Jaune's parents had always been opposites. When one loved the cold, the other needed warmth. They were truly a personification of black and white. Their opinions on Jaune's performance had been no different.
His mother had been so proud of his results. Showering him in praise for the results of their training. Meanwhile, his father had been sure to temper her praise with criticism.
Yes, he had won and defeated his seven sisters by himself. It was an accomplishment he could be proud of. But they were, most of them at least, still civilians. Only his eldest sister was huntress certified. The rest had merely gone through what Nicholas deemed 'self-defense lessons'.
He also didn't fail to point out how Jaune's victory had been given to him in the end. Sapphron had abandoned all strategy to accept his resolve head-on. There were many methods she could have used to repel or evade his final strike, but she had refused to.
So yes, his father gave him a passing grade. But he wasn't about to let it Jaune get overconfident. A single year of training at Beacon gave him more experience than his six other sisters combined. The same could not be said for his competitors, or the Grimm
"Enough about that Nicky, our boy did something amazing at the end. Shouldn't we focus on the positives for a change?" His mother suggested.
"Amazing is certainly one way of describing it," Sapphron said as she bandaged her arm. "I've seen him train. I knew what he was capable of more or less. With all his strength and aura combined, he couldn't have pulled that off. Focus and determination be damned."
"I have to admit, I could feel something... different about that last strike," Jaune admitted.
"Different how?" His father asked.
"It was like there was the second pool of aura deep within me. It was different from what I feel is 'my' aura. When I charged that final attack I could feel it replenishing my reserves, but it wasn't just that. It was like... It was as if that second aura combined with my aura and became stronger. If I had to describe it, it felt the same as what I feel from you guys." Jaune explained, gesturing at both his parents.
"A second pool of aura..." his mother said.
"Your aura got stronger?' his father asked at the same time.
"It makes sense if you think about it," Sabel stated.
Everyone waited for her to elaborate. Sabel was someone with unique insights into aura and Semblances. Her own was somewhat complicated and quite entrenched in physics. She had to do a lot of research on a lot of topics to understand and master her Semblance. Even her parents with their aura-centric Semblances didn't have as much theoretical knowledge.
"Who did you most want to be like growing up?" she asked.
"Dad." Jaune instantly replied. His mother gently sighed.
"I bet Mom was a close second right?" she further questioned.
Jaune nodded. "And Sapph too."
"Well... They say our Semblances are derived from our personalities. Or that our personalities are determined from birth by our soul, our aura. If you spent most of your life wanting to be like Mom and Dad, doesn't it make sense that your Semblance would be the same? The Schnee family, the ones who own all the dust companies, their Semblance is hereditary. One theory is that it's because they value their family name so much. They all end up so alike because their personalities all start with their family traits." She explained.
Weiss does talk about the fact that she is 'a Schnee' a lot, even if she doesn't actually talk about her family.
Sabel continued. "Dad's Semblance is a kind of 'super-strong aura'. Mom's is having a lot of aura and being able to give it to others. So you having a lot of aura that can be super strong isn't too far-fetched."
"I guess it makes sense. It doesn't explain everything, but then I guess I'm not a perfect combination of Mom and Dad either." Jaune replied.
"Whatever the case, if it is your Semblance, you need to learn to control it. If you can learn to draw on it consistently, then maybe your chances of winning this tournament won't be so low." His father stated. "For now though, it's time you got going. You've been away from your team long enough."
"Oh, I'm going to miss you all over again!" His mother raced up and pulled him into a bone-crushing hug. "You're going to do great honey, I just know you will!"
"Thanks, Mom. I'll miss you too." Jaune responded. Amber jumped and grabbed onto his neck. "Yeah, and I'll miss you too Amber. I'll miss all of you."
...
"Except you Coral, I think I'll do just fine without you around for a little while longer." He added.
She flashed him the bird and he laughed.
He knew that they'd be watching, after all this effort, he knew they were almost as invested as he was. He would make sure to unblock their numbers on his scroll so they could contact him more freely.
Things were going to be better going forward.
/-/
"Ren! He's back! I've missed you Jauney!" Nora shouted as soon as he entered their dorm room.
She leaped at him and tried to mount his shoulders for a forced piggyback. Jaune adjusted his stance to make sure she didn't bowl him over.
"I missed you too Nora." Jaune casually replied, bouncing her up so she was sat properly and not pulling his neck to the side.
"You seem different, stronger even," Pyrrha said. "I can't recall a time when you've ever caught Nora like that. Normally you duck and run."
Jaune carried Nora over and kissed Pyrrha on the cheek.
"It was productive training, that's for sure," Jaune replied. "I missed you by the way."
Despite not having said or done anything too daring, Pyrrha seemed to blush ever so slightly.
He stepped over to Ren.
"I think I've got something of yours," Jaune said as he reached up and plucked Nora off his shoulders by the scruff of her collar.
"Wheee!" Nora squealed as she was practically tossed into Ren's arms.
Ren caught her bridal style before gently placing her down with an awkward cough.
"During this tournament, I finally have something to share with you. A little bit of payback for all the aura skills you taught me. If you're interested." Jaune offered.
Ren nodded. "After our match tomorrow we will have time to train and prepare for our future matches."
"The matchup schedule is released in the morning, and then every afternoon afterward," Pyrrha added.
"We can work with that." Jaune checked the time. It had taken a few more hours to pack up and say farewells to his family. It was now bordering on midday. "Say, when you guys learned what your Semblance was, how did you learn to control it?" he asked.
"Why do you ask? Wait, are you saying...?" Pyrrha asked.
"Maybe. I don't know yet. I just want to... get some tips on what I can do over the next few days to see if I can't squeeze something out of it. How about you Nora?" Jaune explained.
"Well, one moment I'm playing around with a shiny new hammer in a rainstorm. The next, I'm strong enough to pull trees up like garden weeds." Nora bouncily recalled.
"Ugh. Don't remind me. It wasn't just the super-strength either, it was like she'd been injected with pure caffeine. She was bouncing off the walls for hours." Ren added.
"That... is less than helpful. How about you Pyrrha? Your Semblance is something you have to activate." Jaune asked.
"I first used my Semblance on my 10th birthday. My mother bought me my very first scroll... and I kind of... bricked it..." Pyrrha hesitantly explained.
"No." Jaune replied in disbelief.
Pyrrha covered her face with her hands to hide her embarrassment.
"Yes. I'd never been around fancy electronics before then. Even our TV was one of the big old ones with the channel dial and no remote. I always thought the static was normal." Jaune and Nora both snorted. "I picked up the phone and it started to smoke almost straight away. I cried for almost an hour. Learning to use my Semblance was more like learning to stop using it first. The rest just sort of came naturally after I'd gotten that far."
"How about you Ren?" Jaune asked.
Ren didn't respond for a while, and for a second it looked like Nora might have been about to speak for him.
"I don't think my story will help you much. It was just something that happened when the situation demanded it. Control didn't come until years later." He explained.
Years huh... Mine is the same, it only pops up when I seem to need it. I just hope the time to control it isn't the same too.
"Well, no worries. Do you guys mind if I go-"
"Yes, we mind! You've been AWOL for two whole weeks now." Nora interrupted.
"Actually, I kind of got permission? You were all there, we said goodbye and everything." Jaune countered.
"That doesn't matter, you're staying put mister. If you try to escape again, I'll sic Pyrrha on you. Back me up, guys!" Nora ordered.
Pyrrha shrugged her shoulders while Ren sighed.
"I knew I could count on my favorite minions."
/-/
Jaune wound up spending the rest of the day with his team catching up.
It wasn't that he hadn't wanted to spend some time with them, he did. But the possibility of being able to use his Semblance in the tournament was tantalizing.
As it was though, he had learned a few interesting things that had happened while he was away.
For starters, team RWBY had ramped up their training. It seemed that someone had a change of heart and wanted to make a splash in this coming tournament. No one knew more about it than that because the entire team had been missing almost as long as Jaune had.
Next was a complaint from Pyrrha. She had been blasted with questions about the tournament and Jaune. All thanks to his own interview. She even had a rather intimidating list of demands on what he could and couldn't say if he got another one.
Given that Pyrrha struggled with that part of her life as it was, he felt pretty bad for having added to her problems.
Finally, a betting pool had been created amongst the students. Student's gambled on who they thought would win or lose at which stage of the tournament.
In a more professional setting, the votes that people made would have been kept secret. So naturally, they had been released after a few days. This revealed that the teachers had shamelessly gotten involved. Professor Port placed bets on both Nora and Yang. Doctor Oobleck voted on Ruby. Even Miss Goodwitch placed a vote on Pyrrha.
There was even an entire section for Jaune who had riled up everyone with his interview.
Many claimed he would be out in the first round of the finals. Only making it that far due to his partner. A smaller group claimed he would drag his partner out of the tournament early. No one from Beacon seemed to agree, but that was probably only because they knew just how strong Pyrrha was.
Finally, four students seemed to believe Jaune would make it to the top four or even top two. His partner had bet that Jaune would make it to the top two, presumably where she would then defeat him. Ruby, Yang, and Blake had been the other three, voting that he would win at least one match in the finals.
Jaune couldn't recall what he had done to impress them enough to instill that kind of confidence.
In the morning, thanks to his father's efforts in retraining him, he had woken up long before the rest of his team. They wouldn't have as much time to enjoy their rest as they normally did, but he decided to let them have what they could. He left to do some early morning training as quietly as he could.
It wouldn't be in his best interest to throw away his stamina by training with his blade too extensively. In a few hours, he would be at the opening ceremony for the tournament, his match could be right afterward.
At the same time, he didn't want to waste his time by going on a simple jog or waste his aura by using it to train his other skills. Fortunately, there were still a few training methods he had available.
A few of Jaune's aura control training methods were ones that didn't expel aura. As a result, they were cheap on both aura and stamina. They may not show any immediate results like a stat increase could, but training was training.
One such training came from his recently completed training. When aura step was mastered, vertical surfaces became negotiable. Practicing that part of the technique would be excellent aura control training.
As he soon found, the technique was half aura control and half body control. His aura would seep into the surface of the tree, but it would also push into it if too much aura was used. If he pushed too hard, he would crush the bark and dislodge his footing. When he finally managed to plant one foot onto the tree, he realized just how hard it was to walk like that. The strain on his abdomen to keep his body straight was training in itself. He had half considered using momentum and trying to run up the tree, but he thought better of it. Better to actually master the technique than taking shortcuts, speed could come later.
After half an hour, Jaune finally managed to plant his second foot on the tree without falling. With that said, most of his success was due to simple trial and error, rather than an increase in actual skill.
Around this time, Jaune received a message letting him know the rest of his team was up and getting ready.
Jaune immediately headed over to the cafeteria to join them.
"You were up early," Pyrrha said when he arrived.
"You and Pyrrha both used to wake up at the crack of dawn, didn't you?" Ren asked.
"It was a family thing for me I guess. Easy to fall back into old habits, especially when breakfast is on the line." Jaune responded.
"Speaking of, here," Ren said as he dished out a plate of pancakes.
Thanking him, Jaune sat down and got started eating. He wasn't feeling particularly hungry. The nerves that were slowly rising as the time before the tournament dwindled were the cause of that. Still, he knew it would be better to eat now than later.
"Are you guys feeling ready?" Jaune asked.
"No." Ren replied.
"Yes." Both Nora and Pyrrha replied at the same time before looking at Ren inquisitively.
"He means yes, obviously." Nora then added.
"I'll do my best, but I'm hardly top of the class in sparring matches. I think only Jaune's track record is worse than mine, and he's lost every fight." Ren replied.
"He has almost won a lot of them though, that's worth something." Pyrrha weakly defended.
"They don't give medals for second place Pyrrha." Nora countered.
Jaune felt like mentioning that silver medals were literally a thing.
"You'll do fine Ren. Your aura control is second to none in our year and your hand to hand skill is up there with Yang's. She just has you beat in the strength and Semblance department." Jaune encouraged.
"And the stamina department, the weapon department, oh, and the good looks department," Yang said as she and the rest of team RWBY took their seats nearby.
"Now hang on just a second!" Nora sternly exclaimed. "There is absolutely nothing wrong with Ren's weapon!"
Ouch.
"Since when is Ren the one who gets poked fun of like this anyway?" Jaune asked.
"Normally it would be you, but you're with Pyrrha. That's practically a free ride to the finals." Weiss replied.
She had meant it as more of a compliment to his partner's abilities than as an insult to his own. Despite that, it wasn't easy to ignore. He'd only just gotten away from his family who was so certain that he would lose to his partner. Now he was dealing with everyone thinking he was going to get carried to the finals.
It was like all of his hard work didn't matter to the result at all. Jaune wasn't okay with that.
He chose to bite down on the urge to outright say something. As it was with his family, words meant little compared to action. He would show them he wasn't a burden to his partner, and when he was done with that, he'd beat her and take the number one spot.
That was the goal anyway.
"I heard you guys disappeared this last week, what triggered all of that?" Jaune asked, changing the subject.
"She won't tell us," Blake replied.
"She?" Jaune further queried.
"Ruby." Was her equally vague explanation.
Jaune shot her a look, asking her to explain where her tight-lipped companion wouldn't or couldn't.
"I'll tell you if you beat us." She stated.
"Hey, that's more than you've given us. What makes him so special?" Yang asked.
Ruby ignored her sister by pretending to focus extra hard on her meal. Everyone else eventually did the same, knowing that they were going to need it.
/-/
"Welcome to the Vytal Festival Tournament!" professor Port's booming voice shouted over the many speakers in the colosseum.
Jaune and his team stood side by side in the center of the Amity Arena. Surrounding them were tens of thousands of seats all filled to capacity.
"Let's hear it for our 64 competitors!" the professor shouted.
The resulting cheers and claps were almost deafening, even from this far away. Jaune's features were set in stone, he was too tense at the moment to move a single muscle. Pyrrha's trained smile made it look like she was completely unaffected. There were, however, a few smaller signs of irritation that only those who knew her would spot.
"If this is your first time watching, allow us to break down the rules." said the professor once the cheering died down.
"The tournament is divided into 3 distinctive rounds; teams, doubles, and singles." Doctor Oobleck explained.
"Correct! The winners of the first match will divide into partner pairs, before fighting a total of two matches. The final eight will go on to fight it out amongst each other over three one-on-one matches to determine a victor." The professor added.
"Indeed, and might I say we are expecting some spectacular spectacles on which to be spectating on." The doctor exclaimed. "I don't think anyone tuning in from around the world is going to disagree with that!"
As if the hundred thousand spectators around him right now weren't enough. Jaune was reminded that there were millions more watching him from home.
"Without further ado, let's find out who will be participating in our first match!"
On a collection of high-tech hard-light dust screens, a display lit up in front of the seating sections. On it, team names began to rapidly cycle before landing on teams ARGM (Argentum) and CMSN (Crimson). Jaune vaguely recognized the second team as one that was somewhat close to Ruby's team. One of their members had sparred with Pyrrha several weeks back.
Each team apart from those who were up right now were directed off the stage by a frazzled Miss Goodwitch. It seems the stress of organizing this event was getting to her.
After being told what order they could expect their match, they were offered front row seats. Everyone took full advantage of them to watch the fights and scout out their competition.
Jaune had never watched one of these tournaments before. Thus, when the arena floor was suddenly replaced by a beach and a ruined city, he was shocked, to say the least.
"I didn't know we would be getting random terrain to fight with! I thought this was going to be a straight fight." Jaune suddenly exclaimed when he saw it.
"That's just how the singles rounds work. Every other round gets two or four different zones to work in. It makes it more interesting for the spectators. It should be right up your alley, Jaune." Pyrrha explained.
And it was. Jaune watched as the two teams below fought it out in the city ruins. It seemed that team CMSN was the stronger team as every time they clashed, they were coming out on top. Three-quarters of them didn't even have weapons. Though, the boy with the silver hair seemed capable of launching something from his boots. He might have a hidden weapon, suitable for the assassin class.
If it was his team down there, he had dozens of ways team ARGM could be turning these skirmishes to their favor. Sticking to the roads and hiding around corners was too simple. Team CMSN both figuratively and literally stomped them out of the competition.
Following their match was team CRDL versus a team from atlas team CRBN(Carbon). For the first time, Jaune witnessed team CRDL cooperating effectively. Not once did they get into each other's paths or strike each other. While their individual growth looked minimal, as a team, they were completely different. Russel, Sky, and Dove weakened their opponents and Cardin finished them off one by one. The other team hadn't stood a chance.
Next was team RWBY's time to shine. Up against a team from Mistral, they fought in a combination of fire and ice zones. Jaune hadn't realized that the zones could be completely outlandish like this. There were even dust crystals scattered around the arena in these zones.
When team RWBY began their match, they showed that their training hadn't been for naught.
Weiss' use of dust had become somehow even more refined. Every time she used her dust, it was precise and did exactly what she wanted it to. She used only what she needed too, ensuring that her dust would last her through the fight no matter what. Her glyphs too were a step up from what they used to be. While she still used them to aid her mobility, she had begun using them to interrupt her opponents too.
Blake's direct combat skills had improved greatly. She still used her Semblance to fake out her hoverboard-riding opponent. But she wasn't afraid to face her head on either.
Ruby was showing just how far she had come as a tactician and leader. With perfect accuracy, she used the dust in the terrain to freeze an opponent in place.
She wasn't just picking shots from a distance though. One of her opponents had made the mistake of forcing her into melee combat. While he managed to stop her overhead blow from caving in his skull, the force pushed him to the ground.
Surprisingly, it was Yang who had the most trouble. Despite how her teammates were making it look, the other team wasn't weak. They had managed to force Yang onto the icy terrain where she struggled to maintain her footing. Without stable ground to fight on, she could barely defend herself. Generating her usual staggering power was out of the question.
Team ABRN(Auburn)'s teamwork wasn't too shabby either. With Yang temporarily displaced, her opponent managed to free her frozen teammate. Until Yang managed to regroup, they now had a three-on-four match in their favor.
Fortunately for team RWBY, Blake had a solution. With a dose of her Semblance, she managed to even the odds by tricking an opponent into being knocked out of bounds.
Jaune checked the scoreboard which displayed all of the fighter's aura levels. Weiss and Ruby were practically unharmed, likely only missing aura from their use of it to fight with. Meanwhile, the dark-haired boy who had faced Ruby's attack was barely at half after that single strike. Yang's opponent was on par with Ruby after having knocked Yang down to sixty percent.
Weiss managed to trap two of their opponents simultaneously into a spherical cage of ice. Meanwhile, Yang had finally gotten her balance and started skating across the ice,
Moments later, a combination attack from Weiss, Blake, and Yang knocked team ABRN out of bounds.
With most of the crowd, Jaune and the rest of team JNPR all stood up out of their seats to cheer. It had been the flashiest fight so far and the crowd was loving it. More importantly, his friends had made it to the next round.
"Let's go congratulate them!" Jaune said.
With all the delays included, even if this match ended in an instant, they had about ten minutes to spare.
They managed to intercept team RWBY hanging around the fairgrounds. A place where competitors and spectators alike were able to get food from one of the hundreds of stalls.
"Hey! You guys did awesomely!" Jaune shouted out, getting their attention.
Pyrrha nodded enthusiastically. "Well done on making it to the next round."
"Maybe we'll see you there?" Yang cockily asked.
"Let's not tempt fate too much," Blake stated shortly after her partner.
"Come on, the next two rounds are exactly when we'd want to face Pyrrha isn't it? We beat her two on one last time." Said Yang.
Jaune frowned. Yang was acting as if that's what it would be if their teams faced off. Like he wasn't even there.
"Do you think you guys are ready?" Ruby asked, changing the subject.
"Yes." Nora, Pyrrha, and Jaune replied.
"Sure..." Ren replied after they stared him down.
"How can we not be ready?" Nora asked. "We have a world-renowned fighter on our team, what's basically a ninja – even if he doesn't seem to realize it – I can bench five of me, and... Jaune! We've trained all year, our weapons are awesome, Glynda barely yells at me for blowing up the arena anymore, and uhh... Jaune!"
"Are you going to take that?" Ren asked.
"Frankly, I'm just looking forward to a fight where I'm not likely to kill someone or get killed. These first few rounds are nothing more than sparring as far as I'm concerned." Jaune replied.
"Easy for you to say," Weiss commented.
Little comments like that one were beginning to get under Jaune's skin.
Suddenly, all of team JNPR's scrolls went off, instructing them to head to the arena. The previous round must have finished already and they were up next.
As far as Jaune was concerned, it was perfect timing. Weiss's comment had gotten him in the mood for this match.
He was going to show everyone who doubted him what he was capable of.
/-/
Standing opposite from them in the arena was a team from Vacuo.
Team BRNZ(Bronze) happened to bear a striking resemblance in composition to Adam's team.
One girl wielded what was blatantly a sniper rifle. She didn't even bother having it in another form if it even had one. The others fell into similar statuses of mid to close range fighters. They did lack the giant with a chainsaw though which was a relief.
Standing back in the arena as one of eight being watched, Jaune felt his nerves grow restless. For a moment he was overwhelmed by the thought of the millions of people that would be watching.
But then he remembered exactly what was at stake here.
He doubted that with the rest of this team here that they would lose. He would make it to the further rounds and get a chance to see Pyrrha in the finals no matter what. But his reputation hung off this match. If he didn't make even a small splash, he would be getting the same comments tomorrow as well.
The arena swapped out the blank terrain for a forest and stormy mountain pair. The forest would make a great cover for the enemy sniper. If they wound up in a pinch Jaune already had plans for getting Nora on top of that mountain. The fact that both terrains ended up on the correct sides of the arena played into these plans perfectly.
A counter began to work backward from ten, signifying the match was about to begin.
"We've fought this exact type of fight twice now. Ren, you distract the sniper long enough for us to take out the rest of her team." Jaune ordered. "I want this match finished in three minutes. Any less and we're getting sloppy."
"That's what I like to hear!" Nora eagerly declared.
"Three!" Professor Port's loud voice shouted.
Jaune channeled his aura to his feet. He was ready to engage the instant the fight started.
"Two!"
He then pumped his muscles to their limits. His dexterity and strength were raised to 176, his absolute safe limit.
"One!"
Jaune poured his willpower and his desire for victory over his team. General Ironwood had once told him that it could bolster allies if used properly. Now would be the perfect chance to test that theory.
"Begin!"
Jaune kicked off with all of his power, covering the short distance in a fraction of a second.
Their sniper had already turned to run away, meaning Jaune would have to go through or around her team to catch her. So instead, he launched an immediate full-power offensive against the closest target. A Scrapper-class fighter wielding two razor-sharp buzzsaw-bucklers was the unlucky volunteer.
Jaune's instant assault shocked the opposing team who had not expected such a direct attack. Even his team hadn't been fully prepared for his blitz.
"Heavy Strike!" Jaune declared, activating his skill.
The sound his sword made when it connected with his opponent's guard was almost sickening.
His opponent's weapons just weren't made to take direct impacts like this. They were thin and only meant to be used as a protective layer between sharp edges during a deflection. They were made well enough to not break as non-huntsman weapons might have. The wielder's arms and aura weren't as lucky. If he hadn't have had aura, his arms would have snapped. As it was, they gave way, opening the path for Jaune' to bash with his shield.
His opponent's head whipped from the impact and not a second later, he collapsed to the ground.
"Well, I can't believe it! Roy Stallion of team BRNZ has been eliminated by Jaune Arc!" Doctor Oobleck declared.
Jaune looked around the battlefield. Both his team and the opposing team were stunned by the sudden elimination.
"Well? We're in the middle of a fight aren't we?" Jaune prompted once his cool down wore off.
One of his remaining opponents swung at him with a cattle prod. Electricity was one of the few things that Jaune always had to be cautious of. No amount of aura or defense could delay its effects.
Jaune jumped backward.
"Nora, take the left!" He shouted, pointing out the one who had just attacked him. "Pyrrha, you take the right."
Nora's Semblance was a direct counter for the cattle prod, while Pyrrha's skill would easily handle the rest. Now all he had to do was ensure his opponents didn't have the opportunity to pull off any tricks.
It was clear that his opponents wanted to get revenge for their eliminated teammate. But his teammates weren't the type of people they could just ignore.
Already, Nora had tricked her opponent into charging her Semblance with his weapon. She landed a return blow that almost dealt as much damage as his strike had. If she was the type of fighter to use skills, that would have been another instant elimination.
Pyrrha was taking her time picking apart her opponent. Every strike was dodged, deflected, or blocked before it had a chance to so much as scratch her. Meanwhile, she was slowly working out the combinations that left him open. She would have him dealt with in no time.
Ren was having the most difficulty. He seemed hesitant to use his aura for anything more than shielding. Without aura, his current speed was just slightly slower than his opponent's.
Jaune ran to cut her off, but she used her rifle like a hook to pull herself up into the limbs of the trees.
With just his jumping ability, he wouldn't be able to reach her, and climbing would be too slow.
"Ren! Up!" Jaune shouted.
Ren instantly raced for Jaune, who in turn was following behind their target on the ground. When Ren caught up, Jaune lifted his shield above his head and caught Ren who had leaped onto his shield.
With a push, Jaune sent Ren flying up into the canopy, straight for the enemy sniper. With the speed of both Ren's jump and Jaune's launch, he was able to easily catch her and bring her back down to the ground.
Jaune grabbed her rifle which had been dropped during the fall and threw it as far as he could.
"Well done Ren, I'll finish things from here. Go help the other two." Jaune ordered.
Ren nodded and raced off to where the rest of the fighting was happening. Jaune grappled the girl and marched her toward the bounds of the arena.
"Fight me properly!" She shouted as she tried to squirm out of his grip.
She swung behind her with her elbow, landing a clean hit on Jaune's face. His aura easily absorbed the blow from the girl whose talent was not in strength or unarmed fighting.
"I'd rather not attack an unarmed girl." Was Jaune's only response, before he threw her out of the arena.
"Things are not looking good for team BRNZ!" Professor Port shouted over the speakers.
"They certainly aren't Peter. This may end up as our shortest match yet!" Doctor Oobleck responded.
Jaune jogged back to the center of the arena where his team was finishing the match. Even without his help, they had their opponents outnumbered three on two. Just as he returned he saw both remaining contestants aura readings drop into the red. Nora landed a crushing blow with her hammer, breaking through both of their guards at once.
"And that's the match!" The professor announced. "Team JNPR wins!"
He had hoped he would get a chance to show off in this match. But he hadn't planned for the fight to be as easy as it had been. Most of his sisters put up more of a fight than that, as did most of the students he fought at Beacon.
While he was confident he looked good in this match, it wasn't the satisfying victory he was searching for.
When directed, team JNPR left the stage, and it was only then that his team decided to jump him.
"Jaune! What was that?" Pyrrha asked.
"You were all, 'Whoosh-Crash-Pow'! You took that guy out like it was nothing!" Nora loudly added.
"I mean... They were kind of pushovers, weren't they? No Semblances and their stats didn't feel too high. I wasn't exaggerating when I said we've fought worse. Why is it such a surprise that I took out one of them?" Jaune responded.
"It wasn't that you defeated someone, it was because your fighting style was different," Ren replied. "Your fights were always..."
"They were mud fights," Pyrrha stated. "You almost always relied on outlasting your opponent or tricking them."
She wasn't wrong.
"Well, I'm still going to be doing that. Fight to my strengths and all that. I just have a few more tricks now." Jaune replied. "Besides..."
"Jaune!" Ruby shouted as she led her team over to him.
"You guys kicked ass." Said Yang.
Team RWBY went over the match, sharing their favorite parts. As they did, Ruby managed to get Jaune's attention and drag him away from the group.
"I guess nobody is going to be saying anything about you getting a free ride now, huh?" Ruby asked.
"You noticed that?" Jaune asked.
Ruby nodded. "I think everyone was stressed out about this tournament. They wouldn't normally be so dismissive."
"I suppose that makes it a little better. I know my track record isn't the best, but it was getting pretty annoying. My parents didn't think I'd have a chance against Pyrrha but they at least felt I'd do fine in the rest of the tournament." Said Jaune.
"Well, most of us aren't likely to have a chance against Pyrrha. She is the ace fighter of our year after all... Also, your track record? It's not that bad is it?" Ruby asked.
"You kidding? I've never won a sparring match. Ever." Jaune answered.
"Really? Yang always talked about how annoying you were to fight against. I remember nearly running out of aura in our sparring match too." Ruby replied.
"You were taking it easy on me and she probably only says that because she always ends up with sand in her hair." Jaune flippantly countered.
Ruby hummed thoughtfully.
"Well, anyway, you were cool out there today. I just wanted to say that, and apologize for the others from earlier." Said Ruby.
She then collected her team and took them back to the stands to watch the rest of the matches. Jaune considered doing the same to scout out the teams he would be facing. But he could just as easily do that with the replays that would be available later this evening.
Instead, Jaune could use the rest of the afternoon to continue the training he started in the morning.
"You guys doing anything this afternoon, or do you want to train with me and Ren?" Jaune asked the girls.
"Ugh, no way. Aura training is boring!" Nora bluntly refused.
"I'm inclined to agree, sorry Jaune. Aura techniques aren't part of my usual repertoire." Said Pyrrha.
"That's fine. Ren, you want to go now?" Jaune asked.
"I'll catch up. You go ahead." Ren replied.
Jaune nodded. "Alright, I'll see you back at Beacon then."
Jaune left, boarding the first available bullhead back to Beacon. If he had of left with Ruby, it probably would have saved him a few minutes, since it seems they took the last one.
When he arrived at Beacon, he was greeted with the sight of a large crowd forming near the landing bay.
Pushing his way through the crowd, he saw two scrapped Atlas droids lying in the courtyard. Next to them stood a man who seemed barely capable of standing on his feet.
"If you won't hold your tongue, then I will gladly remove it for you." A woman who looked like an older Weiss stated, pointing a sword at the man.
Even without the clear relation, the two droids by her side showed that she was with the Atlas military.
Is this guy causing a scene or something?
The man chuckled, before sweeping his hair off his face.
"All right then... Come and take it." He challenged.
