For as long as he could remember, Jaune had always felt like an outsider.

Even in his own home, that was true. In his family, he was the youngest and the only boy among a sea of sisters. In school it had been no different. He'd been the scrawniest and weakest kid in class during his younger years: the person people least wanted to pair up with. Nothing had been special about him except for his mediocrity, if such a thing was even possible.

And yet, at Beacon of all places: the huntsman school of his dreams, surrounded by the most promising young hunters in training of his time? Somehow that was no longer the case. Despite not knowing a single soul when he'd first arrived, he'd managed to do just that. When he'd met and befriended Ruby, it was like finding a spring in the middle of the Vacuan sands. A mirage that turned to be more than just a fantasy of his mind. Not to mention how much he appreciated getting to know people like Pyrrha, who seemed to accept and cherish him as he was helped fill the void he got from not having his family around, as well as the rest of his team, no matter how much he still felt intimidated by Nora's boisterous personality or Ren's stoic demeanor.

Still, he was sure there wasn't anything he couldn't do without them...except endure yet another mind numbing lecture from Professor Port, which he was trapped in at the moment. At this point, half the class was clearly not paying attention either.

"Now," began the Professor after spending far too long explaining a Beowulf's behavior patterns. "That concludes our lesson for the day (thank gods, Jaune thought). But today you will not be assigned homework. This year, we've decided to try something different from the usual midterm exams."

At that, everyone snapped to attention. All the students in the classroom, including those with their heads on their desks who'd been either snoozing or were about to, were now looking at Port as if he was the most interesting person in the world.

"Each of you," Port continued, picking up a clipboard with several papers attached to it, "-have been placed into duos. It's important to have other huntresses and hunters to rely on, to know you and how you work inside and out, as is the case with your regular Huntsman teams. However, it is also of equal importance to be able to work and succeed with people you may not be so familiar with. So, your midterm equivalent will test said ability. You will each be paired with someone from another team, and one month from now you both must be able to succeed in a variety of trials which shall test your knowledge and ability to cope in various situations. Whether in times of crisis or the heat of battle, a huntsman must always be prepared regardless of how favorable the circumstances are. With that in mind, you cannot ask for a change in the partner you have been assigned to."

Jaune squeezed his fist, silently praying to every god he could think of for luck. He success absolutely depended on being paired up with someone who could make up for his many, many weaknesses. Without another member of Team JNPR, or someone else he trusted, to rely on, his chances of passing were slim. He figured he could have had worse luck, though. They could have all been forced to do these trials alone. Then he really would have been screwed.

"Pyrrha Nikos and Cardin Winchester."

A surprisingly loud gulp rang throughout the room, which came from right from where Cardin sat. Judging from the look of absolute horror on his face, it was apparent how enthusiastic he was to be working with one of the reigning champions of the school. Meanwhile Pyrrha was giving the fakest smile Jaune had ever seen her give, which was surprising given how accustomed she was to pulling them off, being a celebrity as well as a formidable warrior. He bet she was as equally excited as Cardin was to be partnered up with him.

"Weiss Schnee and Nora Valkyrie..."

Jaune tried hard not to let out a deep sigh. Working with Weiss would have been perfect. She was everything he wasn't: smart, beautiful, a excellent fighter...he would have killed to be paired with her. Especially when he'd come up with a new song he wanted her opinion on...

But of course, the universe seemed to hate the idea of Jaune getting everything he wanted in life.

He turned to look at his second choice, who was fiddling her fingers nervously but still had her eyes wide with excitement. Her entire body was shaking in anticipation. Please let me be with Ruby, please let me be with Ruby...

When he heard Port call out, "Ruby Rose and Lie Ren," Jaune bit his lip to stop himself from whining. All his ideal choices were no longer open to him. But perhaps he could be paired up with someone who was at least indifferent to him at best? What's someone like him doing here, he knew were the whisperings behind his back whenever they thought he couldn't notice. How has he not flunked out yet? He wondered that himself, sometimes. Slaying the Ursa had quieted that chatter for a while and even gotten Cardin off his back, but not even Pyrrha's training sessions could do much to improve how he was seen. Beacon was a school for the elite, and while he was no longer completely hopeless, going from hopeless to decent wasn't a high bar to clear, and therefore little to be proud of.

"Jaune Arc..." the Professor suddenly began.

Jaune gulped, sinking into his seat with dread, his heart close to leaping out of his chest. The moment of truth had arrived...

"Let's see, where did I..." Port's eyes scrunched in frustration as he flipped through the papers on his clipboard. "Hmm, looks like I might have...oh here you are! Arc, you're going to be paired with Miss Xiao Long."

It was as if the earth had frozen in place. Jaune turned around to face his new partner, who was sitting on the table behind him. Just his luck. Not only did he not really know her well, he hadn't exactly made the best impression on her when he'd vomited onto her boots during his first ride to Beacon. Not the worst person he could've been paired with, but certainly far from the most ideal.

"Well, how about it, Jaune?" Yang grinned, thought it was clearly forced. "Looks like we're stuck together."

That's right, Jaune thought. And she wasn't making a strong effort to conceal her disappointment.

But that didn't mean he could afford to play to her presumably low expectations of him. No, Jaune Arc was not a quitter. He'd take this as a challenge and an opportunity to put all of Pyrrha's training to use. He would prove to her and the rest of his class that he could stand shoulder to shoulder with them.

There was no way he could live with himself if he didn't. No way he could possibly face his family if he'd failed. And while Jaune could tolerate many things beyond his comfort zone, failing at his dream wasn't one of them.

Besides, how bad could it be? Yang and Ruby were sisters, after all. Maybe she wouldn't be treating him as if he were a fly on the wall? Just because he didn't get the most ideal partner didn't mean that there wasn't some luck left in him...

Vomit Boy, huh?

Yang had fought the urge to groan when Port had announced their names. Jaune was pretty low on the list of people she would ever want to be alone with. Sure, there were far more annoying people on that list, but she certainly didn't have the best impression of him, given how much he annoyed Weiss and the rest of the team with his extremely obvious crush and his cringeworthy attempts to woo her. If he were any other boy, and if Weiss didn't insist on being so polite and Atlesian in her way of handling it, she would have gladly launched him into space.

But for Ruby's sake, she had kept those feelings shadowed and to herself. And while she loved her sister dearly, she had been silently counting the days till one day Jaune simply wouldn't show up in class or at lunch, or ever again. She was amazed that he'd last as long in the school as he did, and she knew that she wasn't alone. Though she likely had Pyrrha to thank for that, given that their training sessions together wasn't a secret, even if they chose to keep that fact close to their chest. Still, Jaune was far from able to stand shoulder to shoulder with most of the class, and that was a problem Yang wasn't able to punch her way out of.

If only they lived in a world where everyone got stronger the more hits they took. Then she'd have no trouble turning Jaune into a powerhouse worthy of Beacon.

In comparison, it wasn't egotistic of her to say that she was one of the best students in school. All of her professors never failed to complement her skills as befitting of her parents' proud legacy. Sure, the only criticism they still had was her overreliance on her semblance, but that was as a common of a problem among most Beacon students. Meanwhile Jaune didn't even have a semblance, which prevented them from being able to come up with a creative team attack, which, according to what she'd heard from her father when he'd told her about his Beacon midterms, would definitely make it harder for them to impress the judges. At the moment, they were the team that were the least likely to, which sucked, but what could she do to change that? Asking for another partner wasn't allowed for this particular assignment, and, if she had to be honest, she wasn't willing to let anyone else suffer with him either. Not to mention that Jaune was already the furthest thing from looking like huntsman material. Gangly and thin, the armor he wore didn't quite fit him right. At least he was handsome, she had to admit, with his sharp features and kind cerulean eyes, but Beacon wasn't a modeling academy. Pretty, ugly, fat, skinny, all were equal in the eyes of Grimm.

Though Yang had to admit that in spite of his lacking in combat prowess, Jaune did display most of the qualities of a leader with how he acted around his team; attentive, lacking conceit, all he did lack was the self confidence that would allow him to improve. Perhaps that was the reason why Port chose to pair her up with him? Wasn't that the point of the assignment, to help each other improve, to work together to bring out the best in each other? Was Port expecting her to do whatever she could to drill some self confidence into him?

And there was another opportunity Yang had with this assignment. One she couldn't possibly resist.

"Why don't we meet in front of the rec center after our evening session ends?" she asked him right after class finished. When she'd intercepted him, they were the only people remaining in the room, everyone having already left to their next class.

"Uh...sure," Jaune nodded, looking noticeably apprehensive.

"We'll lay down how we'll go from there," Yang began. There was a LOT she needed to improve in him. For starters, his physique, or more accurately, his lack of one, would need some work. There was no way they could win this with him still barely being able to wield his sword without him losing balance; it was always Professor Port's main criticism to him.

So they would start with upper body strength, exercises, maybe some hand to hand practice against her would help improve his reflexes. This would all be done with training, of course. Lots and lots of training. Perhaps she could convince Pyrhha to keep Jaune in check if he ever decided to slack off. Not that Yang expected him to. She knew he would do anything to stay in Beacon, and she would use that to her fullest advantage.

Because even if they failed this assignment, they could at at least look fit and cool while doing so.

"So Jaune," she said to him as soon as class finished. She managed to catch him right as he was about to exit the classroom. "You excited to ace this midterm?"

"Ace it?" Jaune's eyes widened, from the way he looked at her it was as if she'd ask him to hand over a million lien. "Sure,I want to do well...but I don't know about passing with flying colors."

"Relax, buddy." Yang shook her head and chuckled, placing an arm on Jaune's shoulder.. "You know what they say," she said. "Fortune favors the bold. And brave. And definitely those with potential who put in the time and work to practice with their partners, so why don't you and I meet in front of the Cage as soon as our afternoon session ends?"

She gave him her best "I won't be taking no for an answer" smile. Which worked every time she used it. It definitely had nothing to do with the fact that she also put a little bit of force into her grip on Jaune's shoulder as well. Either way, it seemed that her new partner got the picture, because he swallowed the lump in his throat, nodded and walked away to his next class.

Yang smiled to herself. Getting Jaune in shape and midterm ready was going to be a piece of cake.

Now Jaune had nothing against tough, strong, temperamental women like her. But he was familiar with her reputation, he'd heard the rumors of some damage she'd done at some nightclub near Beacon. So even if she was the sister of one of his best friends, Yang wasn't exactly someone he found approachable. Still, as a partner for one of his She was many things he was not: strong as a bear, self confident, and, (he blushed when the realization came to mind) very, very attractive to boot, people were drawn to her (rather appropriately, given her semblance) like a moth to a flame.

He'd gotten a taste of her strength in particular from when she intercepted him after class. Hours later, his shoulder still ached from the tightness of her grip. When he'd agreed to her poorly veiled demand to meet up with her after their other classes had finished, Jaune was completely ready to listen to her every word. She seemed to have a better grasp on how to succeed better than he did (since she was succeeding). He didn't want her to go easy on him like Pyrrha usually did. As much as he trusted the girl who had become his most trusted friend, he knew he couldn't rely on her forever. He would have to leave the comfortable nest she created eventually, why not start now?

As soon as he finished placing his weapons in his locker he made his way to the recreation center. Dusk was beginning to fall upon Beacon, and with the sky awash in brilliant hues of orange and weather not too chilly, it was the perfect weather for maybe taking a walk to town and buying some comics on the way. Too bad he had a promise to keep.

Unlike the classical style that was a common theme with the buildings on campus, Beacon's recreation center was designed in much more modern style. The building was an enormous white cube with silver structures that resembled enormous wires entangling it and provided its exterior lighting. The contrast against the white of the building made for a beautiful, elegant sight that was a welcome departure from the old fashioned buildings that surrounded it. It also made it look like a gigantic mesh cage, and so that was its unofficial name: The Cage.

"Right here, Jaune!" he heard Yang call. She'd been waiting in front of the enormous glass front doors, as she'd promised. She had also completely stripped herself of her weapons and changed into athletic wear. She wore nothing but an orange tank top and yoga pants which showed off her toned, curvaceous physique.

Jaune was no perv. But he couldn't deny that Yang was one of the most attractive people in school. And now that she was clad in only form fitting workout gear, it was an even clearer fact to him. With her curvy figure, perfectly messy blonde hair, striking violet eyes, a sizable bust to boot, and perfect hourglass figure most would kill for. To put it simply, she looked hot.

Jaune tried not to linger on that thought, knowing no good could come from doing so.

"Good! You came." Yang greeted. Her brow suddenly furrowed. "But why are you still wearing your armor?"

"U-Um..." Jaune . "Y-You didn't tell me we were actually going into the rec center."

Yang furrowed her brow, clearly confused. Her frown deepened. "Uh, I'm pretty sure I did."

"No you didn't. Look I'm really sorry," Jaune apologized, knowing that it was what he should say even if it wasn't his fault. He wouldn't let her intimidate him, but he also had to get on her good side if they were to perform at their best. "I really would have changed if you did. But you didn't."

Yang crossed her arms, leting out a sigh of annoyance. "Fine. If we cant start today, then we'll at least talk about how we're supposed to work on our teamwork from here. And work on getting you into better shape."

"Sure?" Jaune wasn't sure if he could tell her just how afraid he was of what Yang might put her through. It didn't help that despite being taller than her, Yang's passion and determination made him feel very small and even a little intimidated. And like with her request to meet up, he knew she would not be refused.

"You are taking this seriously, aren't you?" Yang asked firmly, raising an eyebrow and Jaune's heart sank. His eyes veered away from hers when he thought he saw the faintest flicker of scarlet in them. Yang pressed closer, and Jaune couldn't help but notice just how much cleavage she was showing above the low cut of her tank top. Unfortunately, Yang caught him in the act. "Eyes up," she commanded sharply, a dangerous glint in her lilac orbs. "I can tell when you oogle."

"W-What?" Jaune sputtered, holding his hands up in defense, panic racing through his veins "I'm not oogling at you! It's just I've never seen you in workout gear. You look..." he gulped, hoping he was able to convince her. It was hard enough not to notice just how...blessed Yang was. "...nice."

Yang rolled her eyes, clearly skeptical and even more annoyed than she'd already been at him. "I guess I should say thank you, but you definitely don't need to hide the fact that you'd rather be with Weiss."

"I…No!" Jaune choked, struggling to muster the words he needed to convince her. But he wanted to avoid meeting an early end by of one of Yang's ferocious attacks if he misspoke. He'd nearly forgotten that Yang, being Weiss's teammate, had also borne witness to all of Jaune's attempts at wooing her. "There's nothing wrong with you at all!" he insisted."

But it appeared that Yang would have none of it. "You sure that you understand she isn't interested?" she asked. "If so, then why do you keep bothering her?"

"I…honestly didn't really know what to do?" Jaune finally admitted to himself and to her. "I've always thought that, well…persistence was a virtue. If I tried hard enough to impress her..."

Yang snorted, nostrils flaring. "By wooing her with your mediocre musicianship? She's a professionally trained singer, you know. And from some of the stuff I've heard her say about pop music, she's a rather harsh critic."

Jaune let out a heavy sigh. When he'd first stepped foot in Beacon, he believed determination was the only thing he needed to be successful. But he couldn't be unrealistic. There was no way his actions would be doing anything but deterring Weiss from wanting to be in the same room as him, or the rest of team RWBY either. He was going to have to apologize to Ruby for that as well.

"So the first rule I'm going to set should be obvious by now," Yang continued. "You can't ask me for tips on how to woo her. Got it, Vomit boy?"

"Hehe, " Jaune chuckled nervously. He decided to lighten up the mood with a joke, replying with, "Are you sure you're not still holding a grudge about that?"

Yang rolled her eyes but grinned, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes that only made Jaune feel rather uneasy. "Nah. Though you can thank Ruby for insisting just how common getting airsick is. So for our alliance's sake I'll retire Vomit Boy for now."

She took out her scroll from her jacket and looked at it. "We have two more hours until dinner. That's plenty of time to start today by working on your reflexes and endurance."

"But I didn't bring my workout clothes," Jaune complained, as if doing so would've actually done anything to convince Yang to let him off today.

His instincts were right. "Not a problem!" Yang exclaimed. "I'm just gonna teach you some of the basic exercises, most of which you're gonna perform with me in our daily sessions. And if we have the time I'll show you how to use some of the other machines in there."

"Uh..." Jaune scratched the back of his head. "How do you know that I don't know all that stuff already?"

Yang merely shrugged. "Oh, I'm sure you know the answer to that question."

Which was true, Jaune had to admit, no matter how much he didn't like to accept it. Aside from his sessions with Pyrrha, Jaune didn't practice as much as he could have, preferring to spend much of his free time playing video games or reading comics. It was then that Jaune realized she was poking fun at him, and was enjoying every minute she was doing so. A sudden shiver ran up his spine at that revelation. If Yang was anywhere near as intense about working out as Nora was... It was going to be a long, long evening.

But he couldn't complain while knowing what was at stake. His more relaxed routine of practicing was going to have to stop for now, if he was going to ensure that he wouldn't be flunking out after his first semester. And without a doubt, he did not want to endure both shame from his family and his new partner's fiery wrath.