Forever Fall
"How come Jaune gets home so late?" Nora asks, the sounds of springs beneath her.
"He's become rather scarce since he started fraternizing with Cardin." Ren notes.
"That's weird... Doesn't he know we have a field trip tomorrow?" Nora says, "We need our rest!"
"I'm sure our leader knows exactly what he's doing." Pyrrha comments, annoyed.
"Mmmm... I guess so." Nora agrees.
"Hey, Jaune!" Ruby calls.
Jaune lets out a gasp as he is startled, which Ruby giggles at.
"Long time, no see!" Ruby says, "Did you lock yourself out again?"
"Oh, uh, nope!" Jaune answers with a brief chuckle, "Got it!"
"So! Where have you been lately?" Ruby asks.
"I, uh..." Jaune pauses and sighs, "I messed up. I did something I shouldn't have, and now Cardin has me on a leash, and Pyrrha won't even talk to me, and... I'm starting to think coming to this school was a bad idea. I'm a failure."
"Nope!" Ruby disagrees.
"'Nope?'" Jaune repeats.
"Nope! You're a leader now, Jaune." Ruby states, "You're not allowed to be a failure."
"But... what if I'm a failure at being a leader?" Jaune asks.
"Nope!" Ruby says after a brief pause.
"You know, you're not the easiest person to talk to about this kind of stuff." Jaune says after a chuckle.
"Nope!" Ruby agrees, "Jaune, maybe you were a failure when you were a kid..."
Jaune groans.
"... and you might've even been a failure the first day we met!" Ruby continues, causing Jaune to groan again, "But, you can't be one now. You know why?"
"Uhhh, because...?" Jaune begins.
"Because it's not just about you anymore." Ruby answers, "You've got a team now, Jaune. We both do! And if we fail, then we'll just be bringing them down with us. We have to put our teammates first, and ourselves second. Your team deserves a great leader, Jaune. And I think that can be you. Have a good night, Jaune!"
Ash smiles lightly as he hears the two leader's chat with his silver earpiece through Jaune's scroll, which Ash tapped. Ash's scroll, which unlike Beacon scrolls is black with a silver button, beeps. Ash sees that Jaune received a message and taps the notification.
"Hey! It's your buddy Cardin!" Ash hears, "I know you're probably busy with that Dust project I gave you, buuuut I'm gonna need you to go out and get me a bag of Rapier Wasps. And make sure they've got some really big stingers! It's important, so don't screw this up!"
Ash eyebrows furrow as he sighs.
"What are you up to?" Ash asks aloud as he removes the earpiece.
"Yes, students, the forest of Forever Fall is indeed beautiful." Professor Goodwitch says as she leads her students through said forest, "But we are not here to sight-see. Professor Peach has asked all of you to collect samples from the trees deep inside this forest, and I'm here to make sure none of you die while doing so."
Forever Fall is filled with trees with red leaves, that continuously fall to the ground, which is covered in the leaves. The group, composed by Teams RWBY, JNPR, and CRDL, along with Ash, stops. Jaune, grunting and carrying a large case with six empty glass jars on top of it, tries to catch up with them and ends up bumping into Cardin's back. He turns and scowls at Jaune, who attempts to feign innocence by whistling, but Cardin's scowl doesn't stop.
"Each of you is to gather one jar's worth of red sap." Professor Goodwitch says as she hold's up a filled jar, "However, this forest is full of the creatures of Grimm, so be sure to stay by your teammates. We will rendezvous back here at 4 o'clock. Have fun!"
Professor Goodwitch glances at Ash the moment she said teammates. Ruby and Yang smile at one each other and Jaune poorly attempts to sneak away from Team CRDL, but the Cardin notices and grabs Jaune by the back.
"Come on, buddy - let's go!" Cardin orders.
Jaune looks up to his team, where Nora and Ren are already walking into the forest's depths and Pyrrha is staring sadly at him. Dropping his gaze, Jaune turns and follows Team CRDL, to the disappointment of a Pyrrha, who sighs. Ash places a hand on her shoulder before walking away with Pyrrha following.
Ash perches on top of a tree, placing his earpiece into his ear and beginning to listen in.
"...I'm allergic to this stuff..." Ash hears Jaune say.
"Greeeeat, great, great." Cardin dismisses, "So, Jaune, I bet you're asking yourself, 'Why did my buddy Cardin ask me to collect six jars of tree sap when there's only five of us?'"
"That is one of the many questions I have asked myself today, yes." Jaune agrees.
"Well, come with me, and you'll find out." Cardin says.
Ash hears Jaune moans and gulps in worry. He then checks his scroll, pinpointing Jaune location so he can follow.
"Cardin, wh-what's going on?" Ash hears Jaune asks as he rushes through the forest.
"Payback." Cardin answers.
"Pyrrha...?" Jaune asks. "Wh-what are you-?"
"That's the girl." Ash's brow furrows due to Cardin's tone.
"Red-haired know-it-all, thinks she's so smart." Ash stops for a moment, checking his location in relation to Jaune.
"Alright, boys..." It would take a few minutes before he reaches them.
"Last night, old Jaune here managed to round up an entire box of Rapier Wasps, and now, we're gonna put him to work." Ash taps the bottom of his shoes to the ground, causing the soles to light up purple, activating the gravity Dust within.
"Now, according to one of the essays you wrote for me last week, these nasty things loooove sweets." Ash crouches down and leaps, using the Dust to propel himself faster.
"I'm thinking it's time we teach her a thing or two." With the Dust active, Ash's steps are far longer and he moves at a quicker pace.
"And you're gonna do it." Cardin claims.
"Do what?" Jaune asks.
"Hit her with the sap!" Cardin answers, "Either that, or I'll have a chat with Goodwitch, and you'll be on the first airship out of Beacon."
Ash takes out his earpiece now that the five of them are within earshot. He takes cover within the branches of a tree and watches as Jaune stares at the jar of sap in his hand, then Team CRDL. Jaune gets ready to throw the jar and Ash reaches into his coat, pulling out a pistol with a mounted sight and flashlight, taking aim at the jar of sap. Jaune's hand begins to shake, causing Ash to slightly lower his gun.
"No." Jaune declares, causing Ash to completely lower his weapon.
"What did you say?" Cardin asks.
"I said... NO!" Jaune shouts as he turns and throws the jar at Cardin.
Jaune instantly brings his hands to himself as he looks at Cardin's breastplate covered in sap. Cardin looks at himself and laughs darkly.
"Oh, you've done it now..." Cardin threatens.
Jaune humorously laughs to himself with his hands still raised defensively as Dove and Sky grab Jaune's shoulders and drag him. Cardin pushes Jaune to the ground. Jaune groans as he looks up to see Cardin looming over him. The leader of Team CRDL picks Jaune up by his front and grins while punching him back to the ground.
"You know that wasn't very smart, Jauney boy." Cardin taunts, "I'm gonna make sure they send you back to mommy in teeny tiny pieces."
"I don't care what you do to me..." Jaune declares with a bruise on his cheek, "... but you are not messing with my team."
Ash smiles lightly as Cardin pauses.
"What?" Cardin asks, "You think talk like that makes you tough? You think you're a big strong man now?"
Jaune smiles in defiance. Cardin roars and rears his fist back for another punch, but just as the hit connects, a bright light shines from Jaune, and when the white fades from the screen, Cardin is crying out in pain as he holds his injured hand. Jaune, now back on the ground and completely healed, looks confusedly at his hands as they faintly glow white. While he stares, though, Sky kicks Jaune in the back, knocking him onto his stomach, but Jaune still looks up and glares at the approaching Cardin.
"Let's see how much of a man you really are..." Cardin says, his smug attitude returning.
Suddenly, a growl is heard, and the surprised Team CRDL turns and sees an Ursa Major. The Grimm leaps forward and stands over the terrified students, lifting its head in the air to smell the sap on Cardin's breastplate. It lands back on its forelegs and roars at Cardin while his teammates flee in panic.
"That's a big Ursa!" Russel shouts.
Cardin is knocked away as the Ursa Major swings its claws, revealing Jaune cowering behind him. The Grimm continues to sniff, uninterested in Jaune or the rest of Team CRDL's fear and following its nose to Cardin. Jaune rises and watches at it towers over Cardin, who crawls backwards. Cardin then stops and draws his mace only for the Ursa Major to knock it out of his hand and towards Jaune's feet. Jaune looks conflicted, deciding on a course of action. Ash merely watches the battle.
"Are you not going to help them?" Asher asks.
'No.' Ash responds, 'The strong survive, the weak perish.'
"That ideology is contradictory to that necessary of a Huntsman." Asher states.
'True.' Ash agrees, 'But perhaps Jaune needs the Kermes approach to learn that the strong who protect the weak were once weak themselves and it was others who were strong that allowed them to grow.'
"Or perhaps you could end up reinforcing his belief that he doesn't require help." Asher notes.
'That's a gamble I'm willing to take.' Ash declares.
Cardin attempts to run from the Grimm, but it leaps over him and strikes him with it's claws, knocking him away.
"Crap! Crap, crap!" Cardin says as he gets up and crawls away.
"Oh, no!" Pyrrha says as she Ruby and Weiss arrive.
They watch as the Ursa Major leans over the helpless Cardin, raising its paw and swiping it down only to be blocked by Jaune's shield. He struggles to defend a stunned Cardin from its attempts to lean on him, and Weiss lifts Myrtenaster as she prepares to go help.
Pyrrha opens her mouth to speak, but a rather quiet gunshot near Weiss' feet stops them. The three glance up at Ash who holster his pistol within his coat and crosses his arm.
"What was that for?" Weiss shouts.
Ash says nothing as he glares at her then closes his eyes as he turns back to the battle.
Jaune removes his shield and slashes at the Ursa Major's stomach, causing it to lash out and try to crush him. Jaune rolls to the side and out of the way and then jumps over its strike at his feet, but he is unable to defend against it's next attack, which hits him while he is still in the air. Jaune tumbles across the ground, but is immediately back on his feet and passes Cardin as he charges. Jaune jumps into the air, ready to slash, but the Grimm knocks Jaune behind it. Jaune tumbles again but still rises. He glances at his scroll, which is attached to his shield, noting that it is in the red. The Ursa Major steps forward and roars. With a roar of his own, Jaune charges forward, as does the Ursa.
As they are just about to clash, Pyrrha sees that Jaune has lowered his shield as he prepares to strike. She lifts her arm and activates her semblance. Just as the Ursa Major's attack is about to connect, Jaune's shield is raised to block the strike. Jaune uses the surprise defensive to regain his footing, push his shield back up and deflect the attack, and then decapitate the Ursa Major.
"Uhhh... What?" Ruby reacts.
"How did you...?" Weiss asks.
"Well, Ruby has her speed, you have your glyphs." Pyrrha explains, "My Semblance is polarity."
"Whoa, you can control poles..." Ruby says.
"No, you dunce!" Weiss corrects, "It means she has control over magnetism!"
"Magnets are cool, too..." Ruby whispers.
Pyrrha glances at Ash who is staring at her. He closes his eyes with a shrug and jumps down from the tree. He then turns and walks away, Pyrrha begins following.
"Wait, where are you going?" Weiss asks.
"Yeah!" Ruby agrees, "We gotta tell them what happened!"
"We could..." Pyrrha says as she stops and turns back to them, "Or perhaps we could keep it our little secret?"
Pyrrha begins following Ash as Jaune sheaths his blade.
"Holy crap, Jaune!" Ash listens to Cardin say.
"Don't ever mess with my team - my friends - ever again." Jaune threatens, "Got it?"
Ash takes out his earpiece and stops.
"How did you know about my Semblance?" Pyrrha asks.
"I didn't." Ash answers.
"Where you just going to let him die?" Pyrrha asks.
Ash glances at Pyrrha, his silence telling her the answer.
"How could you?!" Pyrrha asks, in shock.
"I knew you wouldn't let anything happen." Ash explains, "Unfortunately now we have another gamble."
"Which is?" Pyrrha asks.
"What will Jaune learn?" Ash responds as he walks away, leaving Pyrrha to contemplate his question.
Ash listens in to Jaune's scroll, this time from his own scroll's speaker, as he preforms maintenance on his pistol.
"No Cardin tonight?" Ash hears Pyrrha ask, causing him to stop maintenance and pay more attention to his scroll, "I thought you two were best buds?"
"Pyrrha... I'm sorry." Jaune says, "I was a jerk! You were only trying to be nice, and... I had all this stupid macho stuff in my head-"
"Jaune! It's okay!" Pyrrha assures, "Your team really misses their leader, you know. You should come down! Ren made pancakes! No syrup, though - you can thank Nora for that!"
"Wait!" Jaune calls, "I know I don't deserve it after all that happened, but... would you still be willing to help me... to help me become a better fighter?"
Ash smiles as he turns away, disconnecting his scroll from Jaune's. Ash stares at the scroll's screen, noticing but ignoring the dozens of unopened messages. Ash sighs as he puts down his scroll.
"I guess things worked out." Asher says.
'I guess they did.' Ash agrees.
They remained in silence for a moment.
"Are you sure it's wise to ignore them?" Asher asks.
'Providence was Vermilio's friend, not mine.' Ash says.
You nearly didn't get this chapter today. The page refreshed in the last scene and the last time I saved was at the beginning of the fight. I was done for the day, but had nothing better to do. As for what I said last chapter about leaving subtle details, there are many in this chapter. For example, even though this is the first time you've heard the name, you can figure out who Vermilio is with just this chapter and last chapter.
In chapter 4, I said I would create a prequel for Team SLVR's mission, but I am cancelling it. I've decided the best way to handle characters who have passed before the start of the series is to show them as little as possible and allow the readers to learn about them from characters who have shared experiences with them. That's the only reason we're meeting the Huntsman that Team SLVR shadowed, in my first draft, they were also dead. (Which totally wasn't an excuse for me not to put much effort into his character... I don't know why you'd think that.) As for what they taught, find out next chapter. Until then, leave a review if you'd like. Tell me who you think Vermilio is? I want to know if you're picking up my hints and you won't be told who he is until Volume 2.