Cover Art by CHE3ZY.

DNWorks: You hit the nail on the head. Ironwood is definitely betting too much on the Guardians. Yes they're amazing killing machines, but Salem is immortal. When he finds that out it's going to have a huge impact on him. Just wait and see.

This chapter was ready to go so I wasn't going to keep you waiting longer than you needed to. As always, please be sure to leave feedback. I'm always curious to know the different thoughts and opinions of others. If you haven't, please be sure to vote for your favorite OC on my profile. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

Beacon:

The first month of school went by without incident. The four members of the Bad Batch attended their classes and completed their assignments without question while they integrated themselves among the students. They followed a pretty standard schedule. They'd wake up at 0400, workout, shower, change into their school uniforms, get breakfast, do some investigating, attend classes, get lunch, go back to classes, do some more investigating, workout again, shower, get dinner, do their homework, get ready for bed, begin their nightly watches, and then do it all over again. During their classes, meals, and inconspicuous investigations they would interact with the other students and the instructors. Because teams RWBY and JNPR possessed their targets, team PGRT interacted with Yang, Blake, Nora, Ren, and Jaune on the regular. The three teams would sit together mainly for lunch and dinner. PGRT usually dined alone for breakfast because they were often the only ones in the dining hall at such an early hour. There were a few instances where members of team PGRT had classes with teams RWBY and JNPR. Classes were an interesting subject altogether. Penny was the only one of team PGRT that actually found the experience interesting. Out of her team, she was the only one who glowed with vibrant energy during class lectures. Jai, Terre, and Rahm didn't show it, but they found the entire concept of attending lectures in order to become better huntsmen a bit boring. The three of them were the most lethal Huntsmen/soldiers in the world and their lessons came from brutal training and actual combat experience. It was a bit hypocritical of them, though. It wasn't as if they didn't receive an education. Their hard training was complemented with mathematics, chemistry, physics, reading, writing, history, and military tactics. Granted, most of that was taught to them in order to make them better soldiers. The only aspects of class that sparked the attention of the three super soldiers were the hands-on sections, meaning the parts of class where they got to fight Grimm or other students. Despite the difficulty, all four of them did their best to not let their enhanced abilities show during the hands-on portions of their classes. They certainly weren't used to holding anything back when it came to training scenarios or actual missions. Granted, Penny's experience in the actual field was considered amateur level but she had certainly proved herself during the two practice tests with her teammates. Speaking of her teammates, she hardly thought it fitting to refer to them as such. She was beginning to view them like older brothers. Terre and Jai didn't show it as clear as Rahm, but they would have been lying if they said that Penny hadn't grown on them. Penny's energy and politeness made it virtually impossible for them to not take a liking to her. She had become something of a little surrogate sister to the three Guardians.

PGRT, RWBY, and JNPR were seated at the same table in the dining hall during the lunch hour. Nora was in the middle of recounting a tale for everyone else to hear.

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

"It was day," said Ren.

Nora inched closer to Blake, who was paying no attention to the hyperactive ginger as she was busy reading her book, and Yang and Penny, who were hanging on her every word with excitement.

"We were surrounded by Ursai..."

"They were Beowolves," Ren said before taking a sip from his cup of coffee.

"Dozens of them!" Nora screamed as she stood atop the table. Weiss was busy filing her nails, trying to ignore Nora. Ruby and Pyrrha listened politely while Jaune was messing with his food.

"Two of them."

Ruby and Pyrrha looked at the distant 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!"

"Fascinating…" Weiss tried desperately to not tear her ears off during Nora's incessant storytelling.

Ren sighed. "She's been having this recurring dream for nearly a month now."

"Should that be something to be concerned about?" Rahm was genuinely curious. He recalled Dr. Lockhart telling them that recurring dreams often had a deeper meaning.

"I'm honestly not sure," replied Ren.

Rahm seemed to muse for a moment before he went back to eating his lunch.

Jaune didn't seem to be paying attention. He seemed a bit out of it.

"Jaune? Are you okay?" Pyrrha asked her leader with genuine concern.

"Huh?" Jaune seemed to snap out of his stupor. "Oh, yeah! Why?"

"It's just that you seem a little... not okay..." Ruby answered.

At this point, the others turned their attention to the blonde leader of JNPR.

"Guys, I'm fine. Seriously! Look!" He held up a thumb while laughing nervously until his attention shifted to the members of Team CRDL, standing around a faunus girl with brown rabbit ears jutting from her hair as Cardin laughed at her and Sky Lark held up his hands to his head in a mock interpretation of her faunus features. Penny took notice of Cardin's bullying and narrowed her eyes in anger.

Penny wasn't the only one who was getting angry by the poor faunus girl getting bullied. Jai didn't take his eyes off of the sickening situation. A visible rage began to take form in Zero-Three-Seven's eyes.

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

"Who? Cardin Winchester? Nah... He just likes to mess around! You know, practical jokes!"

"He's a bully," said Ruby.

"Oh, please! Name one time he's 'bullied' me."

Pyrrha and Ruby proceeded to list all the times that Cardin bullied the poor boy.

"Jaune," Pyrrha put a comforting hand on Jaune's shoulder. "You know if you ever need help, you can just ask."

"Ooooh!" Nora stood up from her seat, a grin of questionable sanity forming itself on her face. "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 pointed to the Cardin's table.

They all looked over as the laughter grew louder, mixed in with cries of pain from the rabbit faunus girl when one of her ears was tugged on by Cardin.

"Ow! That hurts!" The rabbit girl stopped struggling. She grimaced as she pleaded with the bully. "Please, stop..."

Penny could feel herself getting angrier by the second. Seeing the poor girl being picked on because she was different made her incredibly irritated.

Cardin continued laughing as he turned to his teammates. "I told you they were real!"

Russel snickered at his leader's comment. "Yeah! What a freak!"

"Atrocious," Pyrrha said, "I can't stand people like him."

Blake glared daggers at Cardin and his cronies. "He's not the only one..."

Yang frowned with pity. "It must be hard to be a faunus," she said.

Penny couldn't take it anymore. The energetic ginger of team PGRT stood up and marched over to the bullies who continued to torment the poor faunus while Terre, Rahm, and Jai immediately took notice.

"I'm going too," said Jai to his brothers.

By this point, Terre and Rahm were paying full attention to the situation at hand. Rahm and Terre quickly glanced at each other, knowing what the deeper context was. Rahm put a hand on Jai's shoulder.

"I'll handle this," said Rahm. "Don't want you to do anything that you'll regret."

Jai didn't say anything. He looked as though he were going to kill Cardin. He kept his eyes on the bully and slowly nodded to show he understood what his brother said.

"Let's go," said Terre.

Penny stopped in her tracks, glaring at the bullies as she did so.

"Excuse me!"

Cardin and his cronies stopped what they were doing and looked at the short ginger girl who stood before them.

"You talking to us?" Cardin asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes," she replied. "I do not appreciate how you are tormenting this girl just because she is different from you."

Cardin let go of the girl's ears. The faunus girl immediately ran off in embarrassment, unknowingly dropping what appeared to be a large camera. Cardin stood up from his seat and stared Penny down.

"Excuse you?"

The bully was too busy staring at the synthetic girl in disbelief to notice her teammates quickly approaching behind her.

"I said I do not appreciate how you are tormenting this girl just because she is different from you."

The other members of team CRDL stood up from their seats and stared the small girl down. Penny wasn't intimidated in the slightest.

Penny's lack of fear irritated the leader of CRDL greatly. "I heard what you said. You got some nerve coming up here talking a big game, Red."

"Red?" Penny was genuinely confused by what Cardin called her. "That is not my name. My name is Penny Polendina."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Cardin said with sarcasm. "Let me make it up to you!"

Without warning Cardin threw a punch at the synthetic girl's face. Cardin's eyes went wide as he found his fist was stopped dead in its tracks. He turned to see Rahm holding his fist in place with an incredibly strong grip. Jai and Terre stood behind Penny, ready to protect her at a moment's notice.

"Lay a hand on her and you'll lose it," Rahm's tone was firm. There was no sign of deceit in his voice, meaning that he was serious about tearing the bully's hand off if he dared to touch Penny.

Moreover, Rahm didn't appear to struggle in the slightest in holding Cardin's fist in place, illustrating the impressive strength he possessed. The other members of team PGRT stared down Cardin's cronies. Cardin's teammates tried their best to look intimidating, but in comparison to Terre and Jai, it was the equivalent of mice trying to intimidate lions. The mice to lions comparison was emphasized further by the fact that Jai, Terre, and Rahm dwarfed team CRDL in both height and musculature. Cardin and Rahm, meanwhile, were locked in a standoff, each daring the other to make a move. Rahm's unblinking eyes held absolutely no fear in them, his face blank and emotionless. Cardin struggled to stare into Rahm's eyes with the same intensity, but Rahm's stare felt as overwhelming as a tidal wave.

Cardin blinked.

Without warning, Rahm let go of Cardin's fist. Rahm's hands returned to his sides, but his gaze remained fixated on Cardin. Cardin could feel himself shaking internally. There was something about this guy that struck fear into his very soul. His eyes seemed inhuman; it was as if they belonged to a machine rather than that of a man. Cardin unclenched his fist and returned his hands to his sides, the tough guy scowl was still present on his face despite the fear he felt internally. Without a word, the bully turned and began to walk the other way. One of his teammates made to voice his opposition but a simple glare from Cardin shut him up, telling him and the others to follow. Team PGRT remained where they were, all the while being watched by surrounding tables. Jai glanced down at the floor and spotted the faunus girl's camera. Jai bent down and picked it up before looking about the dining hall to see where the girl had run off to. He spotted her on the other side of the dining hall seated with three other students. Jai walked in that direction; his three teammates followed him. The faunus girl was crying while she was being comforted by a girl wearing sunglasses and a beret. The two male members appeared to be trying to comfort her as well, albeit with some difficulty.

"Excuse me."

The girl with the beret looked up at him, the faunus girl did so too. They could see Penny, Terre, and Rahm approaching from behind him.

"I believe this is yours," Jai held out the girl's camera for her to take. Velvet took the camera from the super soldier.

"T-Thank you," she said.

Penny beamed a happy smile at team CFVY. "Salutations! My name is Penny Poledina and these are my teammates: Jai Gris, Terre Verte, and Rahm Tangerin," Penny pointed to each of her teammates. "Do not worry about those bullies. I do not believe they will be bothering you any longer."

Coco smirked at team PGRT. "Thanks for standing up to those jerks. You all get an A in my grade book."

Fox and Yatsu smiled in respect at team PGRT.

"You are most certainly welcome! What are your names?" Penny beamed an infectious smile at team CFVY.

"My name's Coco Adel," replied the brunette, "and this is Velvet Scarlatina." Coco gestured towards the shy bunny faunus.

"Fox Alistair."

"Yatsuhashi Daichi," said the giant of team CFVY, "it is an honor to meet you."

Penny happily shook each of their hands. Rahm offered a polite head nod while Terre and Jai stood back.

"It has been a pleasure to meet you all. I hope to see you all again soon," Penny took hold of both Rahm's and Terre's hands and proceeded to walk back to their table.

Rahm was used to Penny holding onto his hand, but Terre wasn't prepared for the small girl to take his hand, though he did not pull away. Terre looked Penny up and down quickly.

"Are you hurt in any way, Penny?"

Penny smiled up at Terre. "I am just fine! Thank you for asking Terre!" Terre nodded, satisfied at knowing that she was fine.

When they arrived back at their table they found the others, especially Blake, staring at them in admiration. They sat down as if nothing happened.

"Thank you."

Everyone looked towards Blake.

"I am afraid I do not understand Blake," Penny said with a confused look. "Why are you thanking us?"

"For standing up for that girl. No one else except for you four did anything and I think that was incredibly brave," the cat faunus replied.

"Not just brave," Pyrrha chimed in, "but also admirable." The redheaded prodigy smiled warmly at the four. "I thought it was very sweet how you returned her camera, Jai."

Jai raised an eyebrow at that. "She dropped it when she ran off," he stated.

Pyrrha laughed at what she believed to be his modesty. Terre and Rahm, however, looked at Jai skeptically.

Without warning, Nora enveloped the four members of team PGRT in a big hug. Penny was the only one who welcomed it openly; her teammates looked a bit uncomfortable.

"You four are real heroes for standing up to those jerks!" Nora stated loudly. Jaune looked down in disappointment. Internally he felt ashamed that he didn't have the strength to stand up for himself. He envied team PGRT in that regard. They embodied strength, both internal and external, while he was the complete opposite. He couldn't fight to save his life and he couldn't stand up for himself. Pyrrha took notice of Jaune's look of disappointment and frowned. It pained her to see her leader so down on himself. Weiss didn't know what to think of the whole situation. On the one hand, her past was both directly and indirectly impacted by the faunus, particularly the White Fang, in a negative way. On the one hand, she held a certain resentment towards the faunus for the things that she had been through, the things that her family members and their company had been through. On the other hand, it was disgusting to see Cardin and his cronies pick on that poor girl just because she was different. Weiss sat in silence as she compartmentalized the situation internally. Nora let go of them after a few moments and returned to her seat next to Ren.

Ruby smiled warmly. "Yeah," she said, looking at Terre, Penny, Jai, and Rahm. "You were really brave Penny!" She looked at Terre, fidgeting with her hair nervously as she did so. "You too Terre."

Yang cocked an eyebrow at Ruby's statement before she grinned with an almost sinister look. "Just Terre?" Yang poked Ruby in the arm repeatedly. "What about Jai and Rahm?"

Ruby's face flushed red fiercely. "Y-Yeah them too! I just forgot is all." Ruby scrambled to try to salvage the situation.

"Sure you did little sis," Yang teased her mercilessly.

Terre looked at Yang questioningly. Terre was genuinely confused about what Yang was talking about.

"I'm afraid I don't understand what's going on," Terre said.

"Oh don't you worry your cute little head Terre. I'm sure my sis will explain it to you eventually," Yang was grinning from ear to ear at Ruby, who became even redder than before. Nora couldn't help but laugh at Ruby's embarrassment.

Terre looked at his teammates quizzically, but they seemed just as lost as him. The rest of their lunch break was silent. Eventually, they all departed for their afternoon classes.

As team PGRT walked, Rahm looked over at Jai.

"Velvet reminded you of Bunny, didn't she?"

Jai looked at him for a moment.

"Yeah…it felt like I was looking at an older version of her."

"Although Velvet doesn't have the same confidence and determination as Bunny did," Terre chimed in.

Penny looked up at them with a confused gaze.

"Who is Bunny?"

"Bunny…was a good friend," replied Jai.

Penny may not have been an expert in social interactions, but even she could tell that Bunny was clearly someone they cared about. And judging by the use of the word 'was,' she most likely was no longer around.

"Oh," she replied with sadness, "I'm sorry Jai."

"It's fine Penny."

"Would you like to talk about it?"

"No."

Penny didn't press it any further. Jai clearly didn't want to talk about it.

Jaune was asleep with his head resting in his hands while a constantly zooming and fast-talking Professor Bartholomew Oobleck was in the middle of his hyperactive lecture. The energetic professor continued to talk as students struggled to jot down notes. The class had a few familiar faces such as Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, Pyrrha Nikos, Velvet Scarlatina, and a very pissed-off Cardin Winchester who sat directly behind Jaune. Cardin was currently mulling in anger over how he and his team were humiliated by team PGRT. They came in and made them all look weak in front of everyone in the dining hall and that was unacceptable. But what made the whole thing even more unbearable was that he and his team were powerless against them. He didn't know how to describe it, but something felt completely unnatural about those three. It wasn't the fact that they were huge, and it wasn't the fact that they looked tougher than nails. No. It was the look in their eyes. Something about those eyes of theirs spoke to him deep within his soul and they only warned him to not try anything lest he risk grave bodily harm or worse. Cardin did his best to shake himself out of his stupor. He wouldn't let those freaks ruin his fun. If he wanted to keep having fun, he would need to be smart about when and where he did it. Cardin looked over at the blonde dolt in front of him. Cardin smiled sinisterly. Team PGRT didn't have this class and he would take his anger out on this particular loser.

Professor Oobleck was in the middle of a lecture on the history of the Faunus Rights Revolution.

"Yes! Yes, prior to the Faunus Rights Revolution-more popularly known as the Faunus War-humankind was quite, quite adamant about centralizing the Faunus population in Menagerie." He pointed at the map of the said area with his stick, then zoomed off to the side for a sip of his coffee before appearing in front of his desk.

"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!" He zoomed around the classroom more, sipping his coffee again before continuing to zoom about and talk.

"Now! Have any among you been subjugated or discriminated against because of your faunus heritage?"

Some of the students raised their hands. Velvet, after an awkward moment, did the same. Blake watched Velvet with sympathy. Seeing her tormented by team CRDL made her angry beyond comprehension, but there was one thing that irritated her more. The fact that she hid her faunus heritage under her hair bow made her a coward. She should have been representing who she was with pride like Velvet, but she was terrified of being cast out for being what others would call a freak. If there was one thing that gave her hope it was the actions of Penny and her teammates earlier today. Penny wasn't scared to stand up for others, regardless of what they looked like. She went up to those bullies and called them out on their reprehensible actions without a care and her teammates came to back her up without a second thought. She knew that Cardin and his goons would think twice before they bullied a faunus lest they risk running into team PGRT again.

"Dreadful, simply dreadful! Remember, students, it is precisely this kind of ignorance that breeds violence! I mean, I mean, I mean just look at what happened to the 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?"

"The battle at Fort Castle!" Weiss answered.

"Precisely! And, who can tell me the advantage the Faunus had over General Lagune's forces?"

Unseen by the professor, Cardin flicked a paper football at Jaune's head, causing him to wake up.

"Hey!" Yelled Jaune.

Oobleck zoomed over into Jaune's face.

"Mr. Arc! Finally contributing to class! This is excellent! Excellent! What is the answer?"

Jaune didn't know what to say. "Uhhhh... The answer... the advantage... that the faunus..." He looked behind Oobleck and saw Pyrrha, who coughed and motioned to her lips as she gave him the answer. "...had over that guy's stuff..." he saw Pyrrha cup her hands around her eyes. "Uhh... binoculars!" While Jaune looked pleased with his answer, the class laughed at him while Oobleck sipped his coffee. Pyrrha sighed and slapped a hand to her forehead as Cardin pounded his fist on his desk while laughing uncontrollably.

"Very funny, Mr. Arc! Cardin! Perhaps you would care to share your thoughts on the subject!"

Cardin shrugged. "Well, I know it's a lot easier to train an animal than a soldier."

Pyrrha glared at Cardin. "You're not the most open-minded of individuals, are you, Cardin?"

Cardin glared back at the redheaded prodigy. "What? You got a problem?"

Pyrrha ignored his ugly look. "No, I have the answer! It's night vision. Many faunus are known to have nearly-perfect sight in the dark."

Cardin growled at the correct response.

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

Cardin got up from his seat, fist clenched.

"Mr. Winchester! Please take your seat." Jaune laughed at his tormentor's embarrassment. "You and Mr. Arc can both see me after class for additional readings."

Jaune's shoulders slumped. "Oohhhh..."

"Now! Moving on!"

When the lesson ended, Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren walked out of the classroom, only for Pyrrha to stop near the doorway. "You go on ahead. I'll wait for Jaune," she said.

Oobleck sipped his coffee. "You two have been struggling in my class since day one! Now, I don't know if it's a lack of interest, or just your stubborn nature, but whatever it is...it stops now! You've worked hard to gain entrance to this school, and we only accept the best of the best, so I expect you to act like it. History is important, gentlemen! If you can't learn from it... you're destined to repeat it. Pages fifty-one to ninety-one! I want an essay on my desk by next class! Now! Run along." With that, he zoomed out of the classroom and past a waiting Pyrrha in a green and white blur.

Jaune exited the room first with Cardin emerging behind him, pushing the blonde to the ground.

"Ow!" Jaune yelled. Cardin laughed before walking away.

Pyrrha helped pull Jaune back on his feet. "You know, I really will break his legs." Cardin's actions today, first with Velvet and now with Jaune, were pushing the redheaded warrior to her limits. Despite the warning Cardin and his team received from PGRT earlier today, it was clear that Cardin was still going to bully. It seemed he'd turned his full attention to Jaune and that made Pyrrha very angry.

Jaune sighed. Pyrrha felt sad for her leader.

"I have an idea! Come with me!" She grabbed a confused Jaune by the arm and dragged him along as she turned down the corridor. A dejected Jaune and an energetic Pyrrha arrived on the rooftop. There was 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 looked over the edge of the roof, to the confusion of Pyrrha. "I can always be a farmer or something..."

Pyrrha's face was one of horror as she realized what Jaune was implying. "N-n-no!" She pushed Jaune away from the edge. "That's not why I brought you up here!" As they talked, unknown to them, Cardin leaned on the windowsill right below them. "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!"

"Wh-what?"

"We can train up here after class where no one can bother us!"

"You think I need help?"

"N-no! No, that's not what I meant."

"But you just said it."

"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, lowering his head and voice. "You're wrong. I-I don't belong here."

"That's a terrible thing to say! Of course, you do!"

Jaune turned around, now angry. "No, I don't!" He sighed as Pyrrha looked at him confusingly.

"I wasn't really accepted into Beacon..." He turned his back to her so that he didn't have to face her.

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"I mean I didn't go to combat school and I didn't pass any tests. I didn't earn my spot at this Academy!" He looked at her again. "I lied! I got my hands on some fake transcripts, and I lied!"

"What? But... why?"

"'Because this is always what I've wanted to be!" He turned away from her 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!"

Jaune suddenly turned on her, angry and frustrated.

"I don't want help! I don't want to be the damsel in distress! I want to be the hero!" Jaune's anger wasn't directed at her. It was directed at himself. "Look at Penny, Terre, Rahm, and Jai! They're real heroes! They stood up to those jerks without a second thought while I can't even stand up for myself! They're everything I wish I could be. They're the embodiment of strength while I'm…I'm the complete opposite…"

"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?"

Pyrrha attempted to reach out for his arm and console him, but he stepped back from her touch.

"Just... leave me alone. Okay?"

Pyrrha bowed her head sadly. "If that's what you think is best..." She walked away, her footsteps getting softer and softer until she left the rooftop.

Jaune paced back and forth a little until he heard a mocking laugh. Cardin appeared on the roof from his window.

"Oh, Jaune..."

"Cardin!"

"I couldn't help but overhear you two from my dorm room. So, you snuck into Beacon, huh? I gotta say, Jaune, I never expected you to be such a rebel!"

"Please, Cardin, please, don't tell anyone!"

"Jaune, come on! I'd never rat on a friend like that!"

"A... a friend?"

"Of course!" Cardin trapped Jaune in a headlock under his arm. "We're friends now, Jauney boy! And the way I see it, as long as you're there for me when I need you, we'll be friends for a long time." He finally released Jaune, who gasped for air as he leaned on the ground. "That being said, I really don't have time to do those extra readings Dr. Oobleck gave us today. Think you could take care of that for me, buddy?"

Jaune grimaced. This was going to be a living hell.

Pyrrha walked aimlessly through the halls. She didn't have a destination in mind, she just wanted to walk and clear her head of her conflicted feelings. Jaune's revelation and the subsequent conversation left her feeling very worried for her leader and she didn't know what to do. She wouldn't tell anyone about Jaune's secret; she didn't want to make things worse for him. Her aimless wandering brought her to the library, where she decided to settle. The fiery redhead made her way to a secluded corner of the library and sat down at an empty table and began to think about the bombshell announcement Jaune had told her. He was broken and he didn't want anyone's help and that made her feel even worse for him. He needed help but she wasn't sure how to do that.

"Over here Ruby!"

Pyrrha's head jerked up at the sound of Weiss' voice. Not a moment went by before the white-haired heiress appeared from around a bookcase, Ruby following close behind her. They were both dressed in their school uniforms as was Pyrrha. Weiss quickly took notice of the Mistral prodigy sitting alone at the secluded table.

"Pyrrha!" Weiss was genuinely surprised and happy to see her.

"Hey, Pyrrha!" Ruby waved sweetly. Pyrrha smiled. Ruby was always so sweet and innocent, and her presence always brought a smile to her face.

"Hello Weiss, hello Ruby. Are you here to study?"

"Ruby is, I'm just here to make sure she does it." Ruby protested with a "hey!" Weiss rolled her eyes and ignored her leader. "What about you? What brings you here?"

Pyrrha looked down at the table solemnly, further attracting the attention of her two friends.

"What's wrong Pyrrha?" Ruby moved closer to Pyrrha and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"It's nothing," she lied.

Weiss placed her fists on her hips and marched over to Pyrrha with a pouty look on her face. "Oh no you don't! We're not leaving here until you tell us what's got Pyrrha Nikos so down," Weiss pointed a finger aggressively at the huntress prodigy.

Pyrrha sighed. It was pointless to try and hide it from them, it would get her nowhere. "I'm sorry. It…it's just Jaune. He's at a very low point right now and I don't know how to help him, especially since he doesn't want my help."

Pyrrha looked down at her hands which rested on the table. "I can't tell you everything because it is not my place to say, but I know that his constant torment at the hands of Cardin is where this all began."

Ruby was angry, evidenced by the scowl that formed on her once innocent face. Weiss didn't share Ruby's reaction, but one could tell she wasn't happy about what she was hearing.

"And to top it all off, he feels as though he lives in shadows of Penny, Jai, Terre, and Rahm. He views them as the embodiment of what he wishes he could be."

"Then let's get them to get Cardin to leave Jaune alone."

"No Ruby," Weiss replied, "that will only make Jaune feel worse." Ruby looked at the heiress with a quizzical look. Weiss rolled her eyes in slight annoyance. "Think about it Ruby. Jaune views them as these pillars of strength that he wishes he could be. If they were to deal with Cardin for him it would only make him feel worse."

"Oh yeah…" Ruby rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, "you're right."

"I feel that the only person who can help Jaune right now is himself," Weiss stated.

Pyrrha looked a bit disappointed, but she knew deep down that Weiss was right. If they were to get involved, then they would only alienate Jaune further.

"I suppose you're right Weiss. Thank you. Both of you," Pyrrha smiled warmly at her two friends.

"No problem Pyrrha! That's what friends are for!" Ruby enveloped her in a warm hug, which Pyrrha reciprocated with glee. They separated shortly after. "But I can see how Jaune might feel the need to compare himself to Terre and the others. The way they scared Cardin and his loser friends off was really impressive."

Pyrrha smiled. She thought back to how they went to back Penny up without a second thought. "Yes, it was really sweet how Jai returned Velvet's camera. He was so modest about it too," Pyrrha couldn't help but giggle at that memory.

"If you think that was sweet, then seeing Terre hold Penny's hand like a big brother to a little sister was even sweeter," replied Ruby. Pyrrha and Ruby giggled together. Ruby looked over at Weiss who looked at them with amusement. "Right Weiss? Wasn't it sweet?"

Weiss shrugged at Ruby's question. "Not really," Weiss' answer seemed half-hearted. Ruby looked at her skeptically.

"Liar!"

"I am not!"

"I think Ruby might be onto something, Weiss."

Weiss sighed and decided to play along with their antics. "I guess seeing Rahm stop Cardin's fist like that was really cool," she couldn't help but join her friends in their giggling.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Not a lot of action, but I'm trying to tell a story and give it decent development. If you're curious as to who Bunny is, then don't worry. You'll learn more about her as the story progresses. I won't confirm or deny, but you may recall someone in an earlier chapter that may or may not have been Bunny. I'll leave it at that. See you all next time.

-Dude64