A/N:Hey guys! Sorry the update is late… very late. Anyway, I thank you for your support and hope that you enjoy chapter 12. Anyway, without further adieu… Open The Game.

-The next morning-

-DIO's P.O.V.-

My new team and I have made our way to our first class, Grimm Studies. Our professor was an old man named Peter Port. The sight of an axe-blunderbuss weapon as well as the boards displaying various species of Grimm - King Taijitu, Death Stalker, Beowolf, Boarbatusk, Nevermore, and Ursa told me exactly what type of man I would be dealing with. I found the weapon to be utterly ridiculous, because of the fact that the blades would make it incredibly difficult to aim with the damn thing.

We were the first to arrive, and the aforementioned professor was there to greet us, "Ah! You're the first students to arrive. I must say, I'm glad that we have students such as yourselves who are eager to learn!"

"It's honestly nothing professor, we were only too happy to start today's lesson. Tell me, where will our seats be." I said, making sure to present myself as the eager student, ready to learn. Which was no trouble for me. While Ivory was making use of our bathroom, I made sure that my subordinates had practiced this routine. Needless to say, Tangelo seemed less than thrilled at the prospect, but he didn't complain.

"Oh, your seats are all the way at the top, in the middle row." Professor Port stated, as he pointed to the seats.

"Thank you professor." I said, before I gestured for the others to follow. We took our seats and as time passed, more students started to fill the seats. At the last minute, before the lesson began, Team RWBY and JNPR barged into the classroom and quickly took their seats.

The professor didn't seem all too surprised by this, though I suppose he'd seen if more than a few times, he coughed into his fist in order to get everyone's attention, "Monsters! Deeeemons... Prowlers of the night! Yes, the creatures of Grimm have many names, but I merely refer to them as prey! Ha-ha!"

With that horrid joke uttered, the tone of this class was set, and I could already tell that this wasn't going to be my favorite class. I took a glance to see the members of Team RWBY, seated on the front row, were in varying stages of interest; Blake and Yang were sitting up and paying attention, Weiss was taking notes, and Ruby was doing her absolute best to try and pay attention, with only moderate success.

"Uhhhh... And you shall too, upon graduating from this prestigious academy! Now, as I was saying: Vale, as well as the other three kingdoms, are safe havens in an otherwise treacherous world! Our planet is absolutely teeming with creatures that would love nothing more than to tear you to pieces! And that's where we come in. Huntsmen! Huntresses…" as he said that, he gives my twin a wink, as she groans uncomfortably at the gesture. A teacher who has no issue with flirting with his female students. 'Wonderful'. He continued with his little speech,"Individuals who have sworn to protect those who cannot protect themselves! From what, you ask? Why, the very world! That is what you are training to become. But first: A story. A tale of a young, handsome man... Me! When I was a boy…"

After that, I decided it was best to drown out the old man's drivel, and focus on my own thoughts, 'So far, everything has gone relatively smoothly. However, that just means something will inevitably go wrong, Murphy's Law will see to that,' I let my mind wander as I directed my gaze to my subordinates, 'So far, my little discussion with them still appears to have them rattled, but how long would this last? I'll have to come up with dangerous missions for them to accomplish. Trials by fire, let's see if they have what it takes to either prosper or perish.'

I was snapped out of my musings and back into reality when Port asked, "So, who among you believes themselves to be the embodiment of these traits?" Many raised their hands, including Ivory. Port finally chose one of the volunteers, who happened to be Weiss, "Well, then, let's find out!" he turned to gesture at a cage, which shook violently as glowing red eyes surrounded by shadow peered out, though judging by the amount of eyes, the shape of them, as well as the sound of the growls. I'd say my money was on it being a Boarbatusk. Port proclaimed to Weiss, "Step forward, and face your opponent!"

Weiss dismissed herself to retrieve her combat attire and weapon for the battle. I heard Tangelo whisper to himself, "I hope this is entertaining."

"Oh? Tell me Tangelo, is Grimm Studies not meeting your expectations?" I quietly asked, keeping my expression as neutral as possible. Though I couldn't stop the twinge of amusement in my tone. Though if Tangelo heard it, he didn't give any indication.

"If I may be frank, this class sucks. I mean, when you you think of a class called Grimm Studies, you think you're going to learn about, oh I don't know, how to fucking butcher Grimm more efficiently! Not hear some old walrus in a burgundy suit lecture about how great he was back in his fucking youth." Tangelo ranted, softly enough so that others, such as the 'walrus', wouldn't hear him. Just then, Weiss came in, wearing her combat outfit, as well as her weapon. She readied her weapon, as my sisters and Blake cheered them on. Professor Port broke the lock, and the "match" began.

The match itself was fairly boring and dull if you were to ask me. However, it did allow me to witness a small demonstration of Weiss's fighting capabilities. It was a shame that it ended just as quickly. Port dismissed the class, and I could hear Tangelo grumbling to himself about how much of a waste of time this class was as he walked off to who knows where. Though I can't say I fault him for that sentiment. I looked to my right to see Eerie was right behind, acting like she's my own shadow, which I suppose was quite fitting.

I motioned for her to lend me her ear. Afterwards, I gave her my command. She looked less than thrilled, but she complied nonetheless. As she made to follow Tangelo, I decided that I need some time to myself.

-Third Person P.O.V.-

Eerie had followed Tangelo to the main avenue, where he was squeezing a tiny shard of stone between his finger and thumb, so hard that the stone had actually managed to pierce the skin on both digits. Eerie was about to make her presence known when Tangelo spoke up, "I suppose DIO asked you to talk to me. I only say that because there isn't any other reason for this meeting to happen."

Eerie was tempted to make a snarky comeback, but after remembering her orders, she refrained and instead gave a simple and blunt reply, "DIO had requested that I inform you that we must be prepared for a mission as soon in a few weeks."

Tangelo, now sporting a gleeful expression and a dark gleam in his eyes, but never turning to face her stated, "Now you got me interested," before he asked, "Do we know when this mission takes place?"

Eerie shook her head as she answered, "No, DIO is still working out the details, but he said that we should be prepared for when the time comes," Eerie had a look of uncertainty, before working up the courage and announced, "Although, I also came to talk to you about something else"

"Well? Go on, I'm all ears." Tangelo remarked, a look of uninterest adorning his features.

Eerie didn't even look offended by his lack of interest, as she pressed on, "I want to talk about last night… about our discussion with DIO."

Tangelo dropped the stone, before finally turning to look at her, "Still bothered by it?" he asked as Eerie grew a troubled expression on her face, "Yeah, me too." Tangelo said as his expression grew to mirror Eerie's own.

"Do… Do you really believe what DIO said? About him having plans even if he…." Eerie didn't even dare finish that sentence, since the very idea of such a scenario… terrified her. This thought provoked despair as powerful as a tidal wave, rolling over her, engulfing her, and threatening to drown her. But instead of giving into it, she fed this into her determination

"It wouldn't surprise me, though that's not to say I enjoy such a horrible prospect, and that wasn't even the worst bit." Tangelo stated.

Eerie knew exactly what he meant, "Disappointing DIO… I've always been on the receiving ends of hateful glares, verbal abuse, and the like. I've been feared, shamed, hated by many people due to my appearance but… nothing could've prepared me for that. Being on the receiving end of DIO's ire… that's a feeling I never want to have again. Which is why I have a proposition for you." she said with as much conviction as she could muster, and as fierce determination filled her heart.

This caught Tangelo off for just a moment, before he asked, "Oh, now this I've got to hear. What is this proposition of yours."

"I propose that if we are to correct this egregious mistake, we must destroy the source of DIO's disappointment: Our inability to work together." Eerie explained.

Silence fell upon the two and the tension was so dense, now even a chainsaw could cut it. That's when Tangelo gave his opinion, "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

His laughter continued for a solid minute, before he finally calmed down and said, "L-Let's be honest here, that's hardly likely to happen. I loathe you and you despise me, and we both want nothing more than to tear the other apart limb from limb." That's when his expression turned serious as he asked, "So what's to keep both of us from doing so at any time? What's to even bring us together in this endeavor."

"It's for the same reason we even know each other in the first place." Eerie declared coolly, and brought her hand out.

"For DIO…" A tense silence descended overtook the atmosphere between the two. Until Tangelo broke the silence, "Very well, I will make an attempt to get along with you, as long as you do the same." Tangelo said, as he shook her hand.

"That's all I'm asking." Eerie stated.

"No promises guaranteed though, and I still find you to be an ugly pig sow." Tangelo remarked with a smile that had no sincerity whatsoever.

"And you're a vile piece of burning garbage that not even hell would take." Eerie retorted, as a look of distaste crossed her face.

Tangelo chuckled before he said, "Oho, if this manages to work out, I'll be shocked."

With her task completed, she made her way back inside. While she was walking, she wiped the hand Tangelo had grasped using her skirt, all while whispering a mantra to herself, "I only do this for Lord DIO… I only do this for Lord DIO…"

The "full" moon shone over the green lights of Beacon. While everyone else was fast asleep, DIO stayed upon the rooftops, engrossed in his scroll with Jonathan's Stand linked to it. He decided to make it a routine for himself to make use of Jonathan's Stand upon the rooftops where no surveillance monitored his activities. At this very moment, he was monitoring the various members of the organization, from the lowest grunt to the highest captains and contacts. So far, there was nothing to even hint at something like a rebellion nor were there any spies trying to infiltrate his organization, and DIO would like to keep it that way.

"Hmph, this whole situation feels like a game to me. I can command my pieces to act in any order I see fit, even in a place such as Beacon." DIO said to no one in particular. Once he was done, out of curiosity, he spied upon Roman Torchwick and a small girl that fit Eerie's description of Roman's partner in crime, Neo. They were merely having a conversation, albeit one where only Roman was doing the talking, but as it progressed he learned that they had been forced into doing business with the White Fang . He found this fact to be quite intriguing, "So, Roman and the White Fang are now working together more or less. This is quite intriguing. Just from that one sided conversation alone, I learned that Roman has little love for Faunus in general and the White Fang would never willingly interact with the likes of him, let alone cooperate with him. So what or who could've brought these people together? Hmm~."

Before DIO had any time to work out any possible answer to this inquiry. He heard a sound of someone approaching behind him. He quickly dismissed Jonathan's Stand and tucked his scroll away as Ivory came and sat near him. DIO took one quick glance at her before he asked, "Ivory, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

"Nothing major, just curious as to why you're on the rooftops when it's past curfew." Ivory stated as she looked at him with eyes that burned with curiosity.

There was no time wasted as DIO said, "I'm simply admiring the night sky, that is all."

"Why do I get the feeling you're hiding something?" Ivory questioned, a smirk growing on her face.

"Everyone hides something, Ivory. It could be anything from a treasure or trinket, to secrets you'd do anything to keep buried. That is simply a part of people's nature." DIO remarked as his gaze traveled to the broken moon that hung in the night sky.

"Huh, didn't know you were a philosopher." Ivory remarked.

DIO gave a smirk, "Well, I've had plenty of time to think on matters such as this." he stated.

"Well, you might want to get to bed soon, you don't want to get caught by any of the faculty." she said as she began to walk away, but then she stopped and turned her head towards DIO before adding, "Oh, and wear more than just PANTS for God's sake, you reduced Eerie to a blushing mess!"

"Aw, are you saying you didn't enjoy the view last night?" DIO asked, his voice adopting a teasing tone at the expense of his partner.

Ivory turned back around and tried to disguise her growing blush with indignation as she replied, "You know what, I'm not gonna dignify that with a response."

With her piece said, she made her journey back to their room, her bed the ultimate destination. DIO gave a small chuckle at the reaction he roused out of his partner before following after her.

-A few weeks later-

-DIO's P.O.V.-

Cardin Winchester. An absolutely pathetic individual who gives even schoolyard bullies a bad name. He had his weapon, The Executioner, perched on his shoulder and Jaune Arc, the only person more pathetic than Cardin, opposite him with Crocea Mors drawn, leaning on his weapon, exhausted from the spar. They were both in the spotlight atop the Beacon Academy auditorium stage.

Jaune looked at Cardin, who laughed at his opponent's exhaustion, and Jaune gathered his strength to charge forward and swing his blade at Cardin, only for him to jump out of the way. Jaune looked back, surprised, as The Executioner sends Jaune's shield - and the boy - flying back. Now only armed with his sword, Jaune continued to try and attack, but was blocked by the mace's hilt. Their weapons locked, Cardin forced himself up, towering over a struggling Jaune.

"This is the part where you lose." Cardin stated as he looked down upon Jaune.

"Over my dead-!" Jaune was cut short as Cardin kneed him in the gut, forcing Jaune to drop his sword and fall to the ground in pain. Cardin raised his mace and was about to slam it down on Jaune, but was interrupted when the buzzer rang. The lights came back on, and Glynda Goodwitch's voice caused him to stop.

"Cardin, that's enough!" Glynda reprimanded. Cardin relented and walked away as she came onto the stage, tapping her tablet, "Students, as you can see, Mr. Arc's Aura has now dropped into the red. In a tournament-styled duel, this would indicate that Jaune is no longer fit for battle, and that the official may call the match," she explained while Jaune still laid on the floor in defeat. I looked over and saw Pyrrha Nikos sporting a sad expression, Glynda turned her head to look at Jaune as he pulled out a smaller tablet with his low, blinking stats and that of his entire team, "Mr. Arc, it's been weeks now. Please try to refer to your Scroll during combat. Gauging your Aura will help you decide when it's appropriate to attack, or when it is better to move to a more... defensive strategy. We wouldn't want you to be gobbled up by a Beowolf, now, would we?"

"Speak for yourself…" Cardin grumbled as he walked away.

Glynda looked at the seated and standing students and declared, "Remember, everyone, the Vytal Festival is only a few months away! It won't be long before students from the other kingdoms start arriving in Vale, so keep practicing! Those who choose to compete in the combat tournament will be representing all of Vale!"

The bell rings, and students start leaving while Pyrrha continues to frown sadly. Jaune, still sitting on the floor, hangs his head in shame.

"So! There we were, in the middle of the night…"

"It was day."

"We were surrounded by Ursai..."

"They were Beowolves."

"Dozens of them!" Nora screamed as she stood atop the table our teams were using. Weiss and Eerie ignored Nora, the former choosing instead to file her nails while the latter was eating quietly. Ruby, Yang, Ivory and Pyrrha were listening to the story politely, though I doubt they took any heed to this fanciful nonsense, and Jaune was playing with his food like a child.

"Two of 'em." Ren corrected again.

I noticed that Ruby and Pyrrha have taken notice of Jaune's behavior and looked at a reserved Jaune with concern, "But they were no match... And in the end, Ren and I took them down and made a boatload of Lien selling Ursa skin rugs!" Nora said, finishing her little tale with a look of smug satisfaction.

"She's been having this recurring dream for nearly a month now." Ren sighed, becoming weary of correcting Nora. I silently admitted to myself that the poor boy has my sympathies for having to deal with that nuisance.

Pyrrha, looked at her leader with concern, before she asked, "Jaune? Are you okay?"

Jaune finally snapped out of it, and turned back toward us, "Huh? Oh, yeah! Why?"

"It's just that you seem a little... out of sorts…" Ruby said.

Everyone's eyes were on him as they ceased their distractions, "Guys, I'm fine. Seriously! Look!" Jaune said as he held up a thumb while laughing nervously until his attention became drawn towards the members of Team CRDL, standing around a girl with brown rabbit ears jutting from her hair as Cardin laughed at her and Sky Lark holds up his hands to his head in a mock interpretation of her Faunus features.

"Jaune, Cardin's been picking on you since the first week of school!" Pyrrha declared.

Jaune looked at Pyrrha and asked, "Who? Cardin Winchester?" before looking away, and actually trying to defend his tormentor, or make himself look less pathetic by saying, "Nah... He just likes to mess around! You know, practical jokes!"

Honestly, if a lack of common sense was a crime, Jaune would be public enemy number one.

"He's nothing more than a bully." Ruy stated, with a hint of anger in her tone.

Jaune scoffed at the statement, "Oh, please! Name one time he's 'bullied' me?"

"Oh spare us Jaune, if we did that, we'd be here all afternoon." I dryly remarked. Almost everyone at the table was completely focused on him now. The only exceptions were Tangelo, and Eerie. I, myself, only gave my partial attention to this conversation, seeing as how it was the only thing to distract me from this rather mundane meal.

"Jaune, you know if you ever need help, you can just ask." Pyrrha said.

"Ooooh!" Nora got up from the table and presented her diabolical plan with a not-entirely-sane grin, "We'll break his legs!"

"Guys, really, it's fine! Besides, it's not like he's only a jerk to me; he's a jerk to everyone." Jaune said, trying to sound reassuring, but failing miserably.

We all looked over as the laughing grew louder, mixed in with cries of pain from the rabbit girl when one of her ears were tugged on by Cardin.

"Ow! That hurts!" the Faunus girl shouted, as she stopped struggling and grimaced as she said, "Please, stop…"

Now, I would have ignored the girl entirely. She wasn't doing anything to fight back against her bullies, and I'm not one to help others if they can't even make the attempt to help themselves. However, I was caught off guard by the girl's accent. I've met a decent amount of people during this lifetime, but this girl has an accent that could only be found on Earth, though I can't quite place it. It had a passing resemblance to my own, but there was just something that was… off to be a complete match.

Well, whatever the case may be, this girl had drawn my interest for a time. Even if it was for something superficial, so I suppose I can be bothered to repay her for the passtime. I got up, and made my way to the scene.

"Excuse me," I said, grabbing their attention before I continued, "I do believe that you lot are being a nuisance to this poor girl. Now if you could make yourselves scarce, and possibly throw yourselves in the nearest gutter you can find, that would be greatly appreciated."

"What the hell did you just say to us?" one of Cardin's teammates demanded. Russel I believe, though I couldn't be bothered to remember if I had matched the correct name with the face. It's beneath me to commit such unremarkable individuals to memory.

I decided to continue my goading, hoping to get them worked up enough to start a fight. After all, I needed something to break this irritating boredom, "Oh, you actually didn't comprehend what I just said? Color me impressed, and here I thought I would be dealing with human dregs that actually possessed a modicum of intelligence between the four of you."

Cardin was the first to lose his cool when as he shouted at the top of his lungs, "We don't need some lousy Faunus sympathizer shoving his weight around like he's hot shit!" Cardin threw a punch that any halfwit could dodge, it was that telegraphed.

"Alright you little guttersnipes, since you seem so eager to be put back in your place, I suppose I shall rise to your silly little challenge." I declared as I got into a

"Your gonna eat those fucking words you prick!" Cardin tried to punch me once again, but with the slightest turn, the attack missed completely. I decided that I should cut our playtime short, and delivered a swift kick to his cranium.

The effect was immediate as it sent him sprawling across the floor. His teammates looked like they wanted to help their leader, but one glare from me had them reconsider that choice. They made the wise decision of helping their leader back up on his feet before they all scampered away like rats.

As I was about to make my swift exit, I felt someone tap on my shoulder. I looked behind me to see the Faunus girl standing there, caught off guard by my sudden turn, before working up the courage to speak, "Um, thanks… for stopping them for me."

"There's no need to mention it, mademoiselle."

-Later-

-Third Person's P.O.V.-

Jaune Arc sleeping with his head in his hands, had become a fairly common sight in History Class. The constantly-zooming Professor Bartholomew Oobleck was in the middle of one of his many hyperactive lectures, educating the class as any good teacher should. Provided they could actually keep up with the fast-talking Professor.

"Yes! Yes, prior to the Faunus Rights Revolution-more popularly known as the Faunus War-" Oobleck lectured as he zoomed up to the front of the class and the map covered in papers behind his desk, "-humankind was quite, quite adamant about centralizing Faunus population in Menagerie." Oobleck pointed at the area on a map of Remnant with his stick, before he zoomed off to the side for a sip of his coffee before appearing in front of the desk again, "Now! While this must feel like ancient history to many of you, it is imperative to remember that these are relatively recent events! Why, the repercussions of the uprising can still be seen to this day!" Oobleck explained as zoomed around the classroom, sipping his coffee again before continuing to lecture, never stopping his constant movement, "Now! Have any among you been subjugated or discriminated against because of your Faunus heritage?"

Some of the students raised their hands. Velvet, after a moment, does the same.

Oobleck shook his head before he continued, "Dreadful, simply dreadful! Remember, students, it is precisely this kind of ignorance that breeds violence!" the Professor takes another sip of his coffee before pressing on, "I mean, I mean, I mean just look at what happened to White Fang! Now, which one of you young scholars can tell me what many theorize to be the turning point in the third year of the War?" Oobleck asked, Weiss raised her hand, "Yes?"

"The battle at Fort Castle!" Weiss stated.

Oobleck nodded in affirmation, "Precisely! And, who can tell me the advantage the Faunus had over General Lagune's forces?" Oobleck asked. Unseen by the professor, Cardin flicks a paper football at Jaune's head, causing him to wake up.

"Hey!" Jaune exclaimed at the sudden intrusion of his sleep.

Oobleck zoomed over to Jaune, leaning close to his face, "Mr. Arc! Finally contributing to class! This is excellent! Excellent! What is the answer?"

Jaune was completely caught off guard by the question, "Uhhhh... The answer... The advantage... that the Faunus…" he looked behind Oobleck to focus on Pyrrha, who coughed and motioned to her lips to give him the answer, "...had over that guy's stuff…" When this didn't work, Pyrrha cupped her hands around her eyes and went for the most obvious answer, "Uhh... Binoculars!"

…Unfortunately, against stupidity, even gods themselves contend in vain…

While Jaune looked pleased with his answer, the class proceeded to burst out in laughter at him. Oobleck himself simply sipped his coffee in disappointment. Pyrrha let out a sigh as she slapped a hand to her forehead. Meanwhile, Cardin pounded his fist on his desk, chortling at the display of stupidity and ignorance.

Oobleck zoomed back behind his desk, "Very funny, Mr. Arc!" the Professor then directs his attention towards, "Cardin! Perhaps you would care to share your thoughts on the subject!"

"Well, I know it's a lot easier to train an animal than a soldier." Cardin remarked with disdain. Oobleck's only response to that comment was to shake his head.

"You're not the most open-minded of individuals, are you, Cardin?" Pyrrha observed with a look of distaste.

"What? You got a problem?" Cardin demanded, growing agitated at the prodigy.

"No, I have the answer! It's night vision. Many Faunus are known to have nearly-perfect sight in the dark." Pyrrah stated, as Cardin could only growl at the correct response.

"General Lagune was inexperienced, and made the mistake of trying to ambush the Faunus in their sleep. His massive army was outmatched, and the general was captured." Blake explained, before she turned to shoot Cardin a glare, "Perhaps if he'd paid attention in class, he wouldn't have been remembered as such a failure."

Cardin responds to the veiled insult immediately, rising up from his seat, fists clenched. However, Oobleck put a stop to the altercation before it could start, "Mr. Winchester! Please take your seat." Jaune laughed at his tormentor's embarrassment, but this did not go unnoticed, "You and Mr. Arc can both see me after class for additional readings." Oobleck announced as he took yet another sip of his coffee.

Jaune's joy immediately died as his shoulders slumped, "Oohhhh…"

"Now! Moving on!"

Class had concluded, and with it, the end of the school day. It was starting to become apparent that resigning myself to the isolation of the rooftops was starting to become a part of my routine. Though at this moment, it wasn't accompanied by my usual surveillance upon the happenings of my criminal empire. No, instead I was merely observing the night sky. Though the stars above made for a fairly stunning sight. However, it was also a reminder that this world wasn't my own, and once I began that train, I am reminded as to how I ended up here.

Before my mind pursued such thoughts, I heard the opening and closing of the rooftop door. It teased my curiosity enough to have drawn my attention. I looked to see that Jaune and Pyrrha were there. I, DIO, decided to observe their activities, if only as a minor distraction from the usual mundane routine.

-Third Person P.O.V.-

A dejected Jaune and Pyrrha came onto a rooftop of one of the buildings, with a clear view of the glowing green orbs in the central tower of Beacon.

"Pyrrha, I know I'm going through a hard time right now, but I'm not that depressed." Jaune said as he looked over the edge of the roof, to the confusion of Pyrrha, "I can always be a farmer or something…"

Finally, realization striking her like a truck, and her expression morphed to horror as she dashed over to push Jaune away from the edge, "N-n-no! That's not why I brought you up here!"

The two began their conversation on the roof. Unaware that they were being overheard, "Jaune, I know you're having a difficult time in class and that you're still not the strongest of fighters, so... I want to help you!" she declared, with a smile on her face.

"Wh-what?"

"We can train up here after class where no one can bother us!" Pyrrha declared, misunderstanding his emotions.

"You think I need help?" Jaune asked, his tone becoming soft.

Pyrrha was caught off guard by the question, "N-no! No, that's not what I meant."

"But you just said it."

Pyrrha chose to clarify, "Jaune, everybody needs a little push from time to time. It doesn't make you any different from the rest of us. You made it to Beacon! That speaks volumes of what you're capable of!"

Jaune turned away from her and lowered his head as his voice was layered with guilt, and slow burning anger, "You're wrong. I-I don't belong here."

"That's a terrible thing to say! Of course you do!" Pyrrha assured.

Jaune turned his back around, his anger reaching boiling point, "No, I don't!" he shouted, before letting out a sigh. Pyrrha could only look bewildered, but he continued to reveal the truth, "I wasn't really accepted into Beacon…" Jaune says as he turned his back to her, unable to bear the thought of facing her.

Pyrrha was stunned, and couldn't comprehend the meaning behind his words, 'Wh-what do you mean?'

Jaune's voice was climping the octave scale as he made his confession, "I mean I didn't go to combat school, I didn't pass any tests. I didn't earn my spot at this Academy!" he turns to look at her again, "I lied! I got my hands on some fake transcripts, and I lied!"

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Just hearing this brought about a maelstrom of confusion, and she had to ask, "What? But... why?"

"'Cause this is always what I've wanted to be!" Jaune shouted, before he turned away again, "My father, my grandfather, and his father before him were all warriors! They were all heroes! I wanted to be one, too. I was just never good enough."

Pyrrha approached him, placing a hand on his shoulder, "Then let me help you!" she pleaded.

Jaune suddenly turned on her with anger in his eyes and frustration in his tone as he said, "I don't want help! I don't want to be the damsel in distress! I want to be the hero!"

"Jaune, I-"

"I'm tired of being the lovable idiot, stuck in the tree while his friends fight for their lives! Don't you understand? If I can't do this on my own... then what good am I?" he asked, as he looked down in self pity. Pyrrha attempted to reach out for his arm and console him, but he leaned back from her touch, "Just... leave me alone. Okay?"

Pyrrha bowed her head, looking dejected before she said "If that's what you think is best…"

She walked away, her footsteps getting softer and softer until she left the roof. Jaune paces a little until he hears the sound of a struggle than a scream. He turned around to see DIO holding Cardin by his ankle with one hand, dangling him over the edge of the roof. While Cardin was rightfully terrified for his life, DIO held a neutral, even bored expression. As if dangling a person over a tall building was a small pastime. Jaune was too shocked to even make a sound, let alone move.

-Song Start: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders OST - Dark Rebirth-

"I know you were planning on blackmailing Mr. Arc, but I have my own plans for him. So you better listen carefully." DIO ordered, his voice calm and composed in contradiction to the situation.

Cardin was terrified by this point as he shouted, "Alright!"

"Now, you're going to head back to that little dog den you call a room, and you are to forget about what you've just learned. Are you following me so far?" DIO questioned.

"Yes!" Cardin shouted, his panic growing by the second.

Satisfied with Cardin's response, DIO chose to continue, "Also, I grow tired of the constant commotion your escapades continue to cause, so I demand that you cease your little crusade of persecution against everyone here in Beacon. If you fail to comply, you'll spend the last moments of your soon to be short life wondering what kind of sound you'd make when you hit the pavement from this height. Do you understand?"

"Yes!"

"Hmm… I'm not so convinced," DIO remarked, as he loosened his grip for just a fraction of a second. Cardin felt his body give a jerk as it stopped from getting closer to the ground, his heart beating a thousand miles a minute, "So, will you follow my demands to the letter?"

"YES! YES, I WILL!" Cardin cried.

DIO allowed a satisfied smirk to cross his face as he dropped Cardin by his side, "That's a good simpleton, now run back to your festering pigsty."

Cardin wasted no time in returning back to his room, using the door behind them.

After witnessing that whole display, Jaune finally snapped out of his shock, "Dio?! What are you doing here?"

DIO gave him a disdainful look, "That is none of your concern, besides, the question you should be asking yourself is 'What are you doing here Jaune?'"

Jaune began to explain, trying his best not recoil from the look, "P-Pyrrha brought me up here to-"

However, DIO interrupted Jaune before he could finish, "It seems you failed to grasp my meaning… I wasn't asking about the rooftop."

"Please Dio, don't tell anyone." Jaune begged.

DIO's expression never changed as he remarked, "I fail to see how that's my problem, just as you fail to comprehend the weight of your actions."

Jaune was taken aback, "What do you mean?"

"I see I'll have to spell it out for you. Well let me put it to you this way; imagine an aspiring hunter or huntress-in-training, who has worked hard and trained for most of their life to become that which they aspire to be. They have surmounted countless obstacles for any number of reasons, whether it be for fame, fortune, a duty to their fellow man, etc. They applied for Beacon, arguably the best huntsman school in all of Remnant, only to be denied entry because your transcripts looked just a little more promising than theirs." DIO explained, his voice quiet, but intense. Jaune could feel his soul being pierced by DIO's gaze.

He unconsciously backed away, his voice coming out in a barely audible whisper, "I-I didn't think-"

"Oh, but I'm just getting started. Besides being a thief, a liar, and a cheat, you're also a danger to yourself and everyone around you. You have little knowledge in the intricacies of combat, and though your strategies are your forte, that's not saying much considering that your lack of ability in anything else is almost nauseating to witness. You're the weakest link as well as the leader of your team, and when you fail people tend to get killed… all because of you and your weakness," DIO explained, his voice dangerously cold as he slowly approached Jaune, "Not only that, but when someone as capable as Pyrrha extends an offer to help you, something that was practically served to you on a silver platter, you refuse out of some foolish notion driven by pride and a need to prove to yourself that you have capabilities which you clearly lack. Though you have drive, you waste it on snapping at your friends rather than using it to improve yourself. That is why you are a complete failure to me."

A heavy silence fell over the two. The tension was so thick, you'd swear it could only be cut by only the finest of blades.

…

Finally, that silence was broken.

"What can I do?" Jaune asked, his head lowered.

DIO seemed to ponder this for a moment, before he said, "That depends on what you're willing to do, Jaune."

"I beg of you, please, train me!" Jauned shouted, looking up to look DIO in the eye. His face filled with desperation.

"And what precisely will I gain by helping you?" DIO asked.

"I don't know, but I promise that you'll never regret it!" Jaune shouted, his conviction never wavering.

"Hmm~, well if you wish to continue your stay here at Beacon, then you have no choice but to endure my training. Be warned that you had your chance to be trained by Pyrrha, who's patient and kind tutelage will seem like heaven compared to the hell that I, DIO, will put you through," DIO said as he began to walk back towards the door. He opened it, and stepped through, but before he closed he spoke up once more, "However, I am not so cruel as to deny you any choice whatsoever, so I'll give this decision; What will shatter first? Your limits… or your body?"

With that question hanging in the air, DIO shuts the door behind. Leaving Jaune to wonder what kind of nightmare awaits him.

To Be Continued…

A/N: Hey guys! Sorry I haven't updated in a long time. Life simply didn't give me much of a choice, or inspiration. But, I'm back, and hopefully you guys can forgive me. Anyway, I thank you for your support and hope that you enjoyed.