered.
"Well played, Blake. Well played, indeed." Silva thought as Cardin rose from his seat, fist clenched.
"Mr. Winchester! Please take your seat." Oobleck ordered. Jaune was even laughing at his tormentor's misfortune, though his laughter stopped when the professor stopped right in front of him.
"You and Mr. Arc can both see me after class for additional readings." He spoke, taking another sip of coffee. Jaune groaned as Oobleck continued with his lesson.
After class, everyone was making their way out of the lecture hall, Ren, Nora and Pyrrha near the back of the group.
"You go on ahead. I'll wait for Jaune." Pyrrha said as the two made their way down the hall. Back in the classroom, Oobleck was lecturing the two about their behavior.
"You two have been struggling in my class since day one! Now, I don't know if it's a lack of interest, or just your stubborn nature, but whatever it is… It stops now! You've worked hard to gain entrance to this school, and we only accept the best of the best, so I expect you to act like it. History is important, gentlemen! If you can't learn from it... you're destined to repeat it. Pages fifty-one to ninety-one! I want an essay on my desk by next class! Now! Run along." Oobleck finished before zooming out of the room. Jaune and Cardin walked out a few moments later, the latter pushing the former to the ground. Jaune let out a yelp of pain as Cardin walked off with a laugh. Pyrrha helped the boy to his feet.
"You know, I really will break his legs." She spoke. Jaune sighed, though an idea appeared in Pyrrha's mind.
"I have an idea! Here, come with me." Pyrrha said, dragging Jaune with her down the corridor. Several minutes later Pyrrha brought Jaune onto the rooftop of one of the buildings, a clear view of the academy's namesake in the distance.
"Pyrrha, I know I'm going through a hard time right now, but I'm not that depressed." Jaune said as he looked over the edge of the roof, much to his partner's confusion. "I can always be a farmer or something…" Pyrrha suddenly got the meaning of his words and with a look of horror quickly pulled the boy back.
"N-n-no! That's not why I brought you up here!" She said. Unbeknownst to the two, Cardin was below them, partially leaning out of the windowsill. "Jaune, I know you're having a difficult time in class and that you're still not the strongest of fighters, so... I want to help you!" She explained.
"Wh-what?" Jaune asked.
"We can train up here after class where no one can bother us!" Pyrrha continued.
"You think I need help?"
"N-no! No, that's not what I meant."
"But you just said it."
"Jaune, everybody needs a little push from time to time. It doesn't make you any different from the rest of us. You made it to Beacon! That speaks volumes of what you're capable of!" Pyrrha said. Jaune turned away and lowered his head.
"You're wrong. I-I don't belong here." He said lowly.
"That's a terrible thing to say! Of course you do!"
"No, I don't!" Jaune yelled, slightly angry. He sighed and decided to continue. "I wasn't really accepted into Beacon..." He revealed, turning away from his partner again.
"Wh-what do you mean?" She asked, bewildered by his proclamation.
"I mean I didn't go to combat school, I didn't pass any tests. I didn't earn my spot at this Academy!" He turned to Pyrrha again. "I lied! I got my hands on some fake transcripts, and I lied!"
"What? But... why?"
"Cause this is always what I've wanted to be! My father, my grandfather, and his father before him were all warriors! They were all heroes! I wanted to be one, too. I was just never good enough." Pyrrha walked next to him, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Then let me help you!"
"I don't want help! I don't want to be the damsel in distress! I want to be the hero!" Jaune ranted in frustration.
"Jaune, I-"
"I'm tired of being the lovable idiot, stuck in the tree while his friends fight for their lives! Don't you understand? If I can't do this on my own... then what good am I?" Jaune spoke. Pyrrha attempted to console him, but he leaned away from her.
"Just...leave me alone. Okay?" Jaune asked.
"If that's what you think is best…" Pyrrha bowed her head dejectedly before leaving the roof. Jaune paced back and forth a bit when he heard laughing. He turned to the direction of the noise, seeing Cardin climb onto the roof from the window he'd been looking out.
"Oh, Jaune..."
"Cardin!" Jaune said, shocked.
"I couldn't help but overhear you two from my dorm room. So, you snuck into Beacon, huh? I gotta say, Jaune, I never expected you to be such a rebel!" Cardin explained. Jaune's eyes widened in horror.
"Please, Cardin, please, don't tell anyone!" Jaune begged the boy.
"Jaune, come on! I'd never rat on a friend like that!" Cardin explained deviously.
"A... a friend?" Jaune replied in confusion.
"Of course!" He replied, pulling Jaune into a headlock despite his struggling. "We're friends now, Jauney boy! And the way I see it, as long as you're there for me when I need you, we'll be friends for a long time." He replied, releasing Jaune from the headlock.
"That being said, I really don't have time to do those extra readings Dr. Oobleck gave us today. Think you could take care of that for me, buddy?" He paused briefly. "That's what I thought. Don't worry, Jaune; your secret's safe with me." Cardin continued as he climbed back down into his dorm. Jaune looked at the ground, worried before eventually returning to his dorm.
Over the next few weeks, everyone noticed Jaune hanging around team CRDL quite often, much to the confusion of many. It was currently evening, most of the students having returned to their dorms. In JNPR's dorm, Nora was jumping up and down on her bed while Ren was cleaning his weapons and Pyrrha was looking out the window with a somber expression on her face.
"How come Jaune gets home so late?" Nora asked.
"He's become rather scarce since he started fraternizing with Cardin." Ren commented.
"That's weird... Doesn't he know we have a field trip tomorrow? We need our rest!" Nora continued, twirling and landing on her bed. (she proclaims this while twirling in midair so her back hits the covers)
"I'm sure our leader knows exactly what he's doing."Pyrrha replied, more than a bit spiteful after Jaune's refusal of her help. Ren and Nora shared a glance, both noticing the irritation in red haired girl's tone.
"Mmmm... I guess so." Nora replied, not quite sure how to feel. Unbeknownst to the three, Jaune was standing outside the door and peeking inside. The boy hung his head and stealthily closed the door.
"Hey, Jaune. Long time no see." Jaune was startled when he turned, seeing Ruby in her sleepwear, giggling at his reaction.
"Did you lock yourself out again?" She continued.
"Oh, uh, nope! Got it." Jaune replied, raising his scroll.
"So! Where have you been lately?"Ruby asked.
"I, uh..." Jaune started before lowering his head with a sigh. "I messed up. I did something I shouldn't have, and now Cardin has me on a leash, and Pyrrha won't even talk to me, and… I'm starting to think coming to this school was a bad idea. I'm a failure." Jaune answered, slumping to the ground while leaning against his room's door.
"Nope!" Jaune looked up at the girl in surprise.
"Nope?"
"Nope, You're a leader now, Jaune. You're not allowed to be a failure." Ruby explained.
"But...what if I'm a failure at being a leader?" Jaune asked.
"Hmm...Nope!" Jaune chuckled a bit at her response.
"You know, you're not the easiest person to talk about this kind of stuff." Jaune admitted.
"Nope! Jaune, maybe you were a failure when you were a kid…" Jaune groaned and sunk lower to the ground. "...and you might've even been a failure the first day we met. But, you can't be one now. You know why?" Ruby asked.
"Uhh, because…?"
"Because It's not just about you anymore. You've got a team now, Jaune. We both do. And if we fail, then we'll just be bringing them down with us. We have to put our teammates first, and ourselves second. You're team deserves a great leaser, Jaune. And I think that can be you" Ruby explained, getting to her feet and walking back towards her dorm. "Have a good night, Jaune." She added with a wave before closing the door behind her. Jaune stood up and was about to enter his dorm when his scroll's ring tone blared out, getting his attention. He opened the device and saw a voice message left by Cardin.
"Hey! It's your buddy Cardin! I know you're probably busy with that Dust project I gave you, buuuut I'm gonna need you to go out and get me a bag of Rapier Wasps." Jaune yelped slightly, knowing the reputation of the large insects. "And make sure they've got some really big stingers! It's important, so don't screw this up!" Jaune sighed and headed down the hallway away from his room.
Forever Fall, The following Day:
Professor Peach's first year class was currently in the forest of Forever Fall, being led by Professor Goodwitch since Peach was busy with another class.
"Yes, students, the forest of Forever Fall is indeed beautiful. But we are not here to sight-see. Professor Peach has asked all of you to collect samples from the trees deep inside this forest, and I'm here to make sure none of you die while doing so." Goodwitch explained, turning to face the group. Everyone immediately stopped, Jaune bumping into Cardin while carrying several empty jars. Goodwitch lifted the jar in her hand, showing it to the students.
"Each of you is to gather one jar's worth of red sap. However, this forest is full of the creatures of Grimm, so be sure to stay by your teammates. We will rendezvous back here at 4 o'clock. Have fun!" She said, allowing the students to spread out. Silva watched Jaune going off with Cardin and his team and frowned.
"Something's up here. Jaune's been getting rather 'buddy-buddy' with Cardin and his teammates lately. And I see I'm not the only one confused about what's going on." Silva wondered, noticing Pyrrha's expression.
"Silva, you coming?" Verden spoke, waiting with the rest of SLVR.
"Yeah, wait up." Silva called as he ran to catch up to his teammates.
Team CRDL were making themselves comfortable against some rocks and trees, seeing Jaune come into view carrying half a dozen jars of red sap. The boy collapsed to the ground after setting the jars down, dazed by a reaction from the sap. After asking Cardin about the extra sap, the group was led to a small hill, overlooking where the rest of Jaune's team was located, Ren groaning at Nora constantly eating the sap he was collecting.
"Cardin, wh-what's going on?" Jaune asked, confused and a bit worried.
"Payback." was the boy's succinct reply. Jaune looked over to Pyrrha, his eyes widening in realization.
"Pyrrha….? Wh-what are you?..."
"That's the girl. Red-haired know-it-all, thinks she's so smart. Alright boys. Last night, old Jaune here managed to round up an entire box of Rapier Wasps, and now, we're gonna put him to work." Russell grabbed Jaune's shoulder. "Now, according to one of the essays you wrote for me last week, these nasty things love sweets. I'm thinking it's time we teach her a thing or two." Cardin explained, pulling out the box of wasps Jaune had collected the previous evening. CRDL got to their feet, Cardin helping Jaune up roughly before thrusting the extra jar of sap into his hands.
"And you're gonna do it." He said.
"Do what?"
"Hit her with the sap!" Either that, or I'll have a chat with Goodwitch, and you'll be on the first airship out of Beacon." Cardin said. Jaune looked at the jar of sap in his hands, reluctantly rearing his arm back and aiming towards where Pyrrha was kneeling. He noticed the girl turn her head, a warm smile on her face. Jaune's hand shook as he attempted to steel his nerves, but after another few moments he did something CRDL wasn't expecting.
"No." Jaune spoke with conviction, lowering the jar in his hand.
"What did you say?" Cardin asked, surprised and slowly becoming angered by the boy's refusal.
"I said...NO!" Jaune yelled, tightly gripping the jar of sap and turning, tossing the jar away. Jaune recoiled back a bit when the jar collided with Cardin's armored chest plate, covering it in red substance. Cardin looked himself over before laughing darkly.
"Oh, you've done it now..." He spoke, Sky and Dove grabbed Jaune's shoulders and pulled him away, the five moving deeper into the forest. Once a sufficient distance away, Cardin began to punch the boy, dealing several blows while his team stood nearby. One of the blows knocked a now bruised Jaune to the ground, before Cardin roughly pulled him back to his feet.
"You know that wasn't very smart, Jauney boy." "I'm gonna make sure they send you back to mommy in teeny tiny pieces."
"I don't care what you do to me..." Jaune spoke, his expression hardening "... but you are not messing with my team." He continued, fury evident in his voice that surprised even Cardin.
"What? You think talk like that makes you tough? You think you're a big strong man now?" Cardin asked. The only reply Jaune gave was a weary, but defiant smile. Cardin growled and aimed another punch towards Jaune's face. As soon as his fist connected, a bright, white light blinding those in the immediate area. When the flash subsided, Cardin had released Jaune, holding his hand in pain. Jaune, on the ground, looked to his hands in confusion as he saw them glow white briefly. The glow had also seemed to have healed some of the bruises on his face. Before he could marvel at what happened, he was roughly knocked down by a kick to the back from Sky. He looked up at Cardin, flanked by Dove and Russell.
"Let's see how much of a man you really are..." Cardin boasted when a loud roar echoed nearby. They turned to the sound of heavy footfalls, seeing a large Grimm with several white bone spines and bone plates across its arms and back burst into the area. CRDL's expression turned to one of terror as they recognized the Grimm as an Ursa Major, a larger and more ferocious variant of Ursai. The gigantic beast stopped a short bit and stood on its hind legs, its head sniffing the air around it. The five instantly realized it was the sap that the Grimm was sniffing, as the bestial Grimm focused its attention on Cardin, landing back on all fours as it growled at Cardin.
"That's a big Ursa!" Russel yelled as he, Dove and Sky quickly fled the scene, leaving their leader and Jaune on their own. Cardin rose his arms just in time for the Ursa Major to swat him away. Jaune looked as the large Grimm continued to sniff the air, turning towards where Cardin had landed. The Grimm moved in on the boy, who pulled out his mace to attempt to scare off the creature. The attempt merely caused the giant Ursa to swat the weapon away, landing at Jaune's feet. Jaune looked towards Cardin, unsure whether to help the boy or run for safety. Teams RWBY, J(NPR), and SLVR were finishing up collecting sap when they heard a distant roar.
"Did you guys hear that?" Ruby asked in concern. Immediately after she spoke, Sky, Dove and Russell came into view, fear on their faces as they ran in the opposite direction of the roar.
"Ursa! Ursa!" Russell yelled, running into Yang. The girl, unfazed by the collision, easily hefted the boy up by his shirt.
"Where?" She asked.
"Back there! It's got Cardin."
"Jaune!" Pyrrha said as she dropped her jar of sap.
"Yang, you and Blake, go get professor Goodwitch!" Ruby ordered. Yang dropped Russell as she and Blake nodded, following her directions. Ruby and Pyrrha readied their weapons.
"You two, go with them! There could be more!" Pyrrha said to Ren and Nora, before they followed after Russell, Yang and Blake.
"Rowan, you and Verden follow them. Lee, we're going with Ruby." Silva spoke, drawing his revolver and forming an Ice blade in his left hand.
"Shouldn't you go warn the professor? You could get to her more quickly." Lee asked.
"If anyone's injured I can get them out of there quicker than anyone else." Silva responded. Lee nodded while extending his spear and the six quickly proceeded towards Cardin and Jaune's location.
After getting to his feet, Cardin attempted to run from the Ursa Major. The Ursine Grimm merely jumped ahead of him and turned, knocking him to the ground with a swipe of its claws.
"Crap! Crap! Crap!" Cardin repeated as he tried to crawl away. Ruby and the others arrived, seeing the Ursa Major standing above the bully, ready to deliver the killing blow. Before the claw could connect, Jaune jumped between the two and blocked the blow with Crocea Mors' shield. The Ursa's sheer power began to press down on the boy, struggling to keep the offending limb at bay. Weiss readied her rapier to assist when Pyrrha stopped her.
"Wait!" She ordered. Jaune eventually managed to redirect the claw and delivered a slash to the Major's unprotected stomach, momentarily knocking it back. It recovered and shifted its attention to Jaune, swinging it's clawed paw towards the boy, who rolled to the side to evade, then jumped the Grimm's hooking swipe. The Ursa Major swung again while Jaune was in the air, connecting with a sharp blow that sent the boy sprawling. He rolled to his feet and charged back towards the Grimm, attempting to strike with a jumping swing that was batted away by its paw. Jaune slowly rose to his feet and looked at his scroll, attached to the back of his shield. He saw that his Aura was in the red, which meant if he took another hit his Aura wouldn't be able to absorb the impact. The Ursa Major stalked towards him, Jaune running towards it. He reared his arm back to strike while the Ursine Grimm readied its claw. Pyrrha saw Jaune's shield lower, knowing that if he didn't block the swing the Grimm would beat him to the punch. Taking matters into her own hands. Pyrrha rose her hand towards Jaune, coated in a black aura, and used her Semblance to guide her leader's shield to block and guide the Ursa's claw away, giving Jaune a clear shot. The boy jumped, Crocea Mors easily cleaving the large Grimm's head from its shoulders before both the Ursa's head and body collapsed noisily to the ground, slowly beginning to dissolve. Pyrrha lowered her hand and ceased using her Semblance.
"Uhhh... What?" Ruby asked, confused.
"How did you...?" Weiss began.
"Well, Ruby has her speed, you have your glyphs. My Semblance is polarity." Pyrrha explained. Silva nodded.
"So, that explains how she received the reputation of the 'Invincible Girl'" Silva mused.
"Whoa, you can control poles..." Ruby spoke.
"No, you dunce! It means she has control over magnetism!" Weiss corrected.
"Magnets are cool, too..." Ruby whispered. Pyrrha began to walk off.
"Wait, where are you going?" Weiss asked.
"Yeah! We gotta tell them what happened!" Ruby agreed.
"We could...Or perhaps we could keep it our little secret?" Pyrrha suggested. Ruby and Weiss smiled in understanding as Jaune walked over to Cardin, helping him to his feet.
"Holy crap, Jaune!" Cardin said, genuinely impressed.
"Don't ever mess with my team. My friends, ever again. Got it?" Jaune threatened. He gave Cardin a few moments to let his words sink in before walking off. Cardin soon followed after after grabbing his mace, meeting up with Ruby's group and Jaune. Silva turned and aimed his revolver in Cardin's direction.
"Wait! What are you?!"
BAM
Cardin turned around, seeing a Beowolf with a hole in its chest a short distance behind, trying to crawl towards the boy. Silva fired another round that hit its head, killing it. Cardin looked at Silva, who shrugged in response before with a twirl holstered his weapon, making his way back to where the Professor and the others were waiting.
That evening, Jaune was standing on the roof he and Pyrrha had been on a few weeks previously, looking at Beacon's tower. He turned his head when he heard Pyrrha walk up next to him.
"No Cardin tonight? I thought you two were best buds." Pyrrha asked. Jaune turned to her, shame on his face.
"Pyrrha….I'm sorry. I was a jerk. You were only trying to be nice, and... I had all this stupid macho stuff in my head-"
"Jaune! It's okay!" Pyrrha assured him. "Your team really misses their leader, you know. You should come down! Ren made pancakes! We didn't have syrup at first, but Silva had an extra jar that he gave us." Pyrrha said as she made her way back towards the door.
"Wait!" Pyrrha turned to look at her partner. "I know I don't deserve it after all that happened, but... would you still be willing to help me... to help me become a better fighter?" Jaune asked. Pyrrha mulled the thought over in her head for a moment before walking over to Jaune and, to his surprise, pushed him to the ground.
"Hey!" Jaune complained.
"Your stance is all wrong. You need to be wider and lower to the ground." Pyrrha explained, offering a hand to the boy, who graciously accepted. "Let's try that again." She continued.
Unfortunately, once again no Omake. Since I've been busy, I haven't had the time to come up with any sufficiently entertaining ideas. Despite that, please don't hesitate to review.