King: We return a day late, but not necessarily a dollar short. I don't make money on this anyway~ Any who, that's just how I had to go this time. Since it's a weekend, I'll try to get another chapter out tomorrow to keep pace. We'll see how that goes. Hope you enjoy.
Prompt: Jaune and Pyrrha switch roles in the story
from canvank9
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With the sound of clanging metal and a thud, a massive crowd went off with massive cheers. Standing in the center of the arena stood Jaune Arc, his blade pointed to the neck of his opponent. He was dressed in his combat gear with a full breastplate and fauld with gauntlets and greaves, dark pants and shirt, and a golden sash over his chest. Barely a heavy breath was found as he held strong. He pushed the blade forward a bit, "Yield."
His opponent sighed and his head fell back in defeat. It was the fourth victory for Jaune Arc in the Mistral regional junior combat tournament. Four consecutive years of victories for Jaune Arc, The Paladin of Arcadia. It was a record not likely to be broken. After all, most Junior fighters are in Combat Schools, which are only held for four years. After that, they would go off to Huntsmen Academies or equivalents where they no longer qualify for Junior tournaments. It's likely to make Jaune a household name. An unforgettable fighter and a celebrity unlike any other in Remnant. And it's made him miserable so far.
Let's hope Beacon is better.
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Beacon was better for a while. Then she showed up…
Weiss Schnee. It was impossible not to know who that was. And she was making it clear what she was after. She wanted to be partners to improve her station. Jaune could tell she was likely raised in a harsh household and offered to be her friend, but partners might not happen. He didn't have a plan for joining a partner or team and would just let the pieces fall where they may. For now, he'd make his way to the cliffs and prepare for the initiation. Then he ran into someone. He was able to stay upright, but she seemed to fall from the sudden collision. He reached his hand down toward her with his usual smile, "Sorry about that."
The girl who was knocked over groaned before taking his hand to get some help up off the floor. She was hardly dressed for battle, wearing an oversized sweater and leggings with basic boots, leather fingerless gauntlets, and a simple breastplate. Stuff you could buy anywhere without much hassle. Her red hair was tied up in a tight ponytail, a bit long but clearly controlled. She had bright green eyes and a smile that just melted his heart. But then he heard her voice, "Thank you." That cadence was just so sweet it felt like he'd gotten a toothache. Of course, that might also be because she was the first girl to talk to him that didn't sound like she was putting up a front or screaming over him. That new sensation of normalcy might be shading his impressions.
The girl separated and bowed slightly. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Pyrrha Nikos."
Jaune blinked for a moment before a genuine smile formed on his face. These were rare moments in these days of celebrity. So many days of plastic grins for cameras made moments like this a treasure for the boy. "I'm Jaune. Nice to meet you too."
The she had to get involved again. "Excuse me." Weiss forced herself between the two and practically glared at Pyrrha. "Do you have even the slightest idea who you're talking to?"
Despite towering over the white haired girl, Pyrrha started to shrink away, "I-I'm sorry. I didn't think that-"
She was immediately cut off by Weiss, "Clearly." Weiss huffed, gesturing toward Jaune, "This is Jaune Arc! He's a four time Champion of the Mistral Area junior tournaments. He holds the record for most consecutive victories and is one of the most famous figures on Remnant. A celebrity athlete and a master of combat to the point he's called the Paladin of Arcadia. Did you really think that you should just be casually talking to him like that?"
Pyrrha seemed to shrink away again. "I… I guess not."
The scene was far too much for Jaune to remain as he had. "That's enough." Jaune stepped past Weiss, purposefully moving her out of the way. He placed his hands on Pyrrha's shoulder and stared her down eye to eye to make his point clear. "Listen to me. Don't listen to her. All that stuff doesn't really matter. What matters is here and now. And right now, we're meeting for the first time. We're about to shake hands." Jaune moved slightly and held out his hand toward her as he smiled, "And, if you wanted to, we could be friends."
Pyrrha stared toward him, seemingly overwhelmed, before she smiled from ear to ear and shook his hand. "Yeah! That sounds great!"
Jaune noticed that Pyrrha didn't have a weapon on her person and nodded once to himself, "How about we get the rest of your gear and head over to the cliffs for initiation?"
It was Pyrrha's turn to blink for a moment before she suddenly gasped, "That's what I was doing! I have to get my stuff!" The red-head ran off to her locker, nearly tripping on nothing before swinging her locker open. She scrambled to grab her sword and a bronze shield.
Jaune couldn't help but chuckle at the scene. A side glance showed him the still stunned Weiss as he turned to leave. "Ready when you are, Pyrrha."
"Right!" Pyrrha returned to Jaune's side and they started to walk out together.
Jaune admitted to a small, petty part of himself that got some satisfaction in leaving someone with ulterior motives in the dust. He saw no reason to feel bad for basically throwing the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company under the proverbial bus, since she was pretty obvious in her desire to join his team for her own gain instead of being his actual friend. He was just happy he found someone that seemed genuine. All he had to do now was stand proud, and keep moving forward to the future. With a friend at his side, anything was possible.
I just hope I'm not made a leader or anything. He thought. I don't think I'm cut out for that.
Team JNPR would be formed by the end of the day. And Jaune would find his life getting a lot harder with a hyper-active martial artist, a lackadaisical hammer wielder, and his (clearly) untrained partner. Beacon was going to be a lot harder than he expected.