Hello once again, everybody. It's me, Sparky D.! Looks like I've finally hit the double digits in regards to the number of chapters! Hooray! I actually added a little surprise in this chapter! Now to answer the reviews from last chapter:

delta4phoenix: Oh yeah, it definitely hurt, but like I said, he would be much better by the end of the chapter! I actually explained at the end of Chapter 2 the answer to your first question, but I'll repeat it.

I needed a name that started with B because of his hair color being blue. My brother suggested Bolt, and I went with it. I figured it would also represent how fast he can move when he's using his Semblance.

As for your second question, well, I never really bothered to change the cover picture, so it's just the same as the image on my profile. Don't worry, I've changed it to something that makes more sense.

It's good that you've already read that; it is pretty impressive after all!

Doodledoo2431: Thank you very much! I can't believe I forgot about Nosepass and Probopass, though.

yukicrewger2: Hm, all excellent ideas, though Lucario can't learn Electro/Energy/Ice Ball and can only learn Shadow Ball through a TM, and Bolt doesn't have that TM. As for the others, I've already implemented a punch move with Force Palm (Bolt's Thunder Palm). I don't know if Lucario can learn any claw/cutting moves aside from Metal Claw, and could you explain what you mean by "bashing" moves?

Shadowdragon9802: Thanks a lot! Hmmm… "Black Hood" will undoubtedly reappear before the end of Volume 1, but I won't say where! As to when I'll be updating my other fanfic, the answer is at the bottom!

Now let's head straight into the story!

Chapter 10 – First Day at Beacon, Part 2

It was a beautiful morning the next day. The birds were chirping, the sun was shining, and Weiss was sleeping peacefully. She woke up soon and let out a yawn. As she was starting to fully wake up, she suddenly noticed that her partner was standing next to her, fully dressed in uniform, and holding a whistle. Ruby blew the whistle, startling Weiss and causing her to fall to the floor. "Good morning, Team RWBBY!" she shouted excitedly.

"What in the world is wrong with you?!" the heiress yelled.

"Now that you're awake, we can officially begin our first order of business," Ruby said.

"Excuse me?" Weiss asked, standing up and dusting herself off, seeing everyone in uniform except for herself.

"Decorating!" Yang exclaimed.

"What?!"

"We still have to unpack," Blake pointed out, holding up a suitcase. It opened up and the contents spilled to the ground. "…And clean."

Even Bolt was up and dressed in a school uniform that had been delivered to their room, though he still had on his gloves, like his blonde friend. He shrugged. "I don't have a lot of things, just my satchel that I brought with me."

Weiss stared at them in annoyance until Ruby blew her whistle again, making her fall back to the floor. "Alright! Weiss, Blake, Bolt, Yang, and their fearless leader Ruby have begun their first mission! Banzai!" she shouted, throwing her fist in the air.

"Banzai!" Blake, Yang, and Bolt repeated enthusiastically, throwing their fists into the air as well. Weiss just watched on with a sigh.

The team spent the next 20 minutes unpacking their things and putting them away somewhere. Once the five were finished, they relaxed to see the results and almost immediately spotted a problem. While everything they had unpacked looked arranged neatly, the beds were another story; they were in a pile in the center of the room.

"This isn't going to work," Weiss said.

"It is a bit cramped," the black-haired girl observed.

"What could we do to make room for the beds?" Bolt wondered.

"Maybe we should ditch some of our stuff," Yang suggested.

"Or we could ditch the beds…" Ruby gasped. "…and replace them with bunk beds!"

Weiss turned to her. "That sounds incredibly dangerous."

"And super awesome!" the blonde exclaimed.

"It does seem efficient," Blake agreed.

Bolt tilted his head. "Do I actually get a say in this? I don't exactly sleep in this room." He remembered when the two sisters had brought him here yesterday and what had followed.

Flashback—

"We're back!" Yang announced as the three of them stepped into their room. Weiss and Blake were confused at the presence of the blue-haired boy.

"What is he doing here?" the heiress questioned.

"I have a name, you know," Bolt muttered.

"Ozpin put him on our team!" Ruby cheered while Blake and Weiss looked shocked to hear that.

"What?!" Weiss shouted.

"Yeah, he said that he deserved it after all the time he'd spent in the Emerald Forest by himself," Yang went on.

"So Ozpin just accepted you into his school?" Blake inquired.

"Yep!" Bolt answered. "And he put me on this team because I was technically the first person that Yang made eye contact with in the forest."

"So now we have to share our room with a boy?" Weiss said in frustration.

"I guess so," Bolt responded.

Before the white-haired girl could complain further, Blake spoke up. "There's just one problem," she said, gesturing to the beds. "There are only four beds, and I'm not sure if we have room for a fifth."

"Well, I think it only makes sense that our newest member sleep on the floor," Weiss suggested. Of course, she was met with a rebuttal from the two sisters.

"But Weiss, that wouldn't be fair to Bolt," Ruby said.

"Well, this team was originally supposed to be the four of us before he was added in," Weiss argued. Bolt stared at the girls arguing before walking away, unnoticed.

"Ruby's right; it wouldn't be fair for him, especially with what he been through the past few years," Yang said, crossing her arms.

"Oh? And just what has he been through?" the heiress questioned, also crossing her arms. Before Yang could answer that, the black-haired girl spoke up again.

"Uh, guys?" Everyone turned to look at her. "He's not here anymore." The three girls blinked before whirling around, seeing an outline of the shapeshifter that indicated that he was indeed no longer in the room.

"Where'd he go?!" Yang exclaimed, looking around for her friend. They figured it out when they saw that the previously closed window was now open. The four rushed to the window and looked out. "Bolt!"

The girls heard a yawn above them. "What's up? Besides me, that is." They looked up to see the blue-haired boy sitting on a tree branch above them with his back leaning against the tree, his arms behind his head, and his eyes closed.

"What are you doing up there?" Ruby inquired.

He yawned again, cracking open an eye. "Trying to get some sleep. It's been a long day, what with me getting poisoned and evolving and all that."

"You're just going to sleep in the tree?" Blake asked disbelievingly.

"Yep," he confirmed, opening his other eye. "Believe it or not, I've grown used to this. I'll be fine. See you girls tomorrow." With that, he closed his eyes and fell asleep while the girls watched uncertainly.

Flashback end

"Well, aside from him, I say we put this to a vote," Weiss suggested.

"You can call me by my name, you know…"

"I think we just did," Ruby told the heiress, as she, Yang, and Blake were all for the bunk beds while Weiss was against them. Within the next five minutes, the beds were arranged into two bunk beds and the room was looking more organized.

"You know, I might have to agree with Weiss on this," Bolt said, staring at the beds with uncertainty. "These don't look very safe."

"I'm sure it'll be fine!" Ruby replied cheerfully. "Now for our next order of business – classes!" She sat down on her bed as she opened up a book that held the team's schedule. "Now, we have a few classes together today. At nine, we've got a—"

"What?! Did you say nine o'clock?!" Weiss shouted, wide-eyed.

"Um…"

"It's 8:55, you dunce!" With that, the heiress dashed out of the room while the rest of her team watched, along with the newly-formed Team JNPR.

"U-Uh… to class!" Ruby announced, and the remaining four members bolted after Weiss.

"Class?" Jaune said as he and his team fell to the floor. He was the first to recover as he ran after his fellow first-year team. "We're gonna be late!"

"Is that a bad thing?" Bolt asked as they ran, not familiar with this kind of thing since he had never gone to school before.

"Teachers don't like it when students arrive late to class," Yang explained to her friend. "We have to show up before class starts or else we could get in trouble." Bolt nodded in understanding. The group of nine ran past Ozpin and Glynda on their way to class. Ozpin merely took a sip of his coffee while Glynda checked the time on her watch.

"Monsters! Demons! Prowlers of the night! Yes, the creatures of Grimm have many names, but I merely refer to them as prey. Ha ha!"

The two teams had made it to their first class on time: Grimm Studies. Their teacher was a stout man with gray hair, thick eyebrows over a pair of squinty eyes, and a bushy mustache. His name was Professor Port.

Of all the members of Team RWBBY, only Weiss was taking notes. Blake and Yang were staring ahead blankly while Ruby had fallen asleep, though she awoke with a snort when Port laughed. Bolt was somewhere in between, staring ahead but extremely bored. "Is school supposed to be this boring?" he wondered as he stifled a yawn.

Seeing nobody react to his statement, the teacher went on, pacing as he spoke. "And you shall too, upon graduating from this prestigious academy! Now as I was saying, Vale, as well as the other three Kingdoms, are safe havens in an otherwise treacherous world. Our planet is teeming with creatures that would love nothing more than to rip you to shreds. And that's where we come in.

"Huntsmen! Huntresses!" He clicked his tongue at Yang; the blonde just rolled her eyes while the blue-haired boy next to her narrowed his. "Individuals who have promised to protect those who are unable to protect themselves. From what, you ask? Why, the very world!"

The room went silent again until a boy sitting closer to the top cheered at his speech. Team RWBBY just stared at him, making him sit down again.

"That is what you are training to become, but first, a story. A tale of a young, handsome man – me!" At this point, even Weiss was struggling to stay awake. Ruby occupied herself with drawing a picture while Professor Port continued his speech, saying something about cabbages. Nearly every word he said sounded like "blah" in the student's ears.

Ruby started giggling at her picture before holding it up for her team to see. On the paper was a silly drawing of Professor Port with stink lines coming off of him and the words "Professor Poop" at the bottom. Ruby, Yang, and Bolt snickered at the picture while Blake smirked and Weiss glared at her partner, until their teacher cleared his throat to get their attention.

"In the end, the Beowolf was no match for my sheer tenacity, and I returned to my village with the beast in captivity and my head held high, celebrated as a hero!" He bowed to show that he was finished with his story, though in all honesty, Bolt had missed most of it due to boredom. It was then he felt anger, and it was coming off of Weiss.

Looking at the heiress, he could see that she was glowering at their team leader. "What's her deal?" he wondered.

"The moral of the story? A true Huntsman must be honorable. A true Huntsman must be dependable. A true Huntsman must be strategic, well-educated, and wise." The more Weiss looked at Ruby, the angrier she got till she was shaking. Bolt stared at her worriedly. "So, who here thinks that they are the embodiment of these traits?" the teacher asked.

The white-haired girl's hand shot up almost instantly. "I do, sir!" she nearly shouted.

"Well then, let's find out," he said, looking at a cage near the wall. He gestured to the cage, where something resided inside. "Step forward, and face your opponent."

After leaving for a few minutes to change, Weiss returned, now in her combat wear and with her weapon out, ready to fight.

"Go, Weiss!" Yang cheered.

"Fight well!" Blake added.

"Do your best!" Bolt joined in.

"Yeah! Represent Team RWBBY!" Ruby finished the cheering.

Weiss glared at her. "Ruby! I'm trying to focus!" she snapped at the younger girl.

"Oh, uh… sorry," she apologized.

Bolt raised an eyebrow at that. "Did she not hear us or is she ignoring the rest of us?" he whispered to Yang. She shrugged, glaring at the white-haired girl.

"Alright! Let the match begin!" Port announced, using an ax to cut the lock on the door. The cage door fell open and revealed that a Boarbatusk was inside. The beast immediately charged toward Weiss with killer intent. The heiress sidestepped its approach while simultaneously slashing its side with her rapier. It stopped and turned to face her.

"Hah! Wasn't expecting that, were you?" the teacher commented from the side.

"Hang in there, Weiss!" Ruby encouraged her.

The heiress rushed toward the Grimm as it ran at her; the result was Weiss getting her rapier stuck between its tusks. She began struggling to free her weapon.

"Come on, Weiss, show it who's boss!" the leader shouted.

Weiss took a moment to glare at her partner, which proved to be a mistake. The Boarbatusk wrenched the sword from her grasp and tossed it behind them before knocking the heiress to the ground with its tusk.

"Ho ho! Now what will you do without your weapon?" Port questioned.

Weiss got onto her knees and glared at the Grimm, but it quickly changed to shock when she saw the beast charging toward her again. She rolled to the side, letting the Grimm continue running until it crashed into a desk and fell onto its back. Now on her feet, she ran toward her weapon as fast as she could.

"Hmmm… I've fought Boarbatusks before, and while their armor can be broken through with enough force, they do have a weak spot," Bolt stated.

Ruby gasped in realization. "You're right!" She turned back to Weiss, who had just retrieved her weapon. "Weiss, go for its belly! There's no armor underneath—"

"Stop telling me what to do!" the white-haired girl yelled, making the silver-eyed girl remain silent in sadness.

Bolt's eyes narrowed. "Okay, something is definitely wrong with her," he thought.

Now back on its feet, the Boarbatusk roared and curled into a ball. It began to spin rapidly and shot off toward the heiress. Weiss quickly created a blue Glyph in front of her; when the Grimm crashed into it, it bounced off, uncurling itself and landing on its back again.

Seeing her chance, the heiress jumped up onto a black Glyph that held her in place to build momentum. Once she was ready, the Glyph became blue and launched her forward. She stabbed her rapier into the beast's stomach, causing it to squeal in pain until its struggles stopped and the monster died.

"Bravo! Bravo! It seems we are indeed in the presence of a true Huntress-in-training!" Professor Port commented while Weiss panted in exhaustion. "I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today. Be sure to cover the assigned readings and stay vigilant! Class dismissed."

Weiss glowered at her partner one last time before leaving the room. The rest of Team RWBBY looked at one another before the blue-haired boy stood up to confront her.

The heiress was storming away when she heard someone call her name. "Weiss." She turned around to see that it was the only boy on her team, and he didn't look happy.

"What?" she asked heatedly.

"I think you know what," Bolt responded. "What was all that back there? Why are you so angry at Ruby? Did she do something?"

"No! That's exactly the problem!" Weiss yelled. "She's done nothing to earn her position! She's immature and acts like a child! She acted like a child in the forest and she's just continuing to do so!"

"Wasn't Ruby the one who came up with the plan to kill the Nevermore? I think she's plenty mature," Bolt retorted. "And besides, she's two years younger than everyone here and it's her first day as leader. Cut her some slack! You were the one who said that you were willing to work together with her in the forest!" Unbeknownst to the two, the silver-eyed girl had crept to the corner to listen to their conversation.

"I don't want to be on a team led by her," Weiss said coldly. "I've studied and trained, and frankly, I deserve better."

The shapeshifter's eyes narrowed again. "Now I see the problem. You're jealous, aren't you?" He saw the heiress stiffen slightly, which confirmed his statement. "You wanted to be team leader, didn't you?"

She gritted her teeth. "I am not going to talk about this. She doesn't belong in this school, and frankly, I don't believe that you do, either!"

Bolt's eyebrows went up. "Me?"

"Everyone in this school earned their spot by going through training at combat schools, even our childish leader. But not you; you claim to live in a forest! You didn't even go through proper combat training! I don't know what Ozpin saw that drove him to let a total stranger in!"

"What does proper combat training have to do with being able to fight?" the shapeshifter questioned. "Just because I wasn't 'trained properly,' as you put it, doesn't make me any less capable in a fight. I'm sure you saw my performance in the forest; I could probably beat you in a fight. Just because you think you're better than us because you think you've had better training, doesn't mean it's true. It just makes you sound spoiled and arrogant!"

The heiress' eyes widened before she glowered at him and stubbornly turned away. "I'm done talking about this. Ozpin made a mistake, simple as that." And with that, she stormed off.

Bolt watched her go with a sigh, upset that she would be mad at Ruby just because she was made the leader and him for being accepted into the school. He blinked and then sighed again. "So how long have you been standing there?" he asked out loud. Now that he wasn't focused on his argument with the white-haired girl, he could sense that Ruby was near.

Said girl came out of her hiding spot, knowing that her friend was talking to her. "Near the beginning." She looked down nervously before glancing up at her friend. "Do you think she's right? That it was a mistake for me to be chosen to be leader?"

The blue-haired boy frowned. "Of course not, Ruby," he answered honestly. "Like I said, you can come up with incredible strategies in battle, like the one we used to take down the Nevermore. It's only your first day; you'll get better."

She smiled gratefully at his words before a third voice entered the conversation. "He's right." The two turned and saw Ozpin standing behind them. "As Mr. Burns here pointed out, it has only been one day. I've made more mistakes than any man, woman, or child on this planet. But at this moment, I would not consider your appointment to leader as one of them.

"Being a team leader isn't just a title that you carry into battle, but a badge you wear constantly," Ozpin went on. "If you are not always performing at your absolute best, then what reason do you give others to follow you?" Ruby looked down before staring at the headmaster with a smile.

Meanwhile, Weiss walked outside, where she saw Professor Port standing near a railing and staring up at the sky. She walked up to him. "Professor Port!"

"Ah, Ms. Schnee!" he said in greeting. "And to what do I owe this fine pleasure?"

"I… I enjoyed your lecture," she told him.

"Of course you did, child. You have the blood of a true Huntress in you," he replied.

"You really think so?"

"Most definitely!" Weiss looked away shyly, something he took note of. "Hmmm… Something's troubling you."

"Yes, sir…" she admitted.

"Dear girl, confess to me your strife!"

"Well…" She remembered Bolt's accusation just a few minutes ago. "I think I should've been made the leader of Team RWBBY," she confessed.

The teacher went silent for a few seconds, and then he responded. "That's preposterous!"

"Excuse me?!" she exclaimed, obviously not expecting that remark.

"I've believed in Professor Ozpin for many years, and the man's never once led me astray!" he declared.

"So you would just blindly accept his decision even after seeing how exceptional I am?" Weiss questioned.

"With all due respect, your exceptional skill on the battlefield is matched only by your poor attitude," he commented.

"How dare you!"

"My point exactly. I see a girl before me who has spent her entire life getting exactly what she wanted," Port said.

The white-haired heiress folded her arms. "That's not even remotely true." Upon seeing her teacher raise an eyebrow, she relented. "Well… not entirely true." Again, she thought back to what her teammate had said to her not long ago.

"So the outcome did not fall in your favor. Do you really believe that acting in such a manner would cause those in power to reconsider their decision?" Port inquired as Weiss looked down thoughtfully. "Instead of fretting over what you don't have, savor what you do." She looked back at him as he continued to advise her. "Hone your skills, perfect every technique, and be not the best leader, but the best person you can be." Once he finished, a small smile crossed the girl's face.

Ozpin turned around. "You've been burdened with a daunting responsibility, Ruby. I suggest you take some time to think about how you will uphold it," the headmaster advised as he began to walk away. "And Bolt…" The aforementioned teen looked up at the call of his name. "…do not forget what I told you." After he was gone, the shapeshifter glanced at his team's leader. Ruby walked closer to the exit of the school and saw Professor Port marching away from her partner, who was just standing outside staring at the blue sky as if in thought.

The silver-eyed girl smiled before turning to her blue-haired friend. "Come on, Bolt. Let's get to our next class," she told him.

Bolt smiled back. He could sense that she was feeling better. "Alright, lead the way," he agreed. Just as he turned around, he felt Ruby grab his arm. Looking at her curiously, he was a bit surprised when she suddenly hugged him.

"Thanks for helping to cheer me up," she said.

He grinned, hugging her back before ruffling a hand through her hair. "No problem."

She pulled away and smiled at him. "For what it's worth, I think you did earn your spot in this school." Her statement made his grin widen. With that, the two made their way to meet up with their team and head to their next class.

Once Ruby and Bolt met up with Blake and Yang, the four continued on with their day. Though they didn't see Weiss the whole day, Bolt had sensed her a few times and reassured the rest of the team that she was fine. The sisters had faith in his aura-sensing abilities while Blake was a bit more uncertain, but ultimately dropped the matter.

Finally, the remainder of Team RWBBY made it to their last class of the day: Combat Class. Once they arrived, they saw that their teacher was Glynda Goodwitch. "Welcome, class," she greeted all of the students, which consisted of all of the first years. "In this class, we will be focusing on improving your fighting skills. Not just for fighting Grimm, but also other Huntsmen and Huntresses."

The teacher gestured to the two screens close to the ceiling. "Those screens will display your Aura levels during your spars so that everyone can see them, and I will be monitoring them from my tablet." She held it up for the class to see before looking down at it. "Since it's only the first day of classes, we'll only have one match so that you students can see how it will be done." The headmaster knew that this class would be comprised of the first-year students and had requested one of the fighters for the match, wanting to see how he would do against an actual person in a fight. "Would Bolt Burns please step down onto the arena?"

The blue-haired teen looked surprised to be called, but complied with her instructions. Once on the field, Glynda began searching through her tablet. "Now, let's find you an opponent."

Bolt thought for a moment before speaking up. "Actually…" he said, getting her attention. "Would it be alright if I chose my opponent?"

Glynda raised an eyebrow but decided to allow it. As Bolt's gaze looked over his fellow classmates, his eyes briefly met Yang's. The blonde pointed at herself with an expectant grin, to which Bolt smiled softly in return and lightly shook his head. He knew that the two of them tended to go overboard when they sparred, and besides, he already had someone in mind.

"I choose… that guy!" the shapeshifter declared, pointing at Cardin Winchester.

The brown-haired teen was caught off-guard at that, but his expression quickly changed from startled to arrogant. "Are you sure you want to lose that badly?" he asked cockily.

Bolt was unamused. "Just get down here so we can do this."

Cardin's eyes narrowed angrily, and he made his way down to the arena. "You've got quite a mouth, ya little punk. Guess I'll have to teach you a lesson."

"Just try it," Bolt retorted, matching the taller boy's expression.

After a few minutes, the two fighters returned to the classroom, now battle ready. Bolt had on his typical combat attire while Cardin was wearing his armor, and both of them had their respective weapons. Unbeknownst to the rest of Team RWBBY, Weiss had arrived, watching the spar from out of her teammates' sight.

Glynda looked back and forth between the two before shouting, "Begin!"

Cardin crouched down, ready to attack with his mace in hand. "Well, twerp, I hope you're ready to lose, 'cause that's what's about to—" His eyes widened when Bolt suddenly sprinted forward, appearing in front of him in a matter of seconds.

"You talk a lot," he said simply before twirling his staff and jabbing the armor-wearing teen in the chest.

"Whoa! He's fast!" Jaune said, astonished by Bolt's speed.

Despite the fact that he was wearing armor, Cardin winced, having felt the blow. He growled and charged at Bolt, swinging his mace. The shorter teen dodged by jumping back. Cardin continued to swing his mace, trying to hit Bolt, but he was too nimble for him.

Finally, the armor-wearing teen swung again and Bolt dodged underneath, ending up behind him. He swept his staff at Cardin's feet, tripping him up and causing him to fall on his face. A few people snickered in the stands.

"I thought you said you wanted to beat me. Surely this isn't the best you can do," the shapeshifter taunted him.

Cardin's face turned red with rage as he got back on his feet. He slammed his mace on the ground, making a series of explosions erupt from the ground, heading Bolt's way. While he was caught off-guard at first, Bolt jumped to the side to avoid it. He sensed Cardin trying to attack him while he wasn't looking and quickly whirled around to block the mace with his staff.

The taller teen pushed down, trying to overpower Bolt, but the shapeshifter was holding his ground quite well. He pushed against Cardin as his shoe started to glow before bursting into flames. "Blaze Kick!" He quickly kicked Cardin away, giving himself a moment to catch his breath.

His maneuver surprised everyone watching, except for the two sisters on his team. "He can use Fire Dust?!" Blake questioned.

"Yep, and that's not all," Ruby answered as she continued watching the fight.

Once Cardin recovered from the shock of the blue-haired boy's attack, he moved in to try and hit him again. The shorter teen ducked under his swing and swept his staff at Cardin's feet once again. Having learned from what happened last time, the armor-wearing teen jumped over the weapon. Of course, he didn't realize he had fallen into Bolt's trap.

The shapeshifter clenched his right fist as his glove glowed and the temperature around his hand dropped. An icy mist formed around his fist as it was encompassed in a blue light. "Ice Punch!" he shouted, slamming his fist into Cardin's chest, sending the taller teen flying back.

"So he uses Ice Dust too," Pyrrha observed.

"That's right," Yang confirmed. "Although, Bolt demonstrated to us that he actually doesn't need Dust to pull off those attacks." That surprised the five of them further. Weiss, too, watched in silent surprise.

The armor-wearing teen was panting, furious that he was being beaten so easily. He glared at the blue-haired boy who was humiliating him, seeing him stand confidently. His rage skyrocketed, and he charged at Bolt with a roar. The shapeshifter prepared himself for Cardin's onslaught.

The brown-haired teen started swinging his weapon around, trying desperately to hit the shorter teen, but Bolt was still too fast for him. He even attempted to surprise him with the explosions from his mace but to no avail. Eventually, after a minute of dodging, Cardin was starting to slow down due to exhaustion, which was what Bolt was waiting for.

Bolt rushed forward and slammed his staff into Cardin's gut, sending him staggering back. He didn't stop there as he continued to attack Cardin's face, chest, and stomach with a series of blows from his weapon. Once he was finished, he jumped back and waited to see what the taller teen would do. Cardin was currently breathing heavily, leaning on his mace for support.

"You should just give up now," Bolt advised. "You're no match for me."

Cardin was infuriated. He couldn't believe this was happening; he was losing to some arrogant punk. "I'm not giving up against a weakling like you!" He charged at Bolt once more, intent on smashing his face in.

The shapeshifter glared ahead. "So be it," he said. He ran forward to meet him.

As the two got close to each other, Cardin tried to slam his mace down on the shorter teen, but Bolt sidestepped the attack, the series of explosions sailing harmlessly past him. As the brown-haired teen turned toward him, Bolt threw his weapon up. Cardin swung his mace horizontally, but the blue-haired teen ducked under the attack once again and pressed his palm to Cardin's gut. "Force Palm!" he called out. The armor-wearing teen only had a second to look down before a blast of energy erupted from his palm sent him flying back for the umpteenth time. Cardin screamed in pain as he flew back before hitting the ground in defeat. Everyone stared at the shapeshifter, stunned at his abilities, except for Ruby and Yang since they had seen him fight before.

Glynda, shaking off her shock at witnessing Bolt fight, saw that the brown-haired teen was unable to get back up and called it. "And that's the match. It looks like Bolt Burns is the winner here." Now that the match was over, the victor took a deep breath before he smiled and caught his weapon out of the air, much to everyone's surprise. He slid it into its sheath as he started walking away from the arena. "Everyone will get a chance to spar with one another in this class as we continue to come here for the semester. For now, this will be all. Class dismissed."

With that, all of the students got up and headed for the exit. Ruby, Blake, Yang, and Team JNPR met up with Bolt outside of the classroom. He turned to face them as he sensed their approach.

"That was so COOL!" Nora exclaimed as they got closer.

"I must agree, that fight was quite entertaining," Pyrrha said. Ren nodded in agreement.

Bolt smiled at their compliments. "Thanks, guys."

Yang walked up to him with a smirk. "You know, it kinda seemed like you were showing off in there," she teased.

The blue-haired boy smirked back as he closed his eyes. "Well, maybe a little," he admitted.

The blonde's smirk grew. "Trying to impress someone?"

"Why? Were you impressed?" Bolt asked curiously.

Before Yang could answer, her partner cut in. "Bolt…" The aforementioned teen turned his attention to Blake. "Was there a reason you wanted to fight Cardin in particular?"

Bolt frowned as he thought about the teen he just beat. "Yeah, that jerk attacked me in the Emerald Forest. I beat him down then, but I wanted to defeat him in an official fight."

"He attacked you?" Jaune questioned.

"Yeah; he and that boy whose eyes are always closed," the shapeshifter affirmed.

"I think his name is Dove," the redhead supplied.

"Well, you did a good job in that match. I knew you had it from the start!" his silver-eyed leader said. He smiled at her in response. "Now let's head back to our dorms. It's getting dark." True to Ruby's words, the sun had almost entirely set as night was rolling in. With that, the eight students headed back to their rooms.

Before Bolt got too far, though, Yang grabbed his shoulder to stop him. He turned to her inquisitively. "What is it?"

Instead of replying, the blonde pressed her lips to Bolt's cheek, making his eyes widen as his cheeks grew warm. She pulled back with a smile. "Yeah, I was pretty impressed. Congratulations on your victory, B.B.," she said. Then she continued walking. Bolt stood there for a few seconds before he recovered. Then he grinned and ran to catch up with his team.

Meanwhile, Weiss was much farther back. She had seen the whole fight and she had to admit, Bolt might be right; it was possible he could beat her in a fight. After all, he stomped Cardin, and he didn't even need his Semblance to do so. As she thought about everything she had been told today, she started heading back to her room as well.

Now back at her dorm room, the heiress saw that all of her teammates were asleep on their beds. She tiptoed to the open window, not wanting to wake anyone up, and peered outside. Bolt was sitting on his tree branch, asleep.

"Hey, Bolt," she whispered, shaking his leg. He yawned and cracked his eyes opened, seeing his white-haired teammate.

"What is it?" he asked.

She looked away for a second before looking back at him. "I… I want to apologize for the things I said to you earlier. You were right; I was jealous, and I acted improperly. I want you to know that I won't act like that again."

The shapeshifter scrutinized her, and after a few seconds, Weiss was starting to get nervous. Just as she was about to speak up, Bolt cracked a small grin. "I forgive you," he said simply.

The heiress seemed dumbfounded. "That's it? Just like that?" she questioned.

"Yep. Just like that," he confirmed. "I can tell you really do feel sorry, and if you're willing to change, then that's good. But…" His expression turned serious. "…make sure you apologize to Ruby, too."

"Don't worry, I will," she told him.

"Good," the shapeshifter said, smiling again, and she couldn't help but smile back. "Good night, Weiss."

"Good night… Bolt," she said, making his smile widen slightly as he went back to sleep. Afterward, she went over to Ruby's bunk and pulled the cover up. Her team leader had fallen asleep, but the heiress was stunned to see that she had been studying before she did. She shook her arm, causing the younger girl to slowly wake up.

She jerked up when she saw it was her partner. "Weiss! I-I was studying, a-and I fell asleep! Sorry…" She had her head down as if she expected the white-haired girl to berate her, but Weiss just covered her mouth to and held a finger to her own lips to indicate that she wanted her to keep quiet. Weiss took notice of the empty coffee cup on her bed.

"How do you take your coffee?" she inquired.

"I-I don't…"

"Answer the question!"

"Uh, cream and five sugars!" Ruby blurted out. Weiss rolled her eyes before ducking out of sight and returning with a cup of coffee.

"Here." She handed it to her leader.

Ruby accepted it gratefully. "Um, thanks, Weiss."

The heiress smiled before she began speaking. "Ruby… I think you have what it takes to be a good leader. Just know that I am going to be the best teammate you will ever have," she declared. Ruby smiled brightly in response. "Good luck studying." She dropped out of view before coming back and saying, "That's wrong, by the way," and pointing at something in her book. Then she headed toward the door. She stopped before she could leave. "Hey, Ruby?"

"Uh huh?"

"I've always wanted bunk beds as a kid," she admitted, then closed the door. Ruby went back to her studying, grinning widely. The night rolled on quietly, everything now at peace with Team RWBBY.

And that's a wrap! It was tougher than I thought finishing this chapter, but I managed!

I'm fairly certain I portrayed Bolt well enough here. Remember, he's never been to school before, so it's all new to him.

I hope the whole argument scene thing was played out okay enough. I feel that might be an adequate enough reason for Weiss to be mad at Bolt.

Also, as you can see, I added a sparring match in this chapter: Bolt vs. Cardin. When I watched the two episodes, I realized that when Teams RWBY and JNPR got to class, it was morning. Then after Weiss' fight and the argument between her and Ruby, it was sunset. Which meant either they spent the whole day in that class or that was the last class of the day and they skipped a whole bunch of other places they had to go. So naturally, I changed it up so that they had more than one class, and found somewhere to throw in that sparring match I had been planning for a while!

Speaking of the fight, how did you guys like it? Was it good enough? I think it's pretty obvious that Cardin stands no chance against someone like Bolt in a fight, especially since Bolt is almost on par with Yang, who could definitely destroy Cardin in a fight. Even his whole team was no match against Pyrrha, who beat them all without taking a single blow.

Now onto the reason why this chapter was so late. My time to use the computer has been DRASTICALLY reduced, mostly because I have to focus a lot of my time on my studies. It also doesn't help that I have to share the computer with two other people who also have their own stories they need to work on. So, updates will be coming by even slower. Sorry.

In regards to my other story, I'm switching back over to it! The reason? I'm planning to write an original, non-canon chapter next, but I have no idea how to do it. So until I figure it out, I'll be working on The Fairy Tail Shapeshifter. For those of you who prefer this story more, again, I apologize. And don't worry, I'll update my profile when I get the chance.

Now time to end the chapter with my story recommendations:

Jaune Ryu-Long, the Dragon Contractor by azndrgn – In this fantastic fanfiction, Jaune has access to seven different dragons whose powers he can use! Features a more powerful Jaune, and it's terrific!

World Class Skill by 0 Jordinio 0 – If anyone remembers that I recommended a story called Working The World With Skill, well, this is that story but remade. It starts earlier than the other one and is just as good, even if it does only have one chapter!

The Bond Across Worlds by LawlDatBoi30 – This is an incredible fanfiction where Ash's Greninja ends up in Remnant as a human! He enrolls in Beacon after meeting Ozpin. Read to find out what else happens!

That's it for now! Remember to favorite, follow, and review! I'll see you all over at The Fairy Tail Shapeshifter! Sparky D., out!