Paint the world in your colors

by Riku SAN Million

Kaito had his shot at the Golden Fruit. He failed but then he finds himself stranded in a world full of Hunters and Huntresses. After a small incident Kaito finds himself attending Beacon Academy. Will he survive or will he go Bananas? (Partnering with Symbolic Joker. Chapter one rewrite.)

11. Chapter 11

"Keep moving forward"

Monty Oum, 1981-2015

In the memory of Monty Oum the creator who live...thank you Monty. Thank you for inspiring us, Thank you for caring about the fans and giving it your all, Thank you for never stop believing in the potential of humanity. Thank you Monty Oum and I hope that you find your Haven wherever that maybe.

I REALLY thought about quitting this fic I admit. Something about writing this fic just bring back tears and a lot of memories. I wouldn't blame Rooster Teeth if they never do a season 3, After all it was a Monty Oum project and now that he gone it's never going to be the same...yet I can't stop here. As part of Monty RWBY legacy I have to keep moving forward even if it hurts. Even if I sometimes spend night thinking about the what could have been I need to keep moving on.

This would have been something Monty wanted. Just like any creator of a series he wish to see his work continue on and it's our job as his legacy to keep going. The following don't belong to me. Gaim and RWBY belong to toei and rooster teeth.

Last chapter we left Jaune in his all time low with Kaito treating him like a mere vermin again, Prryha distancing himself away from Jaune and he kinda of a punching bag for Cardin for his new powers. This chapter we deal with the rise of Jaune Arc again and the reappearance of a certain Gaim character.

---

Tenth Lock: Your Song II

Cardin Winchester was not having fun.

Despite the fact that he was making the Arc bastard suffer and was hitting him over and over again (all over his body no less! Yes, that includes the crotch!) with his shiny new acorn-themed hammer (though it was a little too dinky for his tastes…), as payback for making a fool out him during combat class, not once did the Arc boy said anything.

No cry of pain or agony. Just a dead and tired look in his eyes.

A look which pissed of Cardin, so he smashed his hammer right into Jaune's face for the umpteenth time.

Despite the powerful blow, Jaune still didn't let out anything from his mouth. Well, except blood. It was a miracle that his skull hadn't been smashed into pieces actually.

However, the lack of response further served to frustrate the transformed Cardin.

Squirm, cry, beg for mercy or something! Anything! Don't just stand there like a living corpse asshole!

This time, Cardin slammed the hammer into Jaune's knee, forcing the Arc down.

Yet despite the 5 minutes-long nonstop beatdown Cardin had been giving him, not once did Jaune Arc let out a word.

He just took everything Cardin could dish out at him, and get back up without uttering a single word.

Something that made Cardin angry, and afraid. Just what was the boy made off!? No one should be able to stand back up after suffering what he'd been going through! He should be a twitching bloody mess on the floor! And yet… he kept getting back up over and over again!

"Tch. We continue this next time Jaunny boy." Cardin left unhappy with his revenge as Jaune sit back down on the ground thinking alone. Jaune really don't feel bother by the pain to much as his aura can heal him in due time and he taken worse beating then what Cardin can dish out.

He deserved this.

What else could he expect, when all he said to his friends were nothing but lies from the very beginning? Lies about being a proper Huntsman-in-Training who earned his spot at Beacon through blood, sweat and tears, lies about being simply forgetful, lies about that he was able to handle being a leader of a group of proper Hunters-in-Training despite the fact he couldn't even pass a simple entrance exam?

Did he honestly expected them to forgive him? Despite all of the lies he told just to get into this school, when everyone else worked for their spot? When everyone else earned their spot?

Every year, there were countless people who worked hard and either had or developed the talent that enabled them to enrol to this school. And yet Jaune… all Jaune relied on was cheating and lying to steal a spot from someone else, someone who deserved it far more than he did.

Why should he get a chance to fulfil his dreams when he didn't even work hard for it like everyone else?

"… ."

Jaune contemplated about telling a teacher on what he did, who he really is… but he found that he couldn't find the heart to do so. As much as he disappointed Kaito and Pyrrha, something in his guts told him that if he gave up now… he would be regretting the decision for the rest of his life, no matter how lucky he could get later on.

One way or another, Kaito had given him a second chance… a chance to prove to Kaito that he wasn't a simple weakling to everyone, especially to Pyrrha who stuck her neck out for him even though she didn't have to.

And that's what he'll do. He'll prove himself worthy in everyone eyes.

But the problem was, however, was that the only way Jaune could think of proving himself to Kaito was to show him that he really was becoming stronger. That he wouldn't remain a weakling forever and become strong.

But despite knowing Kaito for sometime, Jaune still had no understanding on what being Kaito's definition of 'strong' is. He knew it wasn't just physical raw strength alone. He knew it wasn't just the power that came with being influential and famous. There was something more to it then that.

"Tell me Arc! Was the only reason you picked up a weapon was just so you can be acknowledged by others!? … ! You truly are pathetic Arc! I misjudged you!"

Was it true though? Was the reason why Jaune wanted to become a Hunter was simply for the fame and glory? Did he really just did it out of desperation for acknowledgement?

Jaune tried. He tried so hard to remember why he really wanted to become a hero in the first place. Never before did he felt more alone. With his secret out, he was being blackmailed by Cardin to be CRDL's personal homework machine as well as their punching bags (mostly Cardin's) while the distance between him and his friends was continuing to grow.

Sooner or later, they'll abandon him, if they didn't already.

"This can't possibly get any worse."

Unknown to Jaune, from a distance a man with blonde hair wearing silver armor was watching over him. Beside him was a woman in white dress and blonde hair. Had Jaune seen this woman, he might have recognized her, as it was the same woman from his mysterious dream at the beginning of the semester. Even the man shared the woman's heterochromia, his right eye being brown while the left was red, just like the woman next to him.

Continuing to observing Jaune, the blonde man let out a chuckle, causing the blonde woman to look at him.

"You have no idea, Jaune." The blonde man commented at Jaune's words. "Still, seems like you could use a hand… ." He said in a cryptic tone, causing the blonde woman to let out a smile.

---

"RENNNN! WHEN'LL THE PANCAKES BE READY?!"

"Almost there, just be a bit more! You can't rush perfecti-"

"REEEEEENNNNNNNNN!"

Nora was squirming on her stool as she waited for Ren to finish making her pancakes, as she wanted a late-night snack before she went to bed tonight. Many times before, she had begged Ren to make her something when her carvings decided to act, only to Ren to note that he didn't have permission to cook in the school's kitchen.

After all, the staff have absolutely no idea how good these kids were cooking. And one incident in the past have firmly reminded them that it was best if they forbidden the children from being able to use the kitchen facilities.

Of course, Kumon Kaito was an exception.

The first time, he had dragged Ozpin and Glynda to the kitchen, stating he didn't want anything the kitchen staff were serving on that day, other than a fruit salad. Instead, he wanted to bake a pie.

When you were an Overlord, you could get away with eating junk food for the rest of your life considering the only nutrients you would actually need were in Helheim's fruits.

Plus, it had been a while since he cooked anything, and he didn't want any of his skills to rust.

So, under the careful eye of the Ozpin, Glynda and the headchef, Kaito had baked a large pie that was practically cooked to perfection. After that, Ozpin had given him free reign in the kitchen, so long as Kaito was responsible with the utilities.

The fact that Kaito doesn't want to eat much, as he only needed Helheim fruits to sustain him, and had the tendency of making a helluva lot more food then he wanted, well…

Let's just say the kitchen staff adored him. Immensely.

So when Nora found out about this fact, she saw a chance and immediately dragged Ren to Kaito and asked the Banana Knight if he'll let them into the kitchen. Kaito, being full aware of Nora's personality at this point, decided to do himself a favor and complied with the lazy girls demands.

It was either that or hear her whining all night.

And so, there they were. The NPR of Team JNPR along with Kumon Kaito in Beacon's 5-star-restaurant-level kitchen. Ren was busy making Nora's pancakes, Nora was waiting on a stool, Kaito was reading a book detailing on Dust so he could ace tomorrow's test (for the strong would never be caught having their guard down!) and Pyrrha… .

… .

… Pyrrha looked like she was a vengeful ex who had recently be dumped by her boyfriend.

… .

… Yeah, that pot was steaming and no one wanted to touch it, let alone poke it.

It was understandable, seeing that she was a 'bit' mad at Jaune for pushing her away despite her everything she did in her effort to help him. She worried for his well-being. She worried about him a lot. She could see that Jaune's wasn't a bad person and merely made a wrong choice, just like most people in life. She remembered Jaune's words when he confessed his dark secret at the rooftop, so Pyrrha could understand where Jaune was coming from.

She was planning to support her leader during this challenging time, and any other time of strife Team JNPR might go through, however for some reason Jaune began to avoid them. Sometimes he didn't even return to their dorm room at all. Whenever he did, he would just nervously waved it off and say nothing was wrong even though it was clear as day that something was up.

His behaviour must have something do with the reason why he had been hanging out Team CRDL lately. It should explain the convenient moments when they arrived just at the nick of time to stop Jaune from talking whenever Pyrrha did managed to corner him.

It should also explain all the bruises and black eyes Jaune had been coming back with.

Thinking about it made Pyrrha a bit depressed, and so she decided to push these kind of thoughts away for the night. There was nothing she could do at the moment, after all.

"Jaune… please watch yourself… ." She prayed under her breathe, though with his enhanced Overlord hearing Kaito could hear it as if she was talking at normal volume.

He scoffed, gaining Pyrrha's attention. "You're being too soft on Arc, Nikos." Kaito said, causing Pyrrha to frown at him. "If you keep babying him, then he'll never grow to become strong." He lectured, not taking his eyes off his textbook.

Pyrrha's frowned became deeper as she looked at Ren, who had his back turned and was too busy cooking Nora's pancakes. The Valkyrie herself was too distracted by Ren flopping the pancakes to pay attention to them. However, the two were Huntsmen-in-Training, and they could still be paying attention to whatever they were saying.

She couldn't risk it. It was Jaune's decision. It was his right to decide when it was appropriate to let the rest of his teammates on his secret.

Pyrrha refused to break whatever crumbling trust between her and Jaune that was left.

Scooting her seat over to Kaito, she began talking in a hushed tone. "Did you have to react so dramatically when Jaune revealed his secret?" Pyrrha hissed. Considering that Kaito exploding was one of the main reasons why they were in this mess in the first place? Let's just say Pyrrha's and Kaito's relationship was more than a bit strained at the moment.

Kaito was about to respond… but it would seem that Pyrrha wasn't done talking just yet. "We're his teammates. We should be helping him right now, in his time of need." She lectured him, with Kaito internally rolling his eyes. The redhead was reminding him far too much of Mai. Maybe it had something do with how they're both mother hens. "Instead all you did was destroy whatever self-confidence he managed to build up and leaving him in a sorrier state than before! Does the Gaim armor really means so much to you that you would do this to your fellow Rider? Is it really worth it?"

Kaito scoffed at this Mai-style lecture Pyrrha was giving him. Pyrrha Nikos was strong and smart in her own right, Kaito would admit that at least, however she had absolutely no idea what Kaito's past was like and everything had gone through until the day he woke up in Remnant.

One thing Kaito learned early in his life was that even against all odds, a real man would never give up and quit. A real man would never surrender to the cruelty of the world and instead keep moving forward, regardless of the pain he would suffer for doing so.

If Jaune Arc didn't learn this now… he might as well do himself a favor and quit becoming a hero all together.

"Imagine… ," Kaito began, intent on letting Pyrrha know his feelings regarding about the Gaim armor. She knew nothing about his feelings, so he will enlighten her…

… if only to shut her up.

"… that throughout your whole life, you had been completely alone. No friends. No family. No one to support your life, your dreams, your ideals. No one who understands you." Pyrrha stared intently at Kaito, her face still stern but gesturing him to continue.

"And then one day, you meet someone who's nothing like you. Someone who has family, friends and generally content with life. You fight against this person, believing that he's just another sheep like all the rest… ." Pyrrha frowned as she had the feeling Kaito was referring society in general as 'sheep'.

He's not exactly wrong though… .

"… and you keep fighting him. Over and over and over again. Fighting against him, fighting with him." Kaito continued as he thought back to his Beat Rider days, early on when he and Kazuraba gained their Drivers.

They were enemies. The leaders of different Teams (well, Kazuraba stepped down… but you get the point). It was only natural they both would aim for the number one spot and damn any other Team that gets in their way. But how they did so was like two sides of the same coin. Team Gaim merely proved their superiority by displaying their skills against those who was foolish enough to challenge them, and spent most of their time sticking true to the Beat Rider's original purpose; dancing for the people.

But Team Baron instead went after the other Beat Rider teams, intent on defeating them over and over again, chipping away at their morale. To put it simply; Team Gaim was content at staying at the top by staying undefeated. Team Baron would rather get rid of the competition altogether.

And then things changed.

Soon he and Kazuraba learned about Helheim and Yggdrasil's plot. Bravo, being an ignorant fool back then, wasn't helping matters either. This forced the two leaders of rival teams to work together for the sake of taking Yggdrasil down.

This didn't last, of course, as more revelations came to light later.

But back to his speech. "Soon the both of you start to respect each other, more willing to fight alongside each other… even call each other friends… ," Kaito reluctantly admitted, knowing for a fact that Kazuraba and Mai would have a field day if they ever heard him saying that. Good thing they weren't here then and had no means of communicating with Pyrrha. "… because you soon learn that this person, this rival of yours, shares the same dreams and ideals as you do."

Pyrrha was blinked owlishly at that. The previous Gaim and Kaito shared the same dreams and ideals? That was… unexpected, but explained why Kaito respected him so much to the point of constantly trying to maim Jaune for using the armor.

As Pyrrha sinked this information in, Kaito thought back on his rival; Kazuraba Kouta.

Kazuraba fought to protect the people he loves no matter how much pain it brought him. He even fought for strangers because he felt that they were living innocent, honest lives and had absolutely no idea what was going on within the shadows, becoming casualties in a war they weren't aware they were in. No matter how hard he struggled, no matter how much pain he suffered physically and emotionally; he continued to get up and keep fighting the good fight.

And he voiced this naive reason of fighting, regardless of the enemies he might make for doing so. It was his reason why he would continue to fight until the end of time. And no one could deter him from this foolish path. Kaito figured that Kazuraba was the type who would wavered at some point in the middle of the road, but knew that he was also the type who would find the resolve to continue down the path.

Kazuraba Kouta… was truly strong.

Jaune Arc… was not, at the moment. Though whether he had the potential to become truly strong remained to be seen.

Thinking back to the Arc's reason for fighting, his reason to become strong made Kaito narrow his eyes in anger. "Now imagine one day, a day after a long time had passed, someone who represented everything that stood against everything you believed in came up to you. This person comes up to you wearing your friend's clothes, mimicking your friend in many ways without even realising it." Kaito told Pyrrha, who continued frowning.

Her frown became deeper when she successfully imagined the image.

If she ever met people who continuously reminded her of Team JNPR and Team RWBY in so many ways… and yet representing everything she didn't like about the world… .

She could see why Kaito was so angry that night.

"How can I not be angry Nikos? How can I not be angry at someone using the Gaim armour for their own selfish gain when the old Gaim had no interest in fame and glory, merely focusing on protecting the innocent and making sure injustice will be punished when he finds it?" Kaito scoffed as Pyrrha continued to frown. Heck, she looked like she was going to start scowling soon.

The fact that both of her fists were clenching gave Kaito the notion that Pyrrha wanted to argue with him, but couldn't bring herself to for some reason.

Kaito did not care. He had said his piece. Kazuraba Kouta fought to protect the people he loved, people who were complete strangers to him, and even some enemies no matter how much pain it brought him.

Jaune Arc?

He simply fought to make himself famous, merely so he could earn acknowledgement and glory.

Kaito would not let that stand. He will not let his rival's armour be tainted like that.

"Until he has proven himself to be a true warrior like my rival, I will not return the Orange Lockseed." Kaito said to Pyrrha in a tone that said his decision was final, and nothing would deter him.

He wanted to see it. He wanted to see if Jaune had the potential to be just like Kazuraba. Once, Kazuraba had used his newfound Armored Rider abilities to win the Inves Games, increasing his teams popularity and ensuring that they remain on top. It wasn't all that different from Jaune's reason for becoming a Huntsman, really.

Kaito found that Kazuraba a fool back then, and he did now.

But, something changed. Kazuraba went through a brief retirement for some reason after they're little race and first excursion through Helheim together.

Kaito took the opportunity to attack the defenseless Team Gaim, who had gotten a New Armored Rider due to that traitorous little shit Mitsuzane wanting to protect his team.

Unlike Mitsuzane, who had recently gotten his own Sengoku Driver and really only went through one Inves Game with his newfound power, Kaito had been experimenting with his Armored Rider capabilities. This had allowed him to completely dominant against Armored Rider Ryugen.

Seeing this happening, Kazuraba came back into the game. Stronger then before, in fact. He became Armored Rider Gaim once again and started walking down his path. His path of fighting to protect others. His path of true strength.

Whereas Kaito's path only featured endless battle in an effort to gain enough power to destroy the current world that only favoured the strong, in order to replace it with a world where there is no 'strong' or 'weak'.

It was a path where the Unperfected World would be replaced with a more perfect one.

It was a path Kazuraba couldn't accept, and so the two had that fateful final battle to decide who would be Fate's Victor.

So, to find that his rival's armour was being used by a weakling as a way to gain petty things made Kaito extremely pissed off… .

However, he agreed with Pyrrha in that he should at least give Jaune a chance to prove himself.

Kazuraba Kouta was able to change his reason to fight and become stronger in such a brief time… .

… So why can't Jaune Arc, who was quite similar to Kazuraba Kouta in many ways?

Nobody's perfect, after all.

"… ."

As Kaito decided the conversation was over, he turned back to his book.

Pyrrha stayed silent, staring at Kaito and thinking about her opinion of him.

In her eyes, Kumon Kaito was a bit of jerk. A jerk who seemed to be a jerk because of how he suffered from the cold cruelty of the world.

Thus, it was hard to argue with him when the fact the matter is, he was mostly right in some aspects.

She had seen similar kind of thinking plenty of times from the adults and elderly Hunters she found around her, due to her prodigious status.

Despite this, Kaito seemed to follow the warrior's code, a code where honour and strength are valued for that were the few things needed to be a true warrior.

So to Kaito (and a small part of Pyrrha), Jaune had lost quite a few points in the honour department for lying his way to Beacon.

But it would seem like Pyrrha, Kaito was willing to give Jaune a chance to prove himself.

It would seem the Banana Knight wasn't as cold as he made himself out to be. Perhaps hidden within was a heart of gold. It should explain why he chose to give Jaune a chance despite being so furious, and why he had helped out Velvet despite stating otherwise.

It might also explain why Kaito was so patient with Team JNPR and Team RWBY, despite their antics.

Kumon Kaito was rude, blunt and very moody most of the time. He was strong, very strong in fact, and valued the warrior's code despite the feeling that he had a hard upbringing. He was also ruthless, followed a "survival-of-the-fittest' mentality and it seemed that nothing in the world was able faze him.

And yet… he chose not to tell the Headmaster or any of the other professors about Jaune. He chose to give Jaune a chance instead (despite needing some convincing from Pyrrha herself).

Perhaps Kumon Kaito was the type of person who wished that he was proven wrong.

"Jaune… , I hope you won't do anything dangerous before the trip to Forever falls… ." Pyrrha prayed, hoping that Jaune would do something that impressed Kaito soon.

---

Jaune Arc was dead tired.

How could he be not? Right after completing Team CRDL's homework, something he was forced to do in the first place, he was also forced to capture a whole bunch of rapier wasps.

Without his armor.

Yeah, you can imagine how well that went.

You could say he had been getting into nothing but heaps of trouble.

Cardin was getting fed up with his lack of reaction from the constant abuse he was being put through, and had been forcing him to complete different tasks, each more dangerous than the last, in an effort to get some kind of reaction. Of course, the aggravated Winchester was met with little to no success.

So now the young Arc was passing through the mess hall in an effort to reach his team's designated dorm room, while holding up a jar full of rapier wasps. If Goodwitch got word of him being out past curfew, then he was so dead.

Heaven forbid if she discovered him right now, with the jar full of rapier wasps.

Anyway, he was making sure he stayed out of sight as he tried to find a way to get back to the dorm building without being caught. Jaune supposed that it wasn't too surprising that Beacon had a nightwatch staff.

They probably couldn't afford to have the students breaking curfew for one reason or another. Be it sneaking out for a night in town or to sneak into the Emerald Forest in an effort to prove something to their fellow students or to their professors.

Jaune wondered if they would expel students for doing the deed. Well, they might have to if the girl gotten pregnant. Since the Beacon staff seemed to let bullying slide so long that it didn't affect a student's physical performance, Jaune supposed that if the students practiced safe sex, they would let it slide as well.

Gay couples must go wild in the bedroom whenever they could then.

When Jaune passed through the kitchen, the faint sound of laughter attracted his attention to a door which had light shining through it. This confused him and made him frown.

Who would be dumb enough to sneak into Beacon's kitchen for a midnight snack?

Due to Kaito, Jaune had interacted with the kitchen staff a bit.

And he found that they were fiercely overprotective of the ingredients.

Let's keep this brief and just say that people should pray for those poor souls if they were ever discovered for raiding food from the pantry.

… .

… Jaune couldn't help himself. He just had to see who was brave enough to sneak into the kitchen.

Cardin can wait. Plus, if Cardin was in his shoes then he would be peeking as well.

If only so he could blackmail the person later.

Peeking through the door, he was shocked to discover his team and Kaito in the kitchen.

Any questions as to why they were in the kitchen went pass Jaune's head as he saw them interact with one another.

Kaito was scowling and yelling at Nora for being an idiot as she had apparently gotten syrup all over his clothes. Pyrrha was laughing at the scene, most likely because she had witness the event firsthand and couldn't help but laugh at the Baron's expense. Ren let out a groan and sighed out a "God damn it Nora."

It honestly reminded Jaune of how Team RWBY interacted with one another. They looked like they were having fun and enjoying themselves… .

They probably didn't miss him, did they?

What was he talking about? Of course they didn't miss him. He was a coward. Pyrrha and Kaito probably told Ren and Nora all about him forging his transcripts and now they probably didn't want to do anything with him.

He was going to be kicked out soon. And when that happens, Team JNPR would have an empty spot. A spot that Kaito would fill due to technically being apart of Team JNPR as well as Team RWBY.

Well, looks like the team would be renamed to… what word did have the letter "K", "N", "P", "R" in that order anyway?

… Kaito might know. Kaito was way more of a team leader then he ever was. He was the strongest one in their year, he was amongst the smartest ones as well as having an air charisma to him that Jaune never has.

Yet another person who surpassed him in every way possible. Just like his sisters.

Dropping off the rapier wasps to Team CRDL's room (luckily this time around they let him go to sleep in his own dorm room), Jaune sulked back to the empty Team JNPR room. He stood in front of the door, unwilling to open it when he knew there was no one there waiting for him. It was making him even more depressed, actually.

Things become blurry after that. He was too caught up with his self-loathing that he didn't even realise how he found himself in some kind of garage hideout, covered in darkness.

… Was that a popcorn machine?

As Jaune took in his surroundings, he realise that suddenly someone slightly older than him had appeared in the chair directly in front of Jaune. In fact, he looked be around the same age as Kaito (hell, they seemed to share common facial features. Were they related in some way?), having shaggy black hair and brown eyes full of kindness. This young man was wearing really casual clothing; consisting of brown baggy pants and sneakers along with a bright blue hoodie over a white T-Shirt that had an emblem which reminded Jaune of the horn his alter-ego Gaim had on his helmet.

This man, unlike Kaito, carried a confident yet kind smile on his face. A smile that reminded Jaune of his father, actually.

Jaune frowned when the man reached out and tapped his finger against Jaune's forehead, as if he tapping against a TV screen or something. And why was sunlight gleaming through the windows for every tap?!

Soon, the hideout was basked in light, and Jaune could take in it's contents more easily. As mentioned before, there was a popcorn machine, stools to sit on, broken cars… hell was that a swing?!

This was starting to remind Jaune more and more of the hideouts he and his sisters made when they were kids… .

Except this garage hideout seemed like it could easily fit in a group of twenty people.

… Wow, this place even had blackboards, sofas, a book case and even a television.

"Mai!" The man suddenly called out, to Jaune's surprise. Looking around, he couldn't find anyone in the room that the man could refer to. He couldn't possibly talking to Jaune, right? "You think that thingy we got from Tsukasa-san is working? I'm not getting any response from Jaune here!" OK, so he wasn't talking to Jaune… . And who the heck was 'Tsukasa-san'?!

"I mean, I'm used to appearing in people's dreams… but crossing dimensions is a first… ." The man childishly pouted, to Jaune's discomfort. Appearing in dreams? Crossing dimensions? This guy was crazy! "Should we increase the power output or should we just get a refund from Tsukasa-san?" The crazy man questioned thin air.

For a moment, he looked back to Jaune, who froze himself as he wondered what the crazy guy would do next.

He definitely didn't expected the man to look him straight in the eye and then waving his face right in front of Jaune.

… OK, Jaune had his fair share of dreams and nightmares but this was definitely a first.

… A first of what however, Jaune did not know.

Jaune heard the opening of a door after that. Turning to the source, Jaune saw a cute girl with similar features to the crazy man and Kaito entering into the hideout through a door at the second floor. This girl was currently pouting, which was cute yet somehow terrifying at the same time somehow. She had brown eyes long flowing black hair, which reminded Jaune of Blake.

However, unlike Blake, this girl had put hers up in a twin pigtail style through the use of blue hairbands. She was wearing similar clothes to the crazy man, wearing a simple white T-shirt with the words… wait, why was she wearing a T-Shirt with the words 'GAIM' diagonally plastered over it in blue?!

The rest of her appearance suddenly didn't matter to Jaune. Who were this people… ?

To Jaune's surprise, the girl hopped over the railing and landed next to the crazy man… and then promptly smacked him at the back of his head.

"Itai!" The man cried out.

"You haven't even introduced yourself yet, Kouta!" The girl, Mai apparently, berated Kouta as if she was his wife.

… Wait a minute… Kouta? As in… Kazuraba Kouta? The previous user of Gaim? The one person in the entire world, nay, the universe, that Kaito respected?

This guy… was the previous Gaim?

"How would you feel if someone just suddenly appeared in your dreams and knows your name?" She sighed, as if used to Kouta's personality by now but getting exhausted by it anyway. She waved her hand over Jaune and suddenly, everything felt… clearer for lack of a better world.

"Anyway, Tsukasa-san's been in a bad mood lately." She informed Kouta. "Seems like another rip-off version of SHOCKER has popped up and been causing some problems." She clarified. "Tsukasa-san already dragged Shotaro, Eiji, Gentaro and Haruto-san to help him fight them off. And there isn't a single Rider that's been able to get into contact with them since then." She cutely glared at Kouta, who looked a bit apprehensive while nervously laughing. "So if we want a refund, buster, you better go out there and find them yourself!" She poked his chest continuously.

"Eh?" Kouta let out. "But I don't want to!" He whined. "I wanna stay home with you!"

Mai let out a smile. "You're sweet." She said as she cupped his cheek. "But if you don't start searching for them soon, I'm going to bring the girls together and team-up to force you to go." She threatened, with Kouta cringing at the thought.

"… Why do all my senpai go to me for help… ." Kouta pouted as he thought back to certain events.

"That's what happens when you can bend physics to your will, Kouta." Mai patted his back. "You make solving problems like SHOCKER easier."

Jaune merely let out a sweatdrop throughout the entire exchange. They totally forgotten that he was here, didn't they?

"Now, go help Jaune here find his answer. He's got a lot up to live up to, remember?" Mai smiled, a smile which Jaune blush a bit actually due to how cheerful yet serene it was. She turned to him, and stared at Jaune straight in the eyes. "You're a worthy successor to the Gaim name." She said before she walked out of the hideout.

Kouta didn't seem to mind this, and sheepishly laughed, causing Jaune to turn back to him.

"Well then, time for me to introduce myself! I'm Kazuraba Kouta, also known as Kamen Rider Gaim! Nice to meet you, Jaune Arc!" Kouta grinned as he extended a hand.

Jaune absentmindedly shook it, really confused on what's going on.

"Now, I'm here to offer you some help." Kouta summed up the reason why he was before Jaune.

---

Elsewhere in the streets of Vale, a middle-aged Faunus by the name of Tukson was humming as he pushed a cart full of books down the street. On his cart were the latest copies of the X Ray and Vav that he was sure was going to be a hit among the kids. More customers equals more profit. A Faunus has to make a living in this day and age, no? As he continued down the street, he accidentally bumped into someone and knocked them over. Tukson offer his hand trying to apologize for the accident. "Sorry, didn't quite see you there."

The person, whose face was covered with a hood, quickly got up and leaned next to Tukson. Which not so coincidentally ended up showing the White Fang tattoo that was mostly covered by the hood. Tukson bit his teeth, realizing that he had just bumped into one of the current White Fang operatives. The tattoo red as blood, almost like it's trying to send a message about how the White Fang are these days.

Tukson, the book seller, and a member of the White Fang. Granted, he'd never bomb or terrorize anyone. Hell, he was even a nurse back at the White Fang's start! He'd joined the White Fang as a kid because he'd honestly believed that humans and Faunus should get equal rights. He joined plenty of protests when he was a kid, and as much racism as he'd gotten from the humans for trying to start a business, he never really hated them. After all, they're living beings too. But these days, after the new leader came into power and the promotion of Adam Taurus after the Schnee train job, the White Fang... it just became a simple violent gang. It wasn't the White Fang Tukson had originally signed up for anymore.

His old friend… didn't deserve to die for a future like this.

The hooded man then spoke. "One week from now, the White Fang will have a package delivery near the docks. You'd better be there or you'll be marked as a traitor, Tukson. Many of us suspect that you want to flee Vale, and will keep a close eye on you." With that said, they walked past each other, as if the conversation had never happened.

When Tukson had returned to his book shop, he closed all the curtains in the shop and slammed his fist on the wall in anger. He had only had a few more weeks before the airship arrived and he could move to another kingdom and forget this whole White Fang mess! Why did it have to happen now?! The only way anyone can quit the White Fang nowadays is in a body bag, and Tukson still wants to live, damn it!

He still has people who care about him...

"DUST IT!" He was having such a good day and now he's found himself backed into a corner! That was when he heard the door bell ring. Curiousity piqued, he went to look out the door, but all he saw was a package that said it was from a 'DJ Sagara'. Retreating to a secure location inside the store (the men's restroom, in other words…), he opened the package, only to find a belt and a pine cone-shaped lock.

"What the he-?!" Tukson suddenly remembered seeing Adam transform in front of everyone during the last meeting. And now he had the same power as well?!

"Shit… I can't trust anyone with this info," he whispered to himself. Who knew who'd be gunning for his head if they knew he had a belt?

…Actually, now that he thought about it, there was one person he could trust. Someone who had already left the White Fang and was playing her part in putting an end to them. Right as he made up his mind, he noticed a message in the bottom of the box. Frowning, he picked the message up and read its contents.

"Here's your chance to change your fate, Tukson. The odds are against you, but with this perhaps you can change your fate for the better."

Tukson rolled his head back and sighed. All he wanted was to get out of this life, and yet it was dragging him back. Seemed like he'd need to do some investigation on just what this package that the White Fang are going on about now even is.

---

"So, Kaito found out your secret. Then he beat you up and took your Orange Lockseed. And now you think everyone in your team knows who you really are and are so disgusted with you that they want nothing to do with you?" Kouta summed up what Jaune had spent a few minutes confessing to him as he finished his bottle of cola that he pulled out from the fridge.

Jaune merely let out a sigh as he nodded, not touching the bottle Kouta had placed for him. To him, this was all just a dream anyway. It's not going to make his life even worst to tell the truth to a figment of his imagination.

If anything, this was making him a bit better since he was telling this to something that wasn't going to judge him.

"I just… don't know what I'm fighting for anymore." Jaune let out. "Some part of me still wants to stay at Beacon yet another part of me is so disgusted with myself for being so weak!" He cried out as Kouta merely stared at him without any emotion, something Jaune really needed. "You're supposed to be the last user of Gaim, right? The only person in the entire universe who Kaito seems to talk about with any kind of good will."

Now, to Jaune, this was all a dream. To him, the Kazuraba Kouta he was talking to right now was just what he thought how Kazuraba Kouta would look and act like (and Jaune wasn't going to lie, he had not idea why he made Kouta look like the way he is right now nor the way he acted)

If he ever found out this was reality, he would be speaking in a far more respectful tone and amusing way with Kouta.

But alas, this was not the case. Luckily, Kouta seems to take this fact in stride and just rolled with it.

"Just… what am I lacking that you and Kaito have… ?" Jaune begged for the answer to his question, causing Kouta to hum in thought as he threw his bottle into a nearby trash can with perfect accuracy.

"Well, let me ask this first Jaune." Kouta smiled. "What is it that you're fighting for?" Kouta asked, with Jaune frowning and looking down onto the ground at that. Didn't he just say that he didn't know what he was fighting for anymore?! "I once treated the power of the Gaim as a simple tool to help win games as a kid. A means to get by in life." Kouta began, with Jaune taking interest in this story.

That sounded just like his reason for coming to Beacon and training to become a Huntsman.

So Kouta went through something similar to what he did, once? … Or maybe Jaune was just projecting himself to the previous Gaim as a way to make himself feel better?

"Then, one day… I met someone. Someone who was a white Armored Rider." Kouta continued, with Jaune thinking back to that white melon Rider from his dream. Was that the Armored Rider Kouta was referring to? If so, then what did he have anything to do with this story? "He gave me the beatdown of a life time, maybe even trying to kill me too."

… Oh.

… Oh shit.

Seeing Jaune's blinking, alarmed and confused expression, Kouta laughed and wave it off. "Don't worry about it! As you can see, I'm still kicking! But… , the reason why that White Armored Rider did that to me was to show that this kind of power comes with a responsibility." Kouta explained with a wistful smile, most likely thinking back to that moment with fondness.

… Seriously?

"Really? With great power comes great responsibility?" Jaune deadpanned at Kouta, who laughed at Jaune's reaction. "You know, even a guy who only knows really lame pick-up lines thinks that's a pretty corny motto, right?" Jaune had heard that motto so many times that he couldn't help but snark at it. Plus, growing up reading the comic, Jaune had heard this line come back a lot.

"Hey, you try fighting someone intent on killing you, way more experience then you, and even give a pretty good speech on why you suck in every way possible without being effected!" Kouta grinned, with Jaune being rather put off on how Kouta had seemingly bounced back from the experience without any lasting damage.

"My point is, everybody makes mistakes, Jaune. Such as letting power getting into their heads." Kouta said. "You're not as bad as you think you are Jaune. Sure, you made a pretty bad mistake to get where you are now, but the road in life is often long enough that you don't really have to beat yourself up over it too much." Kouta advised. "If you don't like yourself the way you are now… ," Kouta grinned even wider, with eyes that said he was laughing over a in-context joke. "… then why don't you just transform into something new? That's part of growing up, right? Making mistakes, and then trying to do better!"

Jaune looked down as he acknowledged that Kouta does have a point in his advice. He made a mistake, hell, probably a few mistakes on his way to Beacon… but he was here now. He couldn't afford to be the cowardly, selfish Jaune Arc any longer now. Kouta was right, if he didn't like the way he was now… then he'll just change into something better!

… But there was still one thing that was bothering him though. "… What about my reason to fight, though?" Jaune asked Kouta. He needed a reason, just any reason, before he could continue down his new path. He was drawing a blank right now, and he was hoping that Kouta could give him one last push. It didn't hurt to try, right? "Kaito said my reason to fight right now sucks and my dad always said a true warrior needs to have one."

"That's something you have to find by yourself." Kouta smiled, before getting up from his spot. "It's about time I drop you back now, otherwise a certain snakey observer is going to get mad at me for interfering to much." Kouta said, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. He stopped, and looked at Jaune in the eye.

Jaune shuddered a bit, feeling a bit intimidated. Suddenly, the feeling of warmth, acceptance and kindness Kouta excluded became… different. It was still there… but it changed. A few minutes ago if it was as if Jaune was with a good friend, a best friend even. But now…

… now it felt like he was standing in front of just, kind ruler. A ruler who cared for his subjects equally and would protect them to his dying breath.

"No matter what happens Jaune, keep moving forward."

Before Jaune could protest to Kouta about how he wanted to know more, he opened his eyes and found Ruby shaking him awake.

Ruby grinned at him, as he started rubbing the sand out of his eyes. "Ruby… ?" Jaune let out because of his drowsiness.

"Hey there sleepy head!" Ruby said as she plopped right next to him. "You shouldn't really be sleeping in the hallway. You might catch a cold." She said, as Jaune realised that someone had placed a blanket over him when he had fallen asleep. Was it Ruby?

"Ruby, did you… ?" Jaune gestured to the blanket.

She hummed. "Nope!" She said, popping the p. "I just found you here a few seconds ago." She added.

So it wasn't Ruby? Then who did?

"Did you lock yourself outside again?" Ruby wondered, with Jaune blushing in embarrassment. Just one time and nobody let's it go… !

"No!" Jaune cried out due to his embarrassment. "See?!" He said, taking out his scroll. This was because that the scrolls also doubled as their dorm key.

"Okay, okay!" Ruby laughed while Jaune continued to flush.

But still, this was actually helping feel a little bit better, especially after that weird dream.

"Hey, are you okay?" Ruby prodded, wanting to help out her first friend at Beacon.

"… You know what? Yeah, I am." Jaune admitted, his answer full of confidence. None of that fake, mustered-up-on-the-spot confidence he used when he was trying to pick up girls early in the semester. This time… he truly meant it.

Ruby looked into his eyes, searching for any hint of a lie… and was surprised at seeing that she found none.

Jaune really was okay.

She smiled. "You know, I was just about to give you a pick-me-up since you've been feeling down lately." She admitted. She took out a cookie from her pocket, this cookie being from her super-secret-stash that she made at Beacon's kitchen.

Thank you Kaito for having unlimited access!

"But, I guess you don't need any help anymore, huh? Hehe." She giggled as she handed Jaune the cookie. He gratefully accepted the cookie and took a little nibble out of it.

"… It's good!" Jaune blinked in surprise.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean!" Ruby pouted at Jaune's words, causing Jaune to cringe with a sheepish smile on his face. "It's my mom's super-ultra-deluxe-recipe! I would never mess that up!" She huffed, which caused Jaune to let out a good-hearted laugh. Ruby soon joined afterwords.

"Hey Ruby?" Ruby blinked as they stared at each other again. "… Thanks."

Ruby let out a big smile at this. "Don't mention it!"

The two then stayed in comfortable silence with one another, not willing to leave each other just yet.

'My own reason to fight huh?'

Jaune wondered to himself as the big field trip to Forever Falls was coming up. Would he be able to find his reason to fight soon?

---

"NORAAAA VALKYRIEEEEE!" Kaito roared at the orangenette as they along with the rest of the freshmen class were current in the forest known as the Forever Falls. They were on an assignment for Professor Peach, though for some reason Glynda Goodwitch was their supervisor instead of the professor who gave them the assignment.

Kaito didn't know why this was the case, nor did he particularly care. Give him a task and he'll just complete it so you would shut up and have nothing to screech at his ears. And if you didn't like the results for one reason or another, then too bad. You ask him to do something, he actually took the damn time out of his life to do it. No room for complaints.

However, Kaito soon ran into complications in this assignment. They were to work together with their teams, yet Jaune was forced to work with Team CRDL because of him being Cardin's lackey. Unlike Pyrrha, Kaito held didn't care that did happened to Jaune. If he was unhappy with the arrangement, then Jaune should be fighting for his freedom.

And if Cardin actually had the guts to kill Jaune for disobeying… then hey, freedom in death.

Luckily for Team JNPR, it was their turn to partner up with Kaito this week, so Kaito could fill in the empty slot that Jaune had left for partnering with Team CRDL. Unfortunately for Kaito… , he soon discovered that teaming up with Team JNPR was far more of a pain to his neck then he originally believed.

To summarise; the N of JNPR had the tendency of finishing off the jars the PR of JNPR and Kaito had went to the trouble of collecting, forcing them to start all over again.

And her response at Kaito roaring her name in pure frustration, rage and anger?

"He he!"

… Yes, giggling. That was all she did. Just let out an adorable cheeky grin while giggling at Kaito's rage.

She didn't even look guilty at all when she did so. It made Kaito half-tempted to use his Overlord powers and summon Helheim vines to lift the girl by her legs and shake her over and over again until the minutes of his life that's she's wasting by continuously eating the collected saps fall out!

Ren, on the other hand, was highly amused by the fact that the oh so intimidating Kumon Kaito who was unrivaled in their year had absolutely no idea how to handle Nora. It would seem that there were some things that not even Kaito was good at.

Well, now they know who to sic on Kaito whenever they needed to distract him.

Chuckling, Ren put a hand on Kaito's shoulder to calm down his mentor and get his attention. "Give it a rest, Kaito." The magenta-eyed young man told his mentor. "If there's one thing I learned over the years growing up with Nora; it's that you'll tire out long before she tires out." He let out a soft smile as he fondly remembered their younger years. "Trust me, I've seen a lot of guys in our hometown trying to pacify her and ending up with a trip to the hospital or being traumatise to the point they flee-on-sight as their reward."

True story: There was once a bully in their town who picked a fight with Nora.

He ended up moving to another town and changing his name after a month in the hospital.

Not that it helped. Nora still found him later in their lives.

Growling, Kaito shrugged off Ren's hand before skulking away, grabbing an empty jar with the intention of refilling it. "I'm giving you one last chance Valkyrie; don't you dare eat out of this jars again!" Kaito gave Nora a warning, along with giving her his most intimidating glare yet.

Which she laughed off, much to his ire. Oh how he was tempted to tear her into a new one… be it physically or mentally… .

But he won't.

… He was not going soft! He just… didn't want to be the one who broke Nora's naive yet admittedly refreshing outlook of the world.

As he began to collect the sap, Kaito addressed the person next to him.

"If you're still worrying about that weakling, then you're merely wasting your time. If Arc refuses to fight back against Winchester, then he can forget about me returning his Orange Lockseed."

Kaito said to Pyrrha, who was quietly gathering sap as Kaito, the N and R of JNPR were too busy distracting each other from completing the task at hand (though admittedly Nora's little habit of eating the sap was getting annoying as it was making their task take much longer then it should be).

She let out a sigh at Kaito's words as she finished with a jar.

Kaito believed that she was being too soft with Jaune and that they needed to leave him alone to grow as a person. At least, that's what she managed to translate from whenever they discussed the topic with one another. The way Kaito said it was far more rougher, colder and generally made it sound like he could care less on whether or not Jaune would recover from the ordeal he's going through.

But Pyrrha just couldn't shake off the feeling that something bad was going to happen to Jaune really soon.

If that were the case, she wished to be by his side and fight alongside him. That's what being teammates was all about, wasn't it? To watch each others back during times of strife?

So on one hand, she really wanted to sock Kaito for being so heartless of the situation and not allowing her to check on Jaune.

On the other hand, she could see where Kaito was going with his approach (as cold as it may be), and wanted to see how Jaune would grow as a person.

Jaune wasn't a bad person. He made some bad choices, but doesn't everyone else does the same thing at some point of their lives? It was the reason why Pyrrha was so worried about him. Jaune was a good guy, someone who earnestly gave his all at something that was of interest to him (which was why he was struggling with his studies. When it came to studying, he always found a way to slack off instead).

She was afraid that if Jaune didn't get by or recover from this, he might suffer from a downward spiral of bad choices that would result in a sad ending for himself.

Jaune didn't deserve that. No one did.

"Then let us hope that my fear is misplaced." Pyrrha hissed to Kaito. "I'm sure that Jaune can find the courage to stand up for himself." She said with pure, unwavering conviction.

If she couldn't help Jaune, then she'll just believe in him. There were somethings in life that people had to go through alone.

Physically-speaking.

In spirit, they would always be together. They would always be supporting one another.

Most people didn't realize it, but they were never alone when they had true friends who are ready to help them out whenever they can.

That was she believed at least.

Kaito however, believed otherwise. He stared at Pyrrha after she made her declaration, merely scoffing at it before they both went back to their work. She was just as bad as Kazuraba and Mai. They chose to believe in that cowardly Mitsuzane Kureshima despite all the betrayal they went through because of him.

But still, it felt… good, to be surrounded by people who believed in Kazuraba's and Mai's beliefs.

However, Kaito still chose to believe in his own beliefs.

You can't rely on others for everything, for one reason or another.

The only person who you could truly rely on solving all of your problems was yourself, after all.

---

"I refuse."

Jaune had once again separated from his group of friends due to Team CRDL forcing him to help their team out instead. And by 'help', he meant 'completely gather all the sap by himself while Team CRDL just laze around'.

But then he overheard their so called 'master plan' of throwing a few jars of sap onto Pyrrha and Kaito before unleashing the jar of rapier wasps that he collected beforehand upon her.

That was where he drew the line.

No one messes with his friends and gets away with it.

So instead of crying out like he usually would, Jaune was so overcame by protective anger and he grabbed a jar of sap and slammed it right into Cardin's face!

The shocked look on Team CRDL's face was so worth it. Worth about a million lien really.

There was a time when enough was enough. This time had come for Jaune when Cardin was willing to hurt Pyrrha (and Kaito too… , Jaune guessed considering that Kaito really didn't need any protection) and having Jaune playing a big role in it just for the sake of his own amusement.

The line has been drawn, Cardin had stepped over it.

Time for payback.

Cardin backed off out of surprise as his Aura healed the cuts he'd gotten from the glass.

Finally.

Finally a reaction out of the little shit. Now he can rightfully use his newfound powers to beat him into a pulp!

"Heh. You looks like you do have a backbone Jaunny boy… ." Cardin let out a wicked grin as he took out his Sengoku Driver. "Unfortunately, you picked a bad time to show it!" Cardin made eye contact with his teammates. "Get him boys!" He ordered, causing the three to scatter and surround Jaune from all sides as they drew their weapons.

But Jaune didn't care. He merely took out his own Sengoku Driver and placed it on his waist at the same time as Cardin did. The two took out their respective Lockseeds and unlocking them. As the Lockseeds were unlocked, the two immediately docked them into their respective Drivers before cutting them open.

MATSUBOKKURI!/DONGURI!

LOCK ON!

"HENSHIN!"

SOIYA/COME ON!

MATSUBOKKURI ARMS:
ICHIGEKI, IN THE SHADOW!

DONGURI ARMS:
NEVER GIVE UP~!

Two Cracks opened up as a mechanical pinecone and acorn dropped from Helheim, right onto their respective users which formed their respective armors.

Jaune transformed into Gaim, however instead of his signature Orange Arms, he had understandably transformed with the black and dark brown Matsubokkuri Arms. Unlike the Orange Arms which folded up on four sides, the Matsubokkuri Arms instead flipped the front and back together, while at the very top of the Arms split in half to form surprisingly small shoulderpads once the Arms reconfigured itself to be more sleek.

And unlike the Orange Arms, which came with the short sword Daidaimaru, Jaune had instead gotten a pinecone-themed straight-headed spear named the Kagematsu!

Cardin on the otherhand had transformed into his alter-ego that was named Gridon (he thought the name was cool and could definitely compete with Kaito's "Baron" and Jaune's "Gaim"), who shared a similar base suit design to Baron except that in the place of red was light brown while the armor on his arms and legs were blank, unlike Kaito's which had a vine-like design.

His Donguri Arms' configuration was similar to the Matsubokkuri Arms, though the front portion of the Armor had something similar to Orange Arms as it folded up with an extra hidden piece that was set upon Cardin's armored head. His weapon was a small dinky acorn-themed hammer called the Donguri that he was just starting to master.

(Un)Fortunately, he stilled had access to his original mace despite the transformation.

The odds were against Jaune. It was 4-on-1 and one of the four was a fellow Armored Rider. And yet… , Jaune wasn't afraid at all. Hell, in actuality… , he'd never been calmer in his entire life!

He was so angry at Team CRDL, at Cardin Winchester specifically, that it cleared his head of any distractions.

As Cardin's lackeys charged at him, Jaune braced himself and analyzed his situation.

Sky Lark's weapon was a halberd, yet his footwork was horrible as the boy rarely ever practiced with it. He used the Daidaimaru to redirect Sky's attack, causing him to lose his balance. Jaune used this chance to throw Sky over his shoulder, keeping hold on his arm to make sure he couldn't escape. As Sky's brain to keep up with what had just happened, Jaune took the chance and stomped Sky's face in.

Downed in 3.1 seconds.

Just like how Kaito had taught him.

The surprising speed and ferocity at what happened caught the rest of Team CRDL by surprise as they stopped their charge to process what happened, while Sky's hands went to his face as he curled up into a ball and went into blissful unconsciousness with a groan.

When the conscious members of Team CRDL caught up with what happened… .

"YOU BASTARD!"

Next one on the chopping block was Dove Bronzewing. His skills with his gunblade was, at least, not as bad Sky's skill with his halberd. This could be seen as Jaune let out a few test stabs to see how good Dove's defense was.

Unfortunately…

SOIYA!

MATSUBOKKURI SQUASH!

Jaune channeled more power from his Matsubokkuri Lockseed, using it to enhance his jump and deliver a powerful stab which sent Dove flying into a tree despite managing to technically block it with his sword. The force of the blow which sent him flying and slamming into a tree was enough to knock him unconscious.

One more left. Russel Thrush. Used daggers which had similar configuration to Weiss' Myrtenaster.

Won't be enough.

Didn't help Russel's chances since the guy charged at Jaune as if he was a Boarbatusk.

SOIYA!

MATSUBOKKURI SPAKLING!

Channelling another finisher, Jaune spun in place for a moment, turning into a miniature black tornado of destruction. Said tornado went straight towards Russel Thrush, who had frozen up in fear at seeing this. With his Kagematsu, Jaune hit Russel in stomach, bringing him along for the ride for a moment before sending him flying to a tree.

Russel quickly shared the same fate as his downed teammates.

The whole process of taking down three-fourth of Team CRDL took Jaune less than a minute. None of them even managed to leave a scratch on Jaune.

And he wasn't even using his signature armor, the armor he was most comfortable in, to defeat them.

Suddenly, Cardin didn't feel so confident about his chances at winning anymore.

"You know… , Kaito may be an asshole… ." Jaune admitted as he relaxed for a moment, sticking the Kagematsu on the ground and using it as a pillar of support. "But… he sure as hell is a good teacher." Jaune stated as Gaim and Gridon stared at each other.

Gaim of determination. Gridon of shock and slight fear.

"He taught me how to fight and adapt myself to any danger. How to take down the cannon fodder as possible so I can focus on the big fishes without any distractions… ." Jaune explained how he was able to knock out Sky, Dove and Russel so easily. "We trained with different kinds of Arms every night, to help me get a hang on all of them in case I need them more than my Orange Arms." Jaune now explained why he was decent with Matsubokkuri Arms.

"Matsubokkuri, compared to Orange, is kind of weak, but… ." Jaune stated as he toss the Kagematsu aside. "It's more than enough to take you down Cardin! I don't mind you messing with me, but nobody ever messes with my friends!" Jaune declared as he pressed down the Cutting Blade twice.

Jaune threw away the spear and caught Cardin in mid swing as he remember all the hours of training and hard work he did with Kaito that keep pushing him to his limit everyday.

"It's more then enough to take you down Cardin Winchestor! I don't mind you messing with me but as team JNPR leader NOBODY MESS WITH MY FRIENDS!"

SOIYA!

MATSUBOKKURI AU LAIT!

Charging the energy into his leg this time, Jaune had gotten a running start before he leaped into the air, and positioned himself into a familiar stance that any decent Rider should know.

As he did so, Jaune remembered all the hours of training and hard work he put in with Kaito. All those moments where he was pushed to his limits every day.

And it was like Kaito said;

Limits were meant to be broken.

Jaune delivered a flying side kick, fuelled with the power of the Matsubokkuri Lockseed, to Cardin with a loud "SEE YA!"

And all Cardin could do in his shock was take the Rider Kick head on.

And surprisingly enough, the force of the blow was enough to knock the Winchester out of his transformation. Hell, it even tossed his Sengoku Driver and Donguri Lockseed a few feet away from him!

"You… ! You… !" Cardin growled out as he struggled to reach his Sengoku Driver. "I'm… not done yet… !" The stubborn Winchester said. "I refuse to lose to you a second time… !" He snarled animalistically.

Despite losing the fight, Jaune acknowledged that there was some fight left in Cardin. So, he canceled his transformation in response.

His reason was that he wanted to settle this with Cardin as Huntsman, not as Armored Riders.

Cardin took it as another blow to his pride, seeing this as Jaune considering so Cardin weak that he didn't need an Armored Rider's power.

However, before they could finish their fight, a swarm of locusts appeared out nowhere. Confused, their attention was diverted to this swarm, which had formed itself into some kind of black and blue locust monster with big beady red eyes.

It honestly reminded Jaune of an Inves really. Maybe it was one?

Before Jaune or Cardin could say anything, the Inves opened it's mouth to let out a roar!

… And it immediately charged at them!

---

"We have to help him!"

"No."

Team RWBY and the remaining members of Team JNPR arrived just in time at the scene of Jaune handling all of Team CRDL completely by himself. Just as they were going to come over to congratulate the Arc, however, they soon saw that things took a turn for the worst when an Inves themed after a grasshopper or maybe a locust appeared, though it naturally shared a Grimm's black color-scheme and red eyes. The only thing that stopped them from mistaking it for a Grimves was because of the lack of white armour and the faded blue all over it's body.

They were just about to rush in and give Jaune some backup, had Kaito not stopped them from doing so.

One word. That was all it took to stop them in their tracks as they stared at the Baron who stared at the scene with restrained interest.

"Not yet." He clarified a bit, before elaborating further. "There something I need to see from Arc first. Something I have to witness for myself… ." He cryptically said, with Pyrrha understanding why he did so.

She looked back at Jaune with worry, praying that he would pass this test that he unknowingly found himself in.

Kaito continued to watch the Arc boy, along with everybody else, from their hiding spot. He could easily guess from Jaune's facial features that the boy was thinking about whether or not he should bother saving someone who had brought so much misery to him over the week.

"Prove to me you're worth my time, Arc."

Kaito squeeze the Orange Lockseed in his pocket as it was now or never to see what Jaune Arc made of.

Was he weak… or was he strong?

Time to find out.

---

Why do I want to be a hero?

Jaune couldn't help but look on with morbid fascination as the Locus Inves had targeted Cardin first.

Jaune wasn't going to lie, not anymore. Especially not to himself. A big part of him was very tempted to just run away from this and leave Cardin to die.

Why shouldn't I?

He didn't even do anything to Cardin… and yet, all Cardin did to him was cause him pain and made him even more alienated from his friends then he already was.

Why… did I want to become a Huntsman in the first place?

Jaune started to remember.

He remembered a vague point of his childhood.

He was in a camping trip with his family… but then he got lost from his dad as they were trekking through the woods.

While he was lost, he came across a little girl who was just as lost as he was.

He couldn't remember what she looked like, how she even sounded… , but he could still vaguely remembered the conversation they shared when they found each other.

He remembered the feelings that surrounded the two of them. They were both frightened to the bone. Jaune would've started crying… had not the girl herself began crying again.

Seeing her cry… it made Jaune not want to join in the crying as well. Instead… , he wanted her to stop. He wanted her to be smile… to be happy… ,

… to feel safe.

So, he put himself in his dads shoes. He tried comforting her… and then he tried to lead her to a safe place despite being lost in the middle of nowhere.

Being children, they didn't really have anything to defend themselves, making them prime target to… pretty much anything. But with some luck (and some tumbles), they quickly made it back down the mountain.

Not too long after, their parents found them.

And then the girl said something.

Something that Jaune could still clearly remember to this day. Something out of the whole mess that struck a chord in Jaune.

Before they parted ways, before the girl went with her parents… she let out a smile and said something that gave Jaune this… this drive to become a hero.

As there parents comes to get them. Jaune still remeber one thing about this whole mess. It was that girl smile before they parted ways that gave Jaune this drive to become a hero.

"Thank you, my hero!"

Four simple words.

Yet it was these four simple words that gave Jaune a sense of pride that he didn't have yet, back then. As a child, he found it to be a feeling he had gotten whenever he was simply helping those around him, even if they didn't exactly needed it.

It was the greatest feeling of satisfaction he ever felt.

The act of just being able to save someone who needed him, with his own power… . That was why he wanted to become a Huntsman like his father when he grew up. He wanted to be the hand that was always there for others to hold onto when they needed it.

Yet… , years of not measuring up to the Arc legacy… and not being talented like his sisters… ,

… it turned him into someone who just wanted to be noticed by others… .

I just want to be proud of myself… .

He started to hate how weak he was compared to his sisters. He'd forgotten that you didn't need to be talented to be a hero. He wasn't some talented badass back in the mountains, and yet he still managed to help that girl out.

He still managed to become her hero.

… .

Heh.

Guess he really did lost sight of his goals, huh?

Without even realizing it, Jaune's feet began to move by themselves.

And before he knew it, he had already started running to save Cardin from the Locus Inves, Lockseed just about to be unlocked.

"HENSHIN!"

MATSUBOKURRI!

LOCK ON!

SOIYA!

MATSUBOKKURI ARMS:
ICHIGEKI, IN THE SHADOW!

Cardin and their hidden audience widened their eyes in surprise as just before the monster could deliver the finishing blow, Jaune had appeared in-between them and took the hit for Cardin.

Grunting in pain but holding his ground, Jaune struggled a bit before he grabbed the Inves by the shoulders and kicking it away.

"ARC!?" Cardin cried out in shock from his spot on the ground.

Jaune looked at Cardin for a moment before back to the Locus Inves. Kaito had drilled it into his head that he should never take his eyes off an undefeated opponent.

Chuckling a bit, he explained himself. "God damn it, Cardin… . You're an asshole, you know." He began, which did nothing to lift Cardin's confusion. Hell, he was so confused that he wasn't pissed off by the insult. "You wanna be the top dog of our year… but not once did you ever try to fight one-on-one with people who are stronger than you. People like Kaito and Pyrrha… ."

"Instead you've been picking on the weaker guys who don't even want to fight, people like me, just to make yourself feel like the boss. Heh, I should really be leaving out here to die!" Jaune admitted the temptation he was feeling at the moment. "But… , if I did that… what kind of Huntsman would I be if I just left someone to die when I have what it takes to save them?"

"I finally remembered it… . The real reason why I keep fighting even though I know I'm not as good as Pyrrha or Kaito. The reason why I wanted to become a Huntsman in the first place!" Jaune said, as his grip on the Kagematsu tightened.

The Locus Inves however, seemed to have lost it's patience and decided to attack Jaune now since he wasn't going to attack anytime soon. Jaune didn't care, he charged at the Inves as well even though he hasn't finished explaining himself.

The two exchanged a few blows, and even though Jaune was hitting the Inves with the Kagematsu, it felt like it wasn't doing to any kind of damage to the Inves at all.

So he decided to remedy that problem by pressing down the Cutting Blade of his Sengoku Driver.

SOIYA!

MATSUBOKKURI SQUASH!

"I… I wanna have the power to save others who need me! Even if I'm a fake and not a proper Huntsman like everyone else is at the academy… , I… I want do what I can to help others! I want to see people smile!" Jaune declared before he turned to Cardin as he charged up his power. "Even assholes like you… don't deserve to die, Cardin!" Jaune declared to the shock Winchester before turned back to the Locus Inves and got into a more proper form to charge his finisher.

At that precise moment, Kumon Kaito finally accepted that Jaune Arc was not some lying little kid who was too afraid to own up to what he is.

No, now he saw Jaune as someone who is worthy enough to wear the same battle armor as Kazuraba Kouta.

Someone who is worthy enough to bear the name of Gaim.

Once his finisher finished charging, Jaune leaped into the air with the intention of stabbing the Locus Inves. However, much to Jaune's surprise, the damn thing had turn into a swarm of Locusts to dodge the attack. When Jaune landed onto the ground, the monster reformed behind him to deliver a sneak attack.

Falling onto the ground, Jaune turned and prepared himself to for another onslaught of attacks, assuming he didn't kick the thing away from him in time. However, before things could further escalate, a familiar banana-shaped and coloured energy appeared from the side and struck the monster, which sent it flying.

Turning to the source, to Jaune's shock, there stood Kumon Kaito, having transformed into Armored Rider Baron Banana Arms.

Kaito scoffed as he approached Jaune. "Looks like… you've grown, Arc." Kaito admitted before taking out the Orange Lockseed.

Jaune's Orange Lockseed.

"Here, use this." Kaito, being Kaito, was too prideful to admit that Jaune had earned the right to use it again as he tossed Jaune the Orange Lockseed.

Catching it, Jaune felt a maelstrom of emotions swirling inside of him right now. All of them positive.

Getting back up with a grin, Jaune took off the Matsubokkuri Lockseed from his Sengoku Driver as he noticed that the Inves had yet to be killed despite taking an apparent finisher head on from Kaito.

This fight isn't over yet.

LOCK OFF!

"Hey, Kaito?" Jaune asked as he prepared to unlock the Orange Lockseed, stopping himself so he could say this first. Kaito took the time to turn his head slightly, showing that he acknowledged and was willing to hear what Jaune was going to say. "… Thanks… for everything." Jaune let out from the bottom of his heart. He suddenly found this to be the appropriate moment to thank Kaito for everything he had put Jaune through, especially the training from hell that made him as strong as he is today.

Kaito, for his part, merely let out a scoff.

"Just switch Arms already. We need to make up for lost training time soon."

Jaune let out sheepish laugh, despite knowing full well that Kaito meant it, as he unlocked the Orange Lockseed and inserting it into his Sengoku Driver.

ORANGE!

LOCK ON!

Jaune let the standby music play for a moment, basking in the feeling of everything feeling right before pressing down the Cutting Blade.

SOIYA!

ORANGE ARMS:
HANAMICHI, ON STAGE!

A familiar metal orange fell down from a zipper in the sky and onto Jaune's head, forming the signature Orange Arms. With the transformation complete, the Gaim and the Baron stood side by side once more, clad in their signature and most recognizable Arms.

"This is my-!" Jaune declared before cutting himself off. No… that didn't felt right… . "… No… . This is our stage now!" Jaune fixed his declaration, unaware that Kaito took a moment to silently look at him before refocusing back onto the Locus Inves with a scoff.

With roars, the two Riders charged at the Inves monster, who in turn charged at them. And surprisingly, the two Riders had very good teamwork with one another. They didn't get each others way. Every time Jaune finished performing a slash, Kaito stepped in to deliver another slash and vice versa. Both of them were relentless at attacking the Locus Inves, giving it no time to regain it's bearings.

Over and over again, it was constantly being sliced and diced by an orange-theme sword and a banana-themed spear (which really looked more like a lance).

"ARC, NOW!" Kaito suddenly ordered Jaune, no longer continuing the pattern.

"Yeah!" Jaune grunted out as he got out of Kaito's way.

Maybe it was because of them constantly training with one another, as mentor and student. Maybe it was because they had been fighting one another since the beginning of the semester. Whatever the case, they were used to each others movements by now and knew when to not interfere with one another as Kaito pressed down the Cutting Blade of his Sengoku Driver so that he may deliver a finisher.

COME ON!

BANANA SQUASH!

Kaito released a yellow banana shape projectile which pierced through the monster, holding it into place for Jaune to finish off himself.

Jaune combined his trusty two handy weapons into what Kaito had called the Naginata Mode and unlocked the Orange Lockseed before docking it into the Musou Saber.

LOCK ON!

ICHI! JUU! HYAKU! SEN! MAN!

ORANGE CHARGE!

Jaune twirled the combined Musou Saber and Daidaimaru to gather power into the Daidaimaru's blade, before slashing through the Locus Inves with lightning speed.

The monster, now cut into two, began sliding from one another before the two pieces finally exploded, signifying it's defeat.

Jaune let out a sigh of relief as he canceled his transformation. He looked behind him to see that Kaito too had canceled his transformation. The two stared at each other in respectful silence before Jaune felt something tackle him from behind while a high-pitched squeal could be heard.

"THAT! WAS! AWESOMMEEEEEE! I MEAN YOU WERE TOTALLY KICK ASS! SLICING! DICING! AND USING FINISHERS LIKE A BOSS!"

The rest of the teams came out of hiding, and began congratulating Jaune on a job well done. They would've thanked Kaito as well for helping out, if not for the fact that he merely ignored them and apparently made his way back to the Bullhead. Team RWBY & JNPR, being used to it, merely shrugged to themselves and continued to congratulating Jaune.

But on his way back, Kaito suddenly stopped and addressed someone familiar.

"You were watching the entire time, weren't you?"

As an Overlord, Kaito's senses were far superior then those of a Human or a Faunus. He could tell that another pair of eyes was watching them when Jaune fought Team CRDL and the Locus Kaijin.

A chuckle soon followed from the other side of the tree Kaito was staring at, as Professor Ozpin soon walked out with his signature cup of coffee on his right hand. Strangely, he wasn't carrying his cane.

He simply shrugged at Kaito's glare, and explained himself. "As an educator for future Hunters and Huntresses who will protect this world, I believe it is within my right to ensure that I do everything in my power to make sure my students grow the right way." He began, before continuing. "Jaune Arc was merely lost in this path called life, and the only way he would be able to find himself again is by him discovering his own answers."

"And CRDL?" Kaito inquired.

Ozpin merely let out a disappointed sigh. "They will be throughly punished for their treatment of a fellow student, and for planning to cause severe harm on said student's partner." Ozpin stated. It was Glynda said, the faculty was trying to run a school, not a circus.

If they didn't curb students like CRDL now, then they will only grow up to become fallen Hunters who only seek for riches, fame and glory at the cost of innocents.

That was not what it meant on being a Hunter.

"You knew Jaune Arc faked his transcripts, and yet you allowed him to enter the school anyway." Kaito said in an almost-accusing tone of voice. "Why?" He demanded for the answer.

Kaito realised that it was impossible for Arc to forge his transcripts and stay at Beacon without the necessary skills. He heard that most students went through a rigorous combat exam to be able to enter Beacon, and this was confirmed by one of his talks with Blake. Even if Jaune was able to get into Beacon with his forged transcripts, it should be impossible for him to stay at Beacon with his lackluster skills.

Unless, of course… a certain headmaster thought it was acceptable to allow the Arc to stay at Beacon.

"I was merely paying a favour to a close friend, that is all." Ozpin said, letting out a mysterious smile. "The future of a Hunter is determined by their skills and, more importantly, their heart. It is not decided by some piece of paper that almost anyone can earn." Ozpin explained another reason why he let Jaune into Beacon.

After all, it wasn't like the first Huntsmen and Huntresses when to a Hunter school before officially becoming Hunters, now did they?

"Still, to be able to take on an entire team like that with such ease even though he never even learned proper combat basics… ." Ozpin hummed in thought as he reviewed the battle between Gaim and CRDL. "You're quite an impressive combat instructor, Kumon Kaito." Ozpin admitted as he sipped his cup of coffee. "Might I interest you in a job at Beacon after we push back the Helheim invasion?"

Kaito scoffed at this. This was all within Ozpin's calculations wasn't it? From having Kaito tutor Jaune and giving Kaito so much reign in the school… . Sure, the man didn't have any malicious intent but Kaito couldn't help but feel that the man was reading him like a damn book.

Ozpin was the kind of person that could use you for something and you wouldn't even realise it.

Something Kureshima Mitsuzane could only dream to be.

… For a simple Principal, Ozpin was sure hiding a lot of things. Hell, he seemed to know a lot more than he should as well.

"I'll pass." Kaito answered. "I still need to prevent the other Drivers from falling into the hands of idiots and fools."

Ozpin watched as Kaito began to head back to the bullhead, and simply let out a chuckle in response. Kumon Kaito was certainly bright and powerful enough to back up his survival-of-the-fittest mentality, no doubt about that.

But… it would seem that he, along with most if not all young men and women, underestimate one crucial detail about adults.

They used to be children as well. They had done it all before. Hell, most of them were still doing the same things kids are doing now… . They were merely more experienced and patience compared to their younger counterparts.

"I wonder what kind of colours would you paint this world of ours, Kumon Kaito?" Ozpin wondered as he looked to the sky.

---

Symbolic Joker: You know what would be awesome? If somebody writes a "Reading" story about this. Like; "RWBY&JNPR Reads Paint The World In Your Colors". Cause I've been binge reading Naruto/RWBY Reading stories where at least Team RWBY reads the stories in question. (Most of them being fairy tail dragon slayer's stories. Go check them out if you haven't before! They're pretty good! … Passable, at least) and I would find it fun reading a Reading story of this!

Symbolic Joker: Oh! A TV Tropes page would be nice too. I wanna see what kind of Tropes this story has… . Anyway, special thanks to OathToOblivion for helping out with one scene.