GOMU GOMU NO!~ Real early chapter for you all today, and it's gonna be the most recent one for a little bit.
In regards to the gippy's question, I try to upload a new chapter every 1-4 days, and I usually announce when I'll be taking an elongated break.
Also, there's been an explosion of followers and favorites for my story, I guess everyone just waited until I hit the canon chapters huh. Not that I'm complaining though! So keep 'em coming you wonderful people along with your reviews!
Not much else to say in this chapter, so cheers everyone, and happy reading!
"Now, I'm not unfamiliar with early birds who skip out on reading the instruction manuals we provided at the booths by the front gates, so to keep this introduction short, I'll spare you the theatrics. Like many of those before you. You have come here on the premise to learn and advance your basic skills and knowledge to serve your kingdom and its people."
Ozpin glanced around the room, noting the naive and innocent expressions staring back at him.
"However, when I look to the new students gathered before me, all I see is wasted effort. With no true aim or goal. You assume knowledge will free you of this burden, but I say this with experience, knowledge will only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."
His piece said, the headmaster removed himself from his post and allowed his right hand to take the stage. The woman had light blonde hair, dark green eyes, and was quite a fashionable sort. Her boots clicked together as she positioned herself in a manner suited to an esteemed professor.
"First years will gather in the ballroom after they have deposited their desired belongings in their assigned lockers in the armory. Tomorrow you will be summoned at 12:00 PM sharp for official initiation in forever fall forest. You are dismissed." The woman followed her headmaster as did the rest of the high staff.
With the rest of the afternoon left to mingle, Yang bid farewell and dragged her sister to try and cure her social awkwardness with the help of new friendly strangers. This left Jaune and Emerald side by side and alone in the middle of the auditorium.
"Well, we should get going to the lockers then, right Minty?" Jaune said with a short smile.
Their bags on their backs and weapons held at their waists, the Hawkins siblings took their first step into uncharted territory... the territory of academy socializing.
In a large room filled with numbered cases of steel, Jaune and Emererald perused the endless rows until they found what they were looking for.
"634, 635... Ah, 636!" Jaune grinned as he strutted to his locker. The task proved tedious as the boy was never good with numbers. To his shock, the locker of his younger sibling was on the opposite aisle in front of him.
Entering the code from the slip of paper he received from the third-year students, the door of the wide metal pod clicked open and Jaune's eyes widened at the amount of space. Sure, the locker looked fairly big from the outside, but you could fit a whole month's worth of Pumpkin Pete's cereal boxes in here and that's saying something!
"Hm, I don't think you'd want to spend the rest of the night in a locker, eh, Funkfreed?" The western styled saber twitched in response, so Jaune decided to leave the elephant strapped around his waist. He also kept his tarot cards on him but dropped off his bags along with a handful of sugary snacks.
"So, Ms. Nikos, have you given any thought as to who you'd like to team up with?" Chimed a polite voice.
On the other side of the lockers, Jaune could hear two individuals. Not wanting to pry, he turned away to meet up with Emerald, but his feet stuck in place when a familiar voice mentioned the initiation process.
"I'm sure everyone is vying to have the prodigy of Mistral's five-time champion as their partner, but it all comes down to an individual's hard work and desire to improve themselves that's important. Wouldn't you agree?"
Jaune cupped his chin. The voice definitely belonged to Ms. Schnee, but who owned the other mouth who replied?
"I haven't given much thought to whom I'd be partnered up with actually. Perhaps we should simply allow the chips to fall where they may?"
Whoever the voice belonged too sounded a tad peeved, but did well to mask their annoyance to save face.
"Well, I was thinking that we'd be an amazing combination. Given our natural talents and work ethic, we'd be on top of the first year's hierachy in no time!" Weiss said with glee.
"Hey, I don't mind that you two are chatting, but my locker is behind you." The third voice to join the conversation belonged to his sister no doubt about it.
"Could you wait a minute? We aren't even in your way." Weiss snapped.
'Uh oh, that is not the tone you want to use with my sister.' Jaune muttered under his breath as he mentally waged war if he should intervene.
"Excuse me? Personal space is a thing, not to mention all you've done is run your mouth from the courtyard to the locker rooms. I wonder how many water bottles you guzzle down to keep that skinny throat of yours hydrated." Emerald growled.
The heiress gasping in shock, scrunched up her nose and narrowed her icy eyes. In an act of defense, she began to prattle about her stature and the importance of having a consistent balance between partners and teams. According to Weiss' values, brains, power, technology, and dust were the most crucial for any hunter's success.
"Huh, I guess that makes you both second to my big brother then." Emerald huffed.
Jaune's chest swelled with warmth and pride. To have his sibling speak so highly of him was truly an honor. He silently promised to maintain her standards to the best of his ability. The Schnee on the other hand was livid, and even the red-headed spartan curled a brow.
"Oh, and who is this big brother of yours? Is he enrolled as a higher year than us? Because I do believe I stated Ms. Nikos and I would be atop the first years." Weiss crossed her arms as a smug smile etched onto her lips. However, her assumptions would be dashed momentarily.
"He's in the same year as us Ms. Snobby, and he'd be able to beat you in a fight with his hands tied behind his back."
The heiress glowered at the mint-haired girl, as for Pyrrah, she cupped her chin and said nothing. Neither she nor Weiss knew who this big brother of this stranger was, so the mistralian prodigy couldn't come to a proper conclusion on the matter.
"Will you be so kind to give me the name of this 'great' brother of yours?" The Schnee said in a demanding tone.
"His name is Jaune F. Hawkins. He might seem like a goofball at first, but he's one of the most incredible people I know. Other than my Papa and granparents of course."
His heart-melting at his sister's words, Jaune decided he didn't need to interject himself into Emerald's interaction and turned right to leave. However, he should have gone left, as he ended up bumping into the proud heiress herself along with her gold and scarlet themed cohort when he turned the corner.
"M-My bad, I didn't see you there Snow Angel." Realizing what he said, Jaune's eyes widened and his jaw slacked.
"I-I'm sorry, that's just the first thing that came to mind y'know because you look like... I'll just shut up now while I can." Jaune smiled sheepishly and rubbed his neck.
"You have eyes, don't you? You should have seen us coming." Weiss huffed, rolled her eyes, and rested a hand on her hip while raising the other nonchalantly. This wasn't the first time a boy tried to get chummy with her through flattery, and like all the others she'd shoot him down.
"It's nothing really, no harm done," Pyrrah said soothingly in an attempt to keep the lid of Schnee's temper in check.
"Oh, speaking of which." Emerald walked around her locker, and the second her crimson eyes met with a pair of anxious cerulean, the corners of her lips curled upward.
"This is my big brother Jaune F. Hawkins."
"100% This is gonna suck." Jaune didn't need his tarot cards to know the outcome of this scenario. An icy and indignant visage along with a curious expression falling upon him, Jaune prayed to Oum for a way out of this mess.
Somehow Jaune managed to come out alive after the hostile encounter. With the scrutinizing comments of Weiss, to the sharp retorts of Emerald, to the evidently peeved comments of Pyrrah, the blonde boy escaped at the first window of opportunity to present itself.
Strangely enough, it came in the form of a bubbly personality along with a pair of turquoise eyes and short orange locks who litteraly crashed into him. His new aquantaince named Nora Valkyrie was apparently on the hunt for sloths, her jolly expression soured when Jaune claimed there was a zero percent chance of the animal being on the school's premises.
Her original plans thwarted, Nora asked the blonde boy if he could help her find her bestie dubbed Renny. Jaune was more than willing to find since it gave him an excuse to escape the verbal wars between Emerald and Weiss. Pyrrah also hurried away, eager to calm herself down and find a quiet place to rest in the ballroom tonight.
Now in the ballroom, with the rays of the cracked moon glimmering through the grande glass windows, all the first-year students huddled together in groups before heading off to bed. For Jaune however, he once again found himself as the center of unwanted attention.
"Hey, look it's that weird looking guy again." Whispered a few teens.
Jaune's shoulders sagged and his head veered towards the floor. Did his outfit stick out that much? Sure, it kinda looked old fashioned due to the frills and extended ruffled collar, but the armlet and black cape he wore should have scored him a few points.
"Hey, Minty..." Jaune grumbled.
"Hm? What's with that face? I thought you were all prepared to celebrate our first day at Beacon." Emerald huffed.
"How about you go and meet up with Roman and Neo?"
This made Emerald's brows furrow.
"I know I ditched you before, but that was because those idiots outside wouldn't stop talking about us."
"Yeah, I know, but they're doing it again. I don't want my sister to lose her chance at having friends because her brother looks like a clueless goofball." Jaune hated to say this, but it had to be done. From the expectations he heard Emerald say from the locker rooms, he was determined to keep his promise. Though he didn't want to drag his younger sibling through the mud if things got rough.
His sister bit her lip, then opened it to spout a proper retort, but her chance was dashed by a familiar snobbish voice. Near the southern walls of the room, three figures appeared to be in a verbal squabble, only two seemed to be talking though.
"That's preposterous!" Snarled a girl with a white ponytail.
"Is it so hard to believe Ice Queen? Reptile Dust Industry sales have been through the roof as of late. It's only a matter of time until our pops takes the top seat in the dust selling hierarchy." Sneered a young man with a bowler hat as he tapped his weaponized cane. Next to him was a giggling girl with brown and pink hair.
"The Schnee Dust Company is the leading export of all business related to dust. Your father's establishments are only a few dots on the map compared to what mine has been able to accomplish." The newly dubbed 'Ice Queen' retorted.
"Ah, I think you mean 'was' the leading export of all dust-related business. Haven't you heard? Our pops snagged a deal with four promising investors to erect a dust factory in Mantle. Not only does this improve the downtrodden state of the crippled city, but it provides hundreds of workers the chance to make an honest buck." Roman stroked his chin as the Schnee tried to put up an offense.
"Hmph, you say that as if it's a huge deal. The SDC already signed five contracts with settlers eager to expand into the northern parts of Atlas. I do believe your father wanted those papers did he not?" The white-haired girl snickered as a frown wormed its way onto Roman's face.
Neo stepped forward with her parasol in hand, but her brother put a hand on her shoulder.
"Now's not the time to play Neo. A little banter never hurt anyone, but I don't think it's the time to hurt anybody." Roman warned.
Puffing her cheeks, Neo twirled around and grabbed the handles of her large suitcases. Without saying a word, the daughter of Reptile Dust Industries sauntered off to a corner of the ballroom.
"Well, it's been a pleasure Ice Queen, but my sister and I are rather exhausted from our journey. I hope to see you again. Maybe you'll have a more polite tongue next time we meet." Roman tipped his hat and followed Neo's example leaving a fuming heiress behind.
"Huh, must be hard being the descendants of a rich family, eh Minty?" Jaune said while stroking his chin.
"You make it sound like Papa isn't a millionaire. He is the author of the most read book series in Remnant." Emerald rolled her eyes.
"Shhh! That's exclusive information Minty, we can't go around saying that whenever we want to. Remember, dad said no one is supposed to discover his identity. Otherwise he'd be hunted down by all sorts of annoying promoters and fans who wouldn't know when to quit." Jaune slapped a hand over his sister's face and she growled in annoyance.
"Besides, dad's never spoiled us with lien. He didn't give us our scrolls until we were fifteen, though I think Granpa Sam and Grandma Carla played a part in that."
The Hawkins siblings sharing a laugh, their moment of happiness was interrupted by a sudden wind of rose petals.
"Jaune! Emerald!" Called a familiar red themed reaper. Appearing beside the blonde boy once again, Jaune chuckled at the young girl's childish antics.
"Now that we have some time, I'm really excited to see what kind of weapon you both brought to Beacon!"
A nudge on the ribs, Jaune took the hint and drew Funkfreed from his sash. Ruby's silver eyes sparkled at the sight of the sturdy saber. It was one she'd never seen before, a little old-fashioned, it held a certain antique elegance that complemented its owner's attire.
"Hey, you wanna see a cool trick?" Jaune grinned.
"Oh, can your sword shoot dust bullets, or does it make a cool forcefield out of thin air?! Or maybe it collapses into two separate swords like the ones my mom uses!" A haze of red and black whirring around him, Jaune's cape flew over his head and he bumped into Emerald when he tried to steady himself.
"M-Ms. Rose, please calm down." Jaune panted.
Her heels skidded to a stop. Twirling a stray strand of hair, Ruby drew small circles on the floor with the tip of her boot.
"Haha, sorry Jaune," Ruby said with a sheepish smile.
"Nothing to apologize for Ms. Rose, but I'm not the fastest of the bunch as you can tell."
"In more ways than one," Emerald added.
The blonde boy shot her an annoyed glare, and the mint-haired sibling simply waved off his retorts with a snide grin.
"Anyway, this is Funkfreed, he's been my companion since I was six. He likes apples, leaves, and sweet fruit, but peanuts are his favorite snack."
Slinging the sword on his shoulder, he curled a brow at the young reaper's puzzled face.
"Did I lose you, Ms. Rose?"
"You're weapon... you make it sound like it's an animal or something." Ruby tilted her head and pointed at Jaune's blade.
"Well of course I do. Come on Funkfreed, go on and show her your true form." Jaune waved his blade, but from the steel's lack of cooperation, it was safe to assume Funkfreed was asleep.
"Are you serious Funkfreed? The one time I want to make a good impression and you gotta doze off on me. My apologies Ms. Rose, but you'll have to wait till morning to see my good pal in action."
"N-No worries Jaune." Scuffing her boots, Ruby tried to separate herself from the blonde that she found too strange even for her standards.
"W-Wait, please Ms. Rose, I'm telling you the truth!" Jaune begged her to stay while flailing his sword in the air in an attempt to awaken it.
"Well, what you're doing is kinda weird Jaune..." Ruby lowered her head and fastened her steps.
The blonde reached out a hand, but his quirky mannerisms scared off the little girl and she blitzed past him in another clump of rose petals.
"Well, you seem to be the opposite of a friend magnet," Emerald commented.
"Not like you're any different Minty." Jaune sulked.
"I'm not trying though."
"Why you gotta do this to me? I'm your older brother for Oum's sake." Jaune whimpered.
"That's true, but I'll have you know that I already have fifteen friends on Scrollchat."
His ocean eyes bulged out of their sockets. Jaune tried dozens of different approaches to net himself a few chat buddies, but no one seemed to be interested. Even the ones who accepted his friend's invite disappeared after a few days.
"Am I really that socially awkward?" He moped.
"Yeah, but in a nice goofball kind of way."
The compliment uplifting his spirits a tad, Jaune sighed and took a seat on the floor. Mulling through his current situation, at least he had his sister by to rely on.
"Hey, do you want the onesie Grandma Carla knitted for you Minty? It's comfy and made from one-hundred percent Vale cotton."
Jaune presented the piece of clothing from his large bag he retrieved from the locker rooms, but unknowingly did so for all to see. Laughter erupting around the Hawkins pair, their faces flushed a bright red as teasing and dog whistles flew into their ears.
"S-Sorry Minty." Jaune folded the offending cloth and put it back in his bag.
"It's fine Jaune," Emerald growled. Was this really the next generation of Beacon? They all seemed so immature...
"Hey there cutie, why don't you ditch that awkward dork and hang out with us?" Said a rather tall teen.
Both Jaune and Emerald veered their attention to an armored individual with slicked, burnt orange hair. His breastplate bearing a golden emblem of a bird with its wings spread out, his indigo eyes enjoyed observing the slim figure of the mint-haired student; he then pointed to a group of boys and girls who waved at him.
"The name's Cardin Winchester. A noble whose family has been in the hunting business since the days of the great war. I've got a ton of connections, and many of them would like to meet you. So how about we ditch that weirdo behind you and get fully acquainted?" The boy smirked.
Emerald crossed her arms, lifted her nose, and scoffed at the stranger's brash approach.
"This so-called weirdo behind me happens to be my big brother, and he's ten times the man you'll ever be."
Her words sending a bullet through Cardin's pride, the hunter in training lost his kind facade and replaced it with an angry visage.
"I'm giving you a chance to elevate your social status cutie-"
Emerald cut him off.
"Social status? Thanks, but that's something my brother and I can do all on our own. After initiation's over, my big brother is going to prove that he's the strongest hunter here."
That sent noble boy's temper over the edge.
"Look here girly, that noodle you call a brother is nothing compared to what my friends and I are capable of."
"That so? Then why don't you prove it right here and now?" Emerald mocked.
"Um, Minty, I don't think this is a good idea. Everyone is staring at us now." Jaune put his hand on his sibling's shoulder and gently squeezed.
Her eyes still burning with indignation, Emerald flicked the back of her hand in a haughty manner and told her brother to show Cardin who's the boss.
Jaune was a tall sort, but even he was about a head smaller than his orange-haired acquaintance. Cardin reached behind his back and revealed a black, spiked mace infused with an explosive head that detonated by use of a trigger positioned above its hilt.
This situation screamed bad news. Jaune raised his hands and declared he would not fight in these circumstances. Especially when there were so many bystanders nearby. The students around him on the other hand, cheered for a potential battle and roared for them to commence the duel eager to change the boring atmosphere in the ballroom.
Seconds away from a fight, Jaune's hand snapped to his waist to draw Funkfreed in defense, but found himself flying through the air then landing on his face in front of the ballroom entrance. Gathering his senses, the blonde lifted his head from the ground to see a stern pair of green eyes behind a pair of ovular glasses. Cardin followed Jaune's example soon enough and rolled up beside him.
Their weapons hovering in the air behind the angry woman, Jaune and Cardin gulped as the professor rubbed her temples.
"A ballroom is not the place for petty squabbles. As punishment, I will be informing your parents of this incident and you will also be on close watch for the rest of the initiation. Am I clear you two?"
Cardin grunted, but Jaune's face paled several shades. To have his father of all people notified of a wrongdoing on his first day. Not to mention Sam and Carla would like to have a word with him after his dad spoke his piece.
Prostrating without a thought of dignity, Jaune pleaded for a different punishment.
"I'll even clean all the toilets by hand!" He begged.
Needless to say, Ms. Goodwitch was taken aback. From the information she'd received a few weeks prior, the man who parented this child had a positive record. There was that sandwich stall incident, but that was over a decade ago, and there hadn't been any violent scenes since then.
Still, Ms. Goodwitch was an enforcer of the rules and her duties to the academy and its students remained absolute. Turning a blind eye to Jaune's puppy dog eyes, she cleared her throat and withdrew her collapsable tablet from her pocket.
"I'm sorry Mr. Hawkins, but the standard punishments must be obeyed and you and Mr. Winchester are no exception. Take this as your first important lesson before initiation."
His eyes on the verge of tears, Jaune gracefully accepted his fate... by grabbing Ms. Goodwitch by the ankles and begging her to reconsider. The flustered professor tried to shake him off, but the grip of the young boy was surprisingly strong. Giggles escaping the lips of the once terrified onlookers, a faint blush tinged the cheeks of Ms. Goodwitch as she hoisted the pathetic student into the air with her semblance and crop.
"This is an abhorrent display of character Mr. Hawkins. Even if you're a first-year I expected much more from you."
"Please have a heart woman! If my dad comes here there won't be anything left of me to train!" Jaune wailed.
The teacher curled a brow. The boy was this terrified of his father? According to the databanks the blonde's dad was labeled as widowed. Perhaps he was stern and rough in his teachings due to the stress of being a single parent?
No longer able to contain their snarky guffaws, the entire ballroom exploded in a loud chorus of rambunctious laughter.
"That's enough!" Ms. Goodwitch shouted. She'd been a teacher at Beacon for over a decade, but she never encountered such unruly behavior. Granted there were a few students who remained silent, some even had concern and pity on their faces for the blonde boy who found himself at the whims of the stern woman.
"I will see you in my office before initiation. Do you understand Mr. Hawkins?"
Finally admitting defeat, Jaune nodded in silence as he dropped back to the ground. His face landing flat against the floor as a result.
"Also, I'll be seeing your father for a personal meeting, one that will decide a proper punishment should a situation like this repeat itself. Am I clear?"
The blonde student's face paled, but he accepted the consequences of his actions. He knew he was in the trenches now, so he might as well arm himself up and prepare for the war to come.
"Hm? What is this?" Hawkins grumbled behind his writing desk. The night old, the blonde curled a brow at the sight of Beacon Academy's disciplinary number flashing on his scroll screen.
The magician narrowed his sights and focused his crimson pupils on a long message assigned to him.
"Ms. Goodwitch? Why does that name sound familiar? And why does she wish to see me?" Pursing his lips, Hawkins failed to place a face on the name blinking on his scroll.
Peering from the device to the stack of papers neatly stacked before him, Hawkins nodded at his work. He'd spent the entire week prior to his children's enrollment calculating percentages in regards to Jaune and Emerald getting in trouble, but he didn't expect he needed to use the defensive measures he wrote down so soon.
"I knew I was getting my hopes up when I saw that Jaune and Emerald only had a 61% chance of getting into trouble..." The stoic magician groaned.
