Cover Art by CHE3ZY.

Work has been kicking me in the teeth lately, but this story always gives me the mental break I need. Hopefully I can have the next chapter out next week but if I can't please be patient.

Please remember to leave your thoughts in the reviews section. It's always good to know what you're all thinking. The feedback and questions I've gotten have definitely helped guide my creative process so please don't stop. And please, please, please vote for your favorite OC on my profile! Here's chapter 17!

Beacon Academy:

The early morning mist covered the entirety of the academy grounds. Even though the sun was still an hour away from rising, it was clear it was going to be a beautiful day. The scenery was truly peaceful. A fox emerged from its den as it sniffed the air and looked about. Beacon Academy's campus included far more than just the dorms, dining hall, athletic facilities, and academic buildings. This fox was living on the large natural preserve of the academy. The preserve was safe from Grimm and allowed students to take a walk or a nice run through the beautiful scenery. Speaking of running, the fox glanced over as it heard something approaching fast. The fox scurried back into its den as a tall figure sped past the den followed by a second and then lastly by a third. The confused fox emerged from its burrow once it was certain the coast was clear.

The sounds of heavy breathing and the crunching of leaves beneath running shoes were all that was heard. There wasn't any lighting on the path and so everything was nearly pitch black. Normally, if someone wanted to run in this sort of environment, they'd need a headlamp or something to illuminate their path, but in this case, the people running were far from normal. Rahm glanced over his shoulder and smirked as his eyes met Jai and Terre who were trailing behind him. Jai wasn't too far behind him, and Terre wasn't too far behind Jai, but there was a significant difference in speed between the three of them. Rahm pumped his arms harder to increase his speed, causing Jai and Terre to do the same, although it was clear that they were struggling to keep up.

Rahm shot another mischievous smirk over his shoulder, earning the ire of his two brothers. Jai's hands knifed through the air as he pushed himself to run faster than he ever had before. Terre was in the same boat as Jai, although he was having even more trouble than him when it came to trying to match Rahm. The three super soldiers were sprinting at full speed at this point, evidenced by the strained sounds of their panting. Creatures of all sorts scurried out of their way to avoid being run over by the three.

The distance between the three of them began to grow noticeably. Rahm held a comfortable lead with Jai several meters behind him and Terre several meters behind Jai. Their enhanced night vision picked up a clearing ahead. The three didn't appear to show any signs of slowing down as they ran out of the woods and into the clear field. In the distance, they could see the light of Beacon tower as well as the lights of some of the buildings. Closer to them, they could see the familiar sight of their newest teammate. Penny was jumping up and down in excitement as she watched them sprint towards her from across the field. The three closed the distance in a matter of seconds and just like that it was over as the three Guardians slowed to a jog and circled back to face Penny.

"That was nothing short of amazing!" She clapped her hands together as she beamed the warmest of smiles at them. The ginger-haired sweetheart retrieved three water bottles from her backpack before she handed them over to the boys. "The three of you completed that ten-mile run in 12 minutes and 2.2 seconds. Your average speed was 49.86 miles per hour. On the final kilometer of your race, my scanners showed Rahm running at 67.78 miles per hour, Jai at 63.53 miles per hour, and Terre at 59.87 miles per hour."

The boys didn't look too surprised. They merely looked satisfied. It wasn't a secret between them that Rahm was the fastest, but it had been a long time since they raced each other. This whole thing was Penny's idea. She didn't just want to see who was the fastest, but she also wanted to see how fast they could run without their armor. Due to the classified nature of their armor, the boys were unwilling to share specifics about it. That didn't stop Penny, though. This race had proven to her that the boys were significantly faster without their armor. She'd suggested they race along the nature trails in the early morning to avoid any prying eyes. The boys didn't need much convincing to go along with it. After all, they merely saw it as another team-building exercise as well as a good workout.

"The fact that none of you utilized aura is nothing short of amazing. I will never understand how it is that you three do it."

And she never would if they had anything to say about it. She'd grown on them, but they had orders. No one, and that meant absolutely no one, was to ever learn about what they truly were. Penny at least made things easy. She ceased pestering them about their amazing abilities ever since she saw the scars that adorned their bodies. However, just because she stopped pestering them didn't mean her curiosity was gone. She had several theories as to what the scars were from, but she couldn't validate anything without more information. She didn't have access to their classified medical records and her scanners were only fitted to scan basic human/faunus physiology such as height, weight, body temperature, heart rate, and aura levels to say the least. Part of her wished she had X-Ray vision. She would need to ask her father if she could have that installed at some point. But at the end of the day, as far as the boys were concerned, Penny was better off not knowing the truth. She was far too innocent to learn the horrifying reality of their enhanced physical abilities.

While the boys drank their water and stretched, Penny was busy monitoring their vital signs. Their heart rates were accelerated…well accelerated for them at least. She was seeing their heart rates in the 90-bpm range. The three super soldiers were panting, a clear sign that they had pushed themselves.

Terre glanced down at his watch and took note of the hour. There was still time to get some more training in. Zero-Six-Nine glanced over to his teammates before he spoke.

"Let's pack up and head back. We've still got time for additional training."

"Sounds good to me," replied Rahm, "that's the bulk of entertainment these days now."

Penny shot Rahm a look.

"I disagree. I think that today will be exciting. We will be going on a field trip to the Forever Fall Forest!"

While Penny looked excited, the same could not be said for her three teammates. Terre merely turned and walked back to campus. Rahm followed after him, then Jai, and lastly Penny.

The Forever Fall Forest:

The beautiful Professor Glynda Goodwitch led teams RWBY, JNPR, PGRT, and CRDL through a stunning forest of red leaves. Some of the students looked around in awe while others could care less. Rahm, Terre, and Jai were among those who didn't find the sight all that wonderous. The three were more concerned in keeping an eye out for any potential threats. This forest was known to crawl with Grimm, and while Grimm weren't exactly a significant threat to their targets, let alone them, they didn't want to take any chances. Penny, however, couldn't get enough of the forest.

"This forest is quite lovely," said the robot girl.

"Yes, students, the forest of Forever Fall is indeed beautiful. But we are not here to sight-see. Professor Peach has asked all of you to collect samples from the trees deep inside this forest, and I'm here to make sure none of you die while doing so."

The group stopped, and Jaune, grunting and carrying a large case with six empty glass jars on top, tried to catch up with them and ended up bumping into Cardin. The bully scowled at Jaune, who attempted to feign innocence by whistling tunelessly

"Each of you is to gather one jar's worth of red sap," Glynda held up an empty jar to help illustrate her point. "However, this forest is full of the creatures of Grimm, so be sure to stay by your teammates. We will rendezvous back here at 4 o'clock. Have fun!"

While Yang and her sister smiled at one another, Jaune attempted to sneak away from Cardin to his team, but the blackmailer saw this and grabbed Jaune by the back. "Come on, buddy - let's go!"

Jaune miserably looked up at his team, where Nora and Ren were already walking into the forest's depths and Pyrrha was staring sadly at him. Dropping his gaze, Jaune turned and followed team CRDL, to the disappointment of a sighing Pyrrha before she walked the other way. Teams RWBY and PGRT followed Ren, Nora, and Pyrrha into the forest.

Team CRDL was making themselves as comfortable as possible by leaning on stones, trees, and the ground while Jaune approached the group with six full jars, setting them down just as he collapsed face-down. Team CRDL got up in response.

"Hey, great work, Jauney boy! Now that wasn't too hard, was it?" Cardin took extra delight in making Jaune's life extra miserable. Although he wouldn't admit it, part of him enjoyed torturing Jaune because of his humiliation at the hands of team PGRT.

Jaune was still on the ground, cross-eyed and looking dizzy. "I think I'm allergic to this stuff..."

"Greeeeat, great, great. So, Jaune, I bet you're asking yourself, 'Why did my buddy Cardin ask me to collect six jars of tree sap when there's only five of us?'"

"That is one of the many questions I have asked myself today, yes."

"Well, come with me, and you'll find out." Jaune gulped in worry.

Jaune and his tormentors were perched on a hilltop overlooking the other students. Team CRDL - plus Jaune, who was squeezed between Cardin and Russel - poked their heads over the crest and watched as everyone was retrieving their samples of sap.

"Cardin, wh-what's going on?"

Cardin was staring at the unsuspecting group sharply. "Payback."

"Wh-what are you-?"

Cardin pounded his fist on the ground. "That's the girl. That red-haired know-it-all thinks she's so smart."

"Why her?" Jaune was confused. "Wouldn't you be angrier with team PGRT?"

Cardin narrowed his eyes dangerously before he grabbed Jaune by the scruff of his collar. "Did I say you could ask questions?"

"N-No," Jaune choked out.

"That's what I thought," Cardin let go of Jaune. Jaune wasn't wrong. Team PGRT had caused him far more humiliation than Pyrrha did, but the difference between them and Pyrrha was that he was actually afraid of those guys. "Alright, boys..." Cardin pulled out a buzzing cardboard box with a large "W" written on its sides. "Last night, old Jaune here managed to round up an entire box of Rapier Wasps, and now, we're gonna put him to work."

Russel grabbed Jaune by the shoulder, who laughed nervously.

"Now, according to one of the essays you wrote for me last week, these nasty things loooove sweets. I'm thinking it's time we teach her a thing or two." The members of CRDL stood up. Cardin yanked Jaune to his feet and shoved the jar into his grasp. "And you're gonna do it."

"Do what?"

"Hit her with the sap!" Cardin leaned in closer to Jaune. "Either that, or I'll have a chat with Goodwitch, and you'll be on the first airship out of Beacon."

Jaune looked down at the jar of sap in his hands and then up at the four grinning bullies. Jaune turned towards the group and aimed his throw at an oblivious and smiling Pyrrha. He tried to calm his nerves and have his shaking hand do the deed, but he ultimately stopped himself from doing what he was about to do.

"No."

"What did you say?"

Jaune gripped the jar tightly. "I said... NO!" He turned and threw the jar at Cardin, instantly recoiling his hands to himself as he looked at Cardin's breastplate covered in sap.

Cardin simply laughed darkly. "Oh, you've done it now..." Jaune humorously laughed to himself once more with his hands still raised in an attempt for defense as Dove Bronzewing and Sky Lark grabbed Jaune's shoulders and threw him towards Cardin, who proceeded to unleash a savage beating upon the poor blonde. The other members of team CRDL watched in delight as their leader beat the leader of JNPR senseless. Jaune was knocked to the ground, groaning in pain as he looked up and saw a sap-covered Cardin looming over him. The bigger warrior picked Jaune up by his collar and grinned while punching him back to the ground.

"You know that wasn't very smart, Jauney boy." The bully picked up a bruised Jaune again while the rest of Team CRDL watched. "I'm gonna make sure they send you back to mommy in teeny tiny pieces."

"I don't care what you do to me..." he looked at Cardin with fury "... but you are not messing with my team."

Cardin momentarily looked shocked. "What? You think talk like that makes you tough? You think you're a big strong man now? You're a weak and pathetic loser!"

Jaune smiled in defiance. An enraged Cardin roared and raised his fist again, but just as the hit connected, a bright light shined from Jaune, and when the white faded, Cardin was crying out in pain as he held his hand. Jaune, on the ground but completely healed, looked on in confusion at his hands as they faintly glowed white. Sky Lark kicked Jaune in the back, leaving him on his stomach. Jaune looked up just in time to see an even angrier Cardin approach.

"Let's see how much of a man you really are..." Just as he said that a low growl was heard, and a surprised team CRDL turned around and saw a huge Ursa Major with dozens of jagged spikes sticking out from its wide back. It leaped forward and stood over the terrified students, lifting its head in the air to smell the sap on Cardin's breastplate. It landed back on its forelegs and roared at Cardin while his teammates fled like cowards.

"That's a big Ursa!" Yelled Russel.

Cardin was rooted to the spot when the Grimm swung its claws and knocked him sideways, revealing Jaune cowering behind him. The Ursa continued to sniff, uninterested in Jaune and following its nose to Cardin. He watched as it towered over Cardin, who found his wits and pulled out The Executioner only for the monster to swipe it away to Jaune's feet. Jaune looked conflicted, wondering whether to fight or run away.

Team PGRT finished gathering their red tree sap. Penny was helping Ruby collect sap while Terre, Jai, and Rahm kept watch for any potential threats. The roar of the giant Ursa was heard by them and the members of teams RWBY and JNPR, still collecting sap.

Ruby jumped up in concern. "Did you guys hear that?" Suddenly, the other members of team CRDL could be seen running away from the roar towards the other students.

"Ursa! Ursa!" Russel yelled before he ran into Yang accidentally.

"What?!" Yang was completely unfazed by him running into her. She picked him up by the front of his shirt. "Where?"

Russel struggled in her grasp and pointed back from where they came. "Back there! It's got Cardin!"

Pyrrha dropped her jar of sap. "Jaune!"

Ruby's eyes narrowed as she got serious. "Yang! You and Blake, go get Professor Goodwitch!"

Yang dropped Russel before she and Blake took off to go find Goodwitch.

Pyrrha turned to Ren and Nora as she and Ruby activated their weapons. "You two, go with them! There could be more!"

Nora and Ren complied and ran after Yang and Blake. Ruby and Pyrrha ran off towards the sound of the Ursa with Weiss, and team PGRT right behind them.

Cardin attempted to run from the Ursa, but it leaped over its prey and clawed him away. He tried to get up and crawl away.

"Crap! Crap, crap!"

Pyrrha, Ruby, Weiss, and team PGRT arrived on the scene just as the Ursa leaned over the helpless Cardin, raising its paw and swiping it down... only to be blocked by Jaune's shield, Crocea Mors, struggling to defend the stunned Cardin. Team PGRT readied their weapons as they prepared to go help but were stopped by Pyrrha who placed a hand to Jai's chest.

"Wait!" Pyrrha wanted to see how things would transpire. Jai looked a bit reluctant, but he nodded towards his teammates who remained where they were.

Jaune yanked the shield out from the Ursa's paw and slashed at its stomach, causing it to lash out and try to crush him. He rolled out of the way and jumped over its swipe at his feet, but he was unprepared for when it launched a claw at him in midair. He landed far away but he immediately jumped back to his feet and passed Cardin as he charged again. The Ursa knocked Jaune away when he tried for a leaping attack. Jaune picked himself up and looked at the scroll in his shield to see that his aura level was in the red. His anger only continued to grow. Jaune had just stood up to Cardin and now he was faced with this Ursa threat. He wouldn't let weakness overcome him again, he would be the person he strived to become.

He started to run at the Ursa as it also began to dash towards him. Just as they were about to clash in, Pyrrha saw that Jaune left himself completely open to the Ursa's attack, and lifted her hand out to him, gathering dark red energy in her arm. Just as the Ursa was about to hit him, the red glow surrounded Jaune's shield, making it lift up to block the swipe. The members of team PGRT were quick to notice the red energy surround Jaune's shield. Jaune used the surprise defensive move to lean on the ground, pushed his shield back up, and swung his blade right through the Ursa's neck. The head fell to the ground as the body slammed onto the ground.

Pyrrha's hand stopped glowing as she smiled. Ruby was staring at the Mistrali champion with wide eyes. Penny's eyes glowed green for the briefest second. A digital image of Pyrrha's aura appeared in her database as she began to analyze the information. The whole process lasted for less than a second.

"Uhhh...what?" Ruby was sort of at a loss for words.

Weiss was equally amazed. She'd always wondered what the Invincible Girl's semblance was.

"How did you...?" Weiss began.

"Well, Ruby has her speed, you have your glyphs. My semblance is polarity."

Ruby looked amazed. "Whoa, you can control poles..." The three super soldiers looked at the silver-eyed girl with semi-confused looks.

Weiss stared at Ruby incredulously before she yelled. "No, you dunce! It means she has control over magnetism!"

"Magnets are cool, too..." Ruby whispered, still sounding impressed.

Pyrrha smiled before she began to walk away. Weiss noticed the red-haired champion leaving.

"Wait!" Weiss yelled, "where are you going?"

"Yeah!" Yelled Ruby. "Shouldn't they know what happened?"

"We could…or we could keep this our little secret," Pyrrha said as she gave Ruby and Weiss a wink over her shoulder.

"I believe it is time to return, Weiss," Penny chimed in. "It appears as though Jaune has everything under control here."

Ruby and Weiss looked at each other for a moment before they followed after Penny and Pyrrha. The Guardians stood back for a moment to survey the area, making sure there weren't any Grimm lurking about, but also because they were mildly curious to see how the situation between Jaune and Cardin would play out.

A bruised Jaune sheathed his weapon before going over to Cardin. Cardin, still covered in sap, looked up at Jaune as his savior offered a hand. Cardin smiled as he took it.

"Holy crap, Jaune! That was insane!"

"Don't ever mess with my team - my friends - ever again." Jaune stared Cardin dead in the eye. "Got it?"

Cardin looked intimidated, possibly even apologetic.

The super soldiers couldn't help but nod in approval at the scenario's ending. Seeing that the area was clear, the Guardians turned and walked back at a brisk pace to catch up with the others. As they walked, Pyrrha glanced over to the members of team PGRT.

"Thank you for not stepping in," she looked at Jai in particular.

Jai shared a look with Rahm and Terre for a moment. The three were a bit confused. She didn't want them to get involved with Jaune's battle, but she did just that. Jai wanted to bring that point up, but he remembered from his classes with Dr. Lockhart that there were times and places for bringing up points like that; so, he decided to refrain from it.

"I trusted your judgment Pyrrha," replied Jai. His words were genuine.

He had seen the prodigy from Argus perform during class sparring sessions and it was vividly clear that she was the strongest, most skilled student at Beacon barring him and his Guardian brothers.

"And we trust Jai!" Penny yelled with enthusiasm as she enveloped Jai in a surprise hug. Jai awkwardly hugged her back. Penny let go but not before she took hold of Jai's hand. Pyrrha smiled before giggling at the display of sibling-like affection that Penny showed. "Professor Goodwitch is going to be thrilled when she learns about this!"

Beacon Academy:

"You wanted to see me Professor Ozpin?"

The Headmaster of Beacon looked up from his scroll and to the young man who just entered his office.

"Mr. Arc," he replied, "thank you for coming on such short notice. Please, have a seat."

The leader of team JNPR did as he was instructed and sat down in the chair in front of Professor Ozpin's desk.

"So…" the blonde began, "what did you want to talk to me about?"

"I spoke with Professor Goodwitch. Miss Polendina had quite the story for her. I understand that you saved Mr. Winchester from an Ursa earlier today?"

Jaune looked a bit uneasy.

"I wouldn't phrase it like that, sir."

Ozpin smiled.

"I see that you are humble like your great-great-grandfather."

Jaune looked confused. Before he could ask how he could have possibly known that Ozpin spoke again.

"The memoirs of the last King of Vale mention your great-great-grandfather and his heroics. Quite the remarkable man from what I read."

"Oh…yeah…thank you, sir."

Jaune's father told him and his sisters stories about their great-great-grandfather. Jaune had read about the exploits of his great-great-grandfather himself and found that the stories his dad told matched the written records. To say that the man was anything short of amazing would have been a gross understatement. He was part of the whole reason Jaune wanted to become a Huntsman in the first place.

"Though I must say that your actions are in stark contrast to the abilities you've previously shown. In fact," he sipped from his mug, "they're more in line with what was indicated on your transcripts."

Jaune felt his heart skip a beat. He knew.

"Uh…"

"Mr. Arc, let's shoot straight, shall we? After all, integrity and honesty are crucial to the foundations of a Huntsman are they not?"

Jaune sighed. This was it. There was no getting around it any longer. He had to come clean.

"Professor Ozpin," he began, "there's something you should know. I'm a liar. I forged my transcripts to get into Beacon. I wanted to be a Huntsman and so I went to the lengths of cheating to get into this Academy. I have no business being here, let alone being the leader of team JNPR."

The Headmaster took another sip from his steaming mug.

"What exactly happened in the forest today, Mr. Arc?"

"Cardin found out that I had forged my transcripts. He was blackmailing me. I did whatever he told me to do like his homework. Today he wanted me to gather the tree sap for his team, but he wanted me to gather more. I found out that he wanted more so that he could have me throw the jars at Pyrrha and humiliate her. I refused to do it because while he could do whatever he wanted to with me, I wouldn't let him hurt Pyrrha. I dumped the sap on him instead and it attracted an Ursa. The rest is history sir."

Ozpin hummed in thought.

"So, you're saying that even though Mr. Winchester could have exposed your lie, you denied self-preservation to protect your teammate?"

Jaune nodded.

"What do you think I should do Mr. Arc?"

Jaune looked perplexed.

"I…I don't understand what you mean sir."

"What do you think should be the appropriate course of action I should take?"

Jaune said nothing. He sat there wondering what to say to the ancient magical warrior. After a few minutes of deep thought, the blonde teenager spoke up.

"Sir, I'm in no position to say what you should do. Someone like me doesn't deserve that luxury."

"There you go again, selling yourself short Mr. Arc. You are teeming with potential and yet you do not see it. The fact that you admitted that you lied speaks volumes of your character."

"Thank you, sir, but…"

"Therefore, I have decided that you, Mr. Winchester, and his team will be placed on conduct aptitude probation."

Jaune couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"I…I'm not expelled?"

"That would be a waste of potential Mr. Arc. Yes, you have made mistakes, but you've proven yourself to be an exceptional leader with character. I am aware of team CRDL's treatment of Ms. Scarlatina. Combine that with their blackmailing of you and their attempts to harass Ms. Nikos and they are on thin ice. They are aware of their punishment and so I doubt that they will be misbehaving again."

"You really think I belong here, sir?"

"I do Mr. Arc, so please prove that I am right."

With new resolve, Jaune nodded.

"Thank you, sir. I promise I won't let you down."

"I look forward to seeing your progress, Mr. Arc."

The two stood up and shook hands. Jaune turned and left Ozpin's office with new resolve. He would strive to do better. He had to be better.

Later that night, on top of the dorm building, a uniformed Jaune stood on the edge and looked out into the distance at the green lights of Beacon.

"No Cardin tonight?" Pyrrha approached from behind him. "I thought you two were best buds?"

Jaune turned to her. "Pyrrha... I'm sorry. I was a jerk. You were only trying to be nice, and... I had all this stupid macho stuff in my head-"

"Jaune! It's okay!" The two smiled at each other. "Your team really misses their leader, you know." She began to walk away. "You should come down! Ren made pancakes! No syrup, though - you can thank Nora for that!"

Jaune remembered what Ruby told him last night when he went to talk to her. He had deemed himself a complete failure, but Ruby made him realize that he couldn't afford to be anymore. He had a team to lead. Jaune smiled before he called out to her "Wait!" Pyrrha turned around, and Jaune looked at her sheepishly. "I know I don't deserve it after all that happened, but... would you still be willing to help me... to help me become a better fighter?"

Pyrrha turned around so that the worried Jaune wouldn't see her satisfied smile. She walked up to Jaune and suddenly pushed him to the ground.

"Hey!"

Pyrrha stood over him with her hands on her hips. "Your stance is all wrong. You need to be wider and lower to the ground." She offered him her hand, which he graciously accepted. "Let's try that again."

Penny sat on her bed, staring absentmindedly towards the other side of the room. Terre and Jai were playing chess while Rahm was cleaning his partisan. Zero-One-One glanced down at his watch and took note of the time before he looked up at Penny, taking note of her absentminded stare. She'd been staring silently at the wall on the other end of the room for the better part of ten minutes. It was very unusual for her to go this long without talking.

"Is everything ok Penny?"

Terre and Jai looked up from their game of chess, turning their full attention to their team's positive bundle of energy.

Penny blinked. She looked at Rahm and smiled.

"Everything is fine Rahm. Why do you ask?"

"Because you've been staring at the wall for several minutes and haven't said anything. That's not exactly normal for you."

"I am sorry. I have been busy analyzing Pyrrha's semblance. I am curious about it."

The three super soldiers looked at her with interest until Jai spoke up.

"How so? Didn't she say it was polarity?"

"She did," replied Penny with a pensive look on his face. "Do you know what polarity fully entails?"

"She can control magnetism. Specifically, ferromagnetism, right?" Asked Rahm.

"That was my first assumption," replied Penny. "However, Jaune's shield does not contain iron, nickel, cobalt, or any combination of the three."

The three Guardians looked at her questioningly.

"How do you know that?" Asked Terre.

"I asked him when we returned to Beacon from the Forever Fall Forest," she replied with a smile. "I blame my curiosity."

They continued staring at her. That sounded like her. Her curiosity was one of her defining traits.

"In any case, by my calculations," she said, "Pyrrha's semblance extends beyond the ferromagnetic. There are four fundamental interactive forces: the weak nuclear force, the strong nuclear force, gravity, and electromagnetism. If Pyrrha can exert control over non-ferrous materials it is because she can manipulate electromagnetism." She paused to ensure they were listening. "All atoms contain electromagnetic fields and even light itself falls under the electromagnetic spectrum. She could, in theory, manipulate light or liquify metals by amplifying the electromagnetic fields around them."

The boys glanced at one another. Penny's analysis was nothing short of impressive, as was the true extent of Pyrrha's semblance. The ability to manipulate electromagnetism was a truly powerful semblance. Whether or not Professor Ozpin knew the true extent of her semblance was unknown, but her prodigious combat abilities combined with her semblance made her the ideal candidate for the Fall Maiden's powers.

"She truly holds a powerful semblance," said Rahm, "definitely one of the most powerful I've seen."

"Out of curiosity, what are the most powerful semblances you have seen?" Asked Penny.

"Professor Goodwitch's telekinesis is one of them, the Schnee family glyph semblance is another, Ms. Xiao Long's ability to increase her strength via the damage she takes, and even Specialist Amin's ability to freeze anything he points at are among them," replied Rahm.

"What others?" She asked.

This time it was Jai who spoke up.

"The ability to possess another person's body, the ability to negate the semblances of others, and the ability to see a few seconds into the future among others," Jai said nonchalantly.

Penny looked astonished.

"Amazing," she said, "who were the people who possessed these semblances?"

There was an awkward silence and Penny noticed it immediately. It remained like that for a minute until Terre spoke.

"Old friends," he said, "friends who aren't around anymore."

"Oh…" she said, "I-I am sorry."

"There's nothing to be sorry for, Penny," replied Rahm.

Penny didn't press it further. She knew when they didn't want to talk about certain subjects. She moved to change the subject of the conversation.

"Semblances have always interested me. Sadly, I do not have a semblance," she said with a frown. "I do not know if I will ever develop one. My father is hopeful for me, though. Speaking of my father, I have him to thank for being able to better understand all semblances...including your semblances." She smiled at her three teammates, who looked back at her with slightly confused expressions.

She focused her attention on Rahm. "Rahm can make himself unmovable and invulnerable to any sort of damage, but from what I have seen, he cannot move while he uses it."

She then looked at Jai. "Jai can siphon the aura and energy of whoever he touches to replenish his own reserves, temporarily increase his own reserves, or transfer the energy to whoever he touches. However, if my calculations are correct, he cannot absorb too much otherwise he could risk serious injury. Like a battery, the excessive voltage will lead to an overcharged battery which can cause the battery to explode or become useless."

Lastly, she looked at Terre. "Terre possesses what I refer to as soul alchemy. He can manipulate whatever he touches by weakening its structural integrity, strengthening it, or melding it with something else to turn it into a different substance. According to my data, this is all heavily dependent on several factors. His aura level and the size and composition of what he is transforming. Smaller objects and areas of change only require the most minimal of effort, while bigger and/or tougher amounts of change will deplete his aura. Additionally, larger transmutations will take more time for him to complete, thus potentially rendering him vulnerable in the middle of any change. Although he has not demonstrated it, I hypothesize that he can take his semblance one step further, but he runs the risk of shortening his lifespan or ending his own life outright by tapping into his deepest reserves to disintegrate objects or beings down to nothing."

The boys said nothing. They merely stared at her while she continued to smile innocently. Everything she said was correct, but what left them speechless was the fact that they had never told her what their semblances were or what their weaknesses were. So, this is what the Ace Ops must have felt like when they spouted off facts about their background and abilities despite never actually meeting them before. It certainly felt uncomfortable. They weren't angry with her by any means, however. It would be very hard for them to be angry with her. She'd grown on them. She was like a little sister in a way.

Terre decided to break the silence.

"That was an interesting analysis you gave on Pyrrha's semblance. Though, we would appreciate it if you kept the information about our semblances classified."

"Certainly Terre! You have my word!"

While they weren't fond of the detailed analyses of their semblances, they did find the information about Pyrrha's semblance very interesting. It raised a few questions in the back of their minds. Now that they knew the extent of her semblance, they weren't sure how Penny would fare against her. She had an extremely powerful semblance, that much was certain. If she were to use her semblance to its full power, then it was quite possible Penny would not be able to get anywhere near her. Pyrrha would certainly prove a challenge if any of them were to face her in their Wraith suits. Luckily, though, that would never happen. Her safety was a priority.

The ringing of Jai's scroll earned his attention. He retrieved it and opened his messages. Speak of the devil. Pyrrha had sent him a message.

Hey Jai. Can we talk in the library tomorrow?

Jai's fingers moved about the touchscreen as he typed his reply.

What time?

The Next Day:

"What did you need to speak to me about Pyrrha?"

Jai and Pyrrha sat at a desk in the library. The two were currently dressed in their school uniforms. They were in between classes at the moment.

"I wanted to ask something of you, and I wanted to do it in person." Pyrrha paused for a moment, but seeing how Jai was listening, she continued. "Would you help me train Jaune?"

Jai looked a bit confused. "Train him?"

Pyrrha nodded.

"His skills need work, Jai. He needs help."

"You think I can help him? Why me?" Jai was genuinely curious. He wasn't saying no, but he wasn't sure why Pyrrha was asking him.

She nodded again. "I do. And why not you? Your fighting skills are superb. And when you're not with your team, you're with mine." Pyrrha gave him a friendly smile.

She wasn't wrong. When he wasn't with his team, he was with JNPR. Granted, he was only there to keep an eye on Pyrrha. Jai didn't have a particular urge to help train Jaune but considering how Pyrrha was asking him it was a different story. She was his mission.

However…

There was one thing that was clawing at his mind.

"I will help you Pyrrha."

Pyrrha smiled. "Thank you, Jai!"

"But I have a question for you."

The Invincible Girl nodded, waiting for his question.

"I'm merely confused is all. Yesterday when Jaune was fighting that Ursa you stopped Terre, Rahm, Penny, and me from trying to help him. You thanked us for not getting involved but you used your semblance to help him. Why?"

Pyrrha didn't know what to say. She knew Jai wasn't saying it, but she knew that she had acted hypocritically. If she hadn't stopped team PGRT from stepping in, then Jaune would have been robbed of his moment.

His moment…

Now that she really thought of it, she had done what she wanted to keep team PGRT from doing. She had robbed Jaune of his moment. Despite just wanting to help Jaune, Pyrrha felt terrible.

"I see how I was a bit of a hypocrite," she admitted, "I really wanted Jaune to handle it on his own. I waited as long as I could but if I hadn't stepped in, then Jaune would have been seriously hurt or worse…killed."

The super soldier nodded.

"I understand why you decided to step in, Pyrrha," replied Jai, "and I can understand why you want to train him. You're right, he's not ready."

Pyrrha nodded painfully. Jai was right. Jaune wasn't ready. He needed more training. She was happy to know that he would help her train him.

"Are you going to tell him?"

"W-What?" Pyrrha wasn't prepared for that question.

He asked again. "Are you going to tell him?" His question was genuine.

"I…I don't know," she replied. "Should I? Would that destroy his self-confidence?" She too was genuine with her question. She'd made great progress in repairing some of Jaune's self-confidence. If she told him that she was partly responsible for him taking on that Ursa then she wasn't sure how he'd take it.

Jai shrugged his shoulders. "As of right now, I don't know the answer to that. I'm not sure if telling him would be beneficial to him or not. All I know is that it isn't my place to decide anything. All I do know is that I'll help you with whatever you need to train him."

Pyrrha breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn't decided on whether or not she'd tell Jaune, and that was certainly eating at her. But the fact that Jai was fully on board to help her made her happy. It would make training Jaune a lot easier.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you recall in Volume 8, Penny was able to analyze and understand Ruby's semblance better than she could (inconsistencies aside). I wanted to have that applied here to have you understand what the boys' semblances are. The boys would be highly unlikely to talk about their semblances so Penny was the best option to help understand. As you can see, Pyrrha is struggling to determine if she should tell Jaune that she aided his victory over the Ursa. Let's see what happens. The point here is that things are going to begin to change. Not necessarily drastically, but changes are happening.