Jaune felt his heart beating faster than any dance workout or any test from school.
He walked behind Mr. Xiao Long and his mother, walking through Signal's gigantic halls twice as largely as his school's own he couldn't stop his nervous fidgeting as his eyes wandered the walls.
When both Jaune and his mother they were met by a huntsman in a khaki jacket and shorts, looking like a martial artist from the apocalypse.
Jaune thought he looked so cool.
And after his mother showed him the entrance letter to the man he said that he would lead them towards the headmistress, his voice laden with warmth and excitement.
Thus continued Jaune's most anxiety inducing trek of his life.
Or how his father would say, 'of my life... thus far!'
"You okay there sonny?" Jaune jumped at the sudden worry, his mother chuckled at his expense.
He would have glared at her if he wasn't nervous out his mind.
'Damn my short attention span!'
"Y-yeah! Totally, why would I- pffft why would I be nervous hah! " His mother was on the verge o laughter.
"Don't try too hard kiddo." He returned as he ruffled Jaune's already ruffled hair.
Ruffled squared.
Dismissing his math he fixed his hair just in time as they reached a metal automatic door, as they stepped near it opened with a mechanical swish.
As they stepped inside, Jaune saw a familiar face stand next to another new one.
The faunus showed Jaune a toothy smile.
"Congratulations kid! Welcome back to signal!" The young blonde couldn't hide his excitement even if he wanted to, a smile creeping on to his face.
"Hello there Jaune, I've heard of you from Maple here." The man in the dark suit called out to him, raising his mug.
His hair was a dark gray, a mug in one hand and a- stick? Sword? Whatever in the other, a soft expression on his face.
He was suddenly elbowed by his mother, oh right he forgot to introduce himself and was now akwardly staring at possibly a proffesional huntsman.
"U-uh, I'm Jaune Arc of the Arc family. N-nice to meet you sir." He akwardly let out.
"And I'm his mother Juniper, I'm thankful for the chance all of you gave my son." His mother followed through. The man nodded.
"And do you know me perhaps." Oh, uh oh.
He looked at his mother for help only to find out that his mother was equally confused, she didn't really know much about huntsman from the kingdoms since she was practically born and raised in the frontiers until she met Gris.
Their collective panic was cut off by the soft chuckling of the bespectacled headmaster.
"hahaha, oh dear both of you are quite the change of pace. And no, it's not because both of you are what the snobs of vale would call 'backwards countryside bumpkins.' It's more along on who both of you are related with."
Dad...
"My name is Ozpin, headmaster of Beacon academy." And their faces returned to a panic, their mouths a mimicry of a perfect 'O'.
Even Jaune has heard of the most prestigious academy in all of Vale, if not the entire world! -Er, much against Atlas' belief that they were number one, the rest of the world thought different-
"Mr. Ozpin, was it perhaps you that sent out Jaune's acceptance letter?" His mother snapped out of the daze first.
"Yes, I'm quite impressed you could tell the difference."
"Well, it being hand written instead of being printed was a hint. But that's not all I wanted to ask, why an internship? If he managed to pass the entrance exam why isn't it an ordinary congratulatory letter instead?"
"Let me handle this part Ozpin." The sole faunus in the room spoke up."It WAS my decision to give the chance of internship to Jaune."
Maple stepped forward standing next to Ozpin, Jaune could see Mr. Taiyang show a smile.
"The thing is... Jaune... failed the entrance exam." Jaune was completely confused and so was his mother. "What I did see in you was potential and your determination, hard not to when you have seemingly zero training."
Jaune would have had his neck snap from whiplash if words had the ability to cause blunt trauma.
"Gee thanks..." A mutter came from his mouth.
"It would have been a shame if we didn't give that determination it's due... the high AP didn't hurt either." She shrugged.
huh?
"AP is the unit used in measuring aura." Mr. Taiyang suddenly said. "It's measured as how many standard issue Atleasian rifle rounds at a time a person with aura can handle, a single point a single round." He explained with some mirth.
"You can imagine how hard it was to round out the world average, 'Sir would you care to be shot at by multiple cartridges of rifle munition for science?' haha!" Maple continued, putting on a false accent while putting her hands together ina prayer position. Her jovial nature calming Jaune down, his face softening. "Oh it's around 275 by the way! Point blank."
"We are sending out this information to the public this very year." Ozpin finished. "Speaking of information, did your parent speak to you about your own AP?"
Yes she did, Jaune thought. In between the statuses of his weight, eye sight and other general health checks was an odd box, AP written on it.
The number written next to it was 1780.
Jaune nodded.
Ozpin nodded as well, continuing after a sip from his mug. -Jaune wondered what was inside.-
"That, quite frankly, ridiculous number is the main factor of why we chose you for this internship, a special chance to hone your skills..."
"But not as a huntsman?" Jaune asked "Yes." Ozpin answered immediately. "We wish for you to test weaponry actually, we assure it is safe." The headmaster looked towards his mother.
"If... if I do join, would I be able to become a huntsman?" Jaune asked, his voice weakend.
Ozpin, Taiyang and Maple all shared a look. A genuine smile creeped up Maple's features "Yes." she answered, her voice laced with warmth.
"I'll join! I-I mean if it-that's ok mom..." The tiny blonde's sudden outburst surprised all in the room, his sudden loss of confidence caused a few chuckles reddening the boys cheeks.
"Your father promised that if you managed to pass he'd finally let you undergo huntsman training, and I think this counts as passing..." Juniper brought her finger to her lips in thought. "And you know the saying..." A smile on her lips.
"An Arc never goes back on their word..." Jaune smiled back.
"By the way young Arc, why is it that you wish so much to be a huntsman?" Ozpin spoke up. "I wish for you to be honest, please. Even if it's something like a wish to be famous or popular, it's fine as long as it's that is what you truly want"
"I... I..." Jaune stuttererd.
"I... I mean, yeah I want both of those things too but, I wanted to uphold the family business. And I..." He started, his eyes, filled with uncertainty and anxiety was slowly replaced with eyes of cerulean steel.
"I... I... I!"
"I can't breath...!" This was it... Jaune was going to die, by his own sisters even!
"Girls calm down!" Rouge! His eldest sister Rouge came to his rescue, her voice scattering the pack of little girls squeezing their brother. Jaune felt the sweet non-existant taste of air flow into his lungs.
"But Rouge! Jaune's leaving us!" Verte the always energetic tomboy was oddly sensitive.
"We won't be able to play anymore!" "Yeah! Play!" The twins, Marine and Azule, cried out.
"Uuuh..." The ever calm Teal was sniffing hard, her glasses were foggy from her quick breathes.
"Can't believe Jaune left Ansel before, but... I'm happy for you little bro, sorry for the over reaction." Saphron spoke wiping away her tears.
"Don't go Jaune." Violet ignored Rouge, running back into Jaune crying. Her arms wrapping Jaune in another tight hug.
"Now now Violet, Jaune is going to make his dream come true." Juniper pulled Violet back.
"Jaune!" Everyone flinched as a loud baritone voice screamed and chuckled as their father in full gear ran towards them, multiple bags filled with an assortment of goods in tow. "I'm sorry I'm late, here's some strawberry jam, fresh bread, extra deodorant, armor polish, four different types of motion sickness medicine, fresh underwear, a book on picking up girls, multiple candies, a cooking book, another pair of our home's keys, a packet of co-"
"Ok Gris, that's more than enough for Jaune. We'll still be delivering him allowance every month so he'll still be fine. Let him keep the jam, polish, keys and deodorant... And the medicine." She took out the groceries she thought were useful and packed them into Jaune's bag.
"And Jaune..." His mother's voice was filled with... an emotion Jaune didn't know. Maybe it was a few different emotions, Jaune couldn't tell.
"You'll do great!" She wrapped her arms around her sole son.
"Thanks mom..." Jaune returned the gesture, yet he slowly released his grasp as the speakers of the port suddenly spoke up.
"The bullhead headed towards Vale will be leaving in 30 minutes, 30 minutes." The automatic message sounded.
"Thanks mom... I'll be going now." He grabbed his bag. Slowly stepping away from his family.
"Bye Jaune!" "Good luck Jaune!" "Go Kick some Grimm but!" "Don't die bro!" "Yeah bro!" "It's practically scientifically proven that Arc's kick the most but! So go for it bro!" "Love you bro!" All the sisters shouted for Jaune, it was the first time in the long time were he felt as though his dream was taken seriously.
He felt like he was finally accepted.
Jaune looked back and waved, he could see their faces, his sisters were crying, his mother looked towards him with warm eyes, his father looked jittery. He was probably worried about me getting hurt... 'maybe he wouldn't get worried if he trained me...'
He stepped in with the only few people who semi-regularly left town, merchants and farmers mostly.
'This was it huh? The start of my journey...' He thought as he sat down, placing his bag on the seat next to him.
A deep breath broke from his lips, said lips turned into a frown the moment he realized the infernal contraption he sat on was, grabbing the medicine from his bag. Taking one more look at the shining white metal scabbard inside.
Grabbing the handle, he couldn't really believe it. He was truly holding this family heirloom, he was holding Crocea Mors.
"Honey are you really sure he needs to move to Patch?" Gris worriedly asked his better half.
"Do you really want Jaune to do a three to four hour trip every morning?" Gris could only grumble.
"I thought you were against him becoming a huntsman too anyway..."
"I still do, but seeing him torture himself by thinking he isn't good enough, to see his own father inside him yet not having a chance to cultivate that side of him." Juniper's voice was soft yet strong.
"And besides, if he's anything like you he'd do great."
"I'm worried that he'd do too great at it..." Gris grimaced as the aircraft prepared for lift off.
Jaune followed Mr.Ozpin and Mr.Taiyang, they both escorted him the moment he dropped off the bus to Signal.
The wide halls of Signal slowly became familiar to him, the way they were going it seemed to lead towards the training room.
"You sure you don't want me to carry all that for you?" Mr.Taiyang asked, looking back towards the young child and his large .
"Huh? Oh, it's cool, I can do it by myself."
Jaune then thought of what weapon they would have him test, his imagination working over time.
Imagery of large laser guns, metallic gauntlets, staves filled with dust of all kinds. But one thought prevailed among the rest, of Jaune standing atop a hill, a shining sword of blinding gold in one hand and his family shield shining a pearl white light in the other. Enemies of mankind trembling before his feet, everyone would look up to him, his father would finally believe him, his ancestors would be proud of him, all the girls would want to da-
"You ok there kid? You zoned out there for a bit." As Jaune snapped out of his day dream he saw that they reached the training room. His nemesis, the dreadful Atleasian security droid stood within the center.
"Oops, sorry." He felt his anxiety come back full force, rubbing his arms in anxiety.
"Well then, now that we are here, we are to begin the most important part of any huntsman's life. From this point onwards you will gain power to save people yet at the same time, you will bare the weight of the name guardian." Mr.Ozpin stated.
Mr.Ozpin kneeled down to Jaune's height, laying down his mug on the floor. Reaching towards Jaune with his right hand, palm open. Jaune looked towards the man's palm with it's rough and callused texture, a mirror image of his father's, he dropped his bag to the ground and slowly reached forward ready to join the ranks of his ancestors as a warrior guardian of mankind.
He grasped the bespectacled headmaster's hand, his own was dwarfed by the one his was held in. As Jaune held his breath, Mr.Ozpin began
"For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all, infinite in distance and unbound by death. I release your soul and by my shoulder protect thee."
As Ozpin continued the mantra, his body was glowing a dull green light. Jaune's hand that grasped Ozpin's was engulfed in green only for it to turn a beautiful shade of white, Jaune watched as this ivory glow crawl upon his own body enveloping him in a warm glow almost as if he was covered in a dull summer light as power he didn't knew he had flowed within his vains.
'Is this really me?' Jaune couldn't believe that this power was his, he, who couldn't even stop a bully without having his sisters save him from the people that he as the sole heir of the Arcs who wished to continue the family line to do, his duty.
"I get the feeling kid, a lot of huntsman remember the day they got their aura unlocked as a really big day." Mr.Taiyang commented as he pat Jaune's head, Jaune supposed he said it to relieve Jaune's worries yet he could remark in his head that the fact that what he said ment that Jaune wasn't special... "Though normally we would have the students unlock their auras on their own until the last minute, but your situation is quite different to say the least." He added.
"There's also the fact that aura also changes as time passes on, getting stronger with the wielder but that's a talk for another time."
"Though the ceremony isn't the only thing we will have you go through." Mr.Ozpin's words woke him from his self-deprecation bringing him back to his thoughts of secret weaponry, his excitement palpable.
"For the rest of your internship you shall see this weapon as an extension of yourself, a partner if you will, similar to the bond between a huntsman and their weapon. Now close your eyes and hold out your hands..." Jaune closed his eyes in an instant, his face looked as if he was a child being given a present by their parents.
Jaune could hear clattering and the telltale sounds of metal, feeling a sudden weight lay upon his hands his anxiety skyrocketed!
"Open your eyes child..." Jaune didn't needed to be told twice, excited at his soon to be sorta-partner thing.
And as he opened his eyes behold him a shining! Metal... box.
Looking around he saw both huntsmen smile warmly at him, waiting any second for the prank to end...
...
"Is-Is this it?" Jaune finally asked.
"Dear me, I nearly forgot." Mr.Ozpin panicked as he took out a card and placed it on top of the box.
Jaune had to be missing something. The card looked like a playing card with a beetle on it, an image of a spade on top of it's carapace.
'Oh!' Jaune thought to himself, this would surely transform into a weapon right!
"D-does it turn into a sword?"
"No." The headmaster replied flatly.
"Is it a remote control to a robot?"
"Nah." The other blonde stated.
"Does it turn into a gun?"
"The obvious answer but incorrect."
"What is it?" Jaune asked, genuinely confused.
"It's a belt buckle." Ozpin answered, joy in his voice.
"I-I, what?"
"Come on kiddo, slap it on your waist, put it over your own belt." Taiyang insisted.
'Well it was worth trying.' And with a shake of his head he decided to slap it over his belt holding the card in the other hand.
A sudden zipping sound came from the buckle, a dozen red cards came out from the side connecting itself to the other side forming itself into a belt.
Jaune felt like his heart skipped a beat, grabbing the suddenly formed belt, it wasn't like it was too tight or anything but suddenly having two belts wasn't something anyone wouldn't be surprised.
"That belt is the key to the fight against the Grimm. This belt is called the Blay rouzer, the second finished belt made for the Masked rider series." Ozpin's voice was filled with steel.
"This belt grants the user the ability to use a special made armor, this armor is not only extremely durable and has the ability to multiply the power of aura." Ozpin stood up once more walking towards the ring, stepping inside.
"That card's the key for it, but first! Go follow Ozzie up there." Taiyang added.
Jaune followed the order, eyeing the card. It just looked and felt like a normal card to him. He however still took the steps towards the Headmaster upon the ring, wishing to hear more.
"Jaune... if you truly wish to go down this path, the path of not only a huntsman, but as a soon to be Masked rider then I must say the truth. Most of what your father said was true, there will be suffering, there will be loneliness and people would treat you as a tool." Jaune felt shivers down his spine, the thought of what his father said was true, but why did Mr.Ozpin knew? Jaune asked.
"Your father was very passionate about his belief of the world last we met, since I heard of an Arc attempting to enter Signal I thought he had changed his mind..." Ozpin had a far away look on his face.
"Even still... would you still face the darkness?"
Jaune... Jaune felt... he... he...
"Yes... I want to..."
"Then that card is the key towards that path, place it upon your that slot within the buckle and pull the lever."
Jaune looked upon the card once more, turning it over and over, the image of the beetle slowly burned it's way into his brain. He looked down, the metal buckle had a small glass window and a slot to slide it in, the lever was on the left.
He slid it in, the face forward and immediately a large beeping sound emitted from the belt.
Taiyang pulled out his scroll, putting out an application with 'Sync rate' written on it, the numbers on screen fluctuating.
"Remember Jaune, remember what you told me in that interview for that is what will truly make you a hero..."
Jaune nodded, his mouth dry and hands shaking from anxiety. But he will do it, he had to...
Pulling the lever the glass face plate flipped over, the image of a golden spade behind crimson replaced the glass pane but more importantly...
"Turn up." A robotic voice sounded as large holographic image of the card came out of the belt...
"Go forward Jaune." Ozpin insisted and in one last gulp he stepped into the light.
The light formed around Jaune, forming armor across his torso, greaves and boots formed across his arms and legs, a dark undersuit formed over and an image of a spade upon his chest plate. His eyes, the color of the ocean was covered in a blanket of crimson, compound eyes, a single silver horn emerged from the forming helmet around his head as a single emerald gem lay on top of his forehead shining.
And he felt power unlike anything he knew.
The power given to him by aura was warm, as if it was a mother's hug, something that felt natural . But this armor... it felt like lighting, strokes of power was sent through each muscle, it was like lighting, it raged through his spine uncontrollably, it was like lighting. Unbearable.
"Gh! ...Ack!" Jaune's pained grunts echoed throughout the arena as electricity surged from his body.
"Ozpin, the fusion rate's destabilizing!" Taiyang shouted.
"Jaune! Listen to my voice... remember why you are here!"
Why he was here? To uphold the Arc name... "Ack!" To become a hero... "Kuh!" No... no...
As the pain continued his mind rolled back, until a memory returned to him- of a trip away from town. Jaune left his sisters and adventured into the woods, the lake's reflection shining through forest, as if sapphire glowed through beautiful greenery. It beckoned him...
Yet as he walked through nature's path no sooner did eyes of crimson and a mask of bone white descended upon him, his sister Rouge was the first to notice himself missing and was the first to see Jaune.
Jumping, she grabbed her brother and fled, the monster striking her back and in an instant a flash of silver struck the beast, his father stood with his weapon drawn.
His sister bleeding above him, because of him, because he was dumb and weak. He wanted to be like his father, to be strong, so that could never happen again.
Luckily Rouge's wound was shallow, yet Jaune's was already set on his path because of it.
'I want to save people.' And this power is what is going to help him accomplish that, he grit his teeth and steeled his nerves. He could feel his bones creek through his gloves from how hard he clenched them, the armor that formed around him clanking and jingling from his body's convulsions.
"The fusion rate's stabilizing Oz! Thank the Gods." Taiyang breath a sigh of relief, the numbers on his screen stopped fluctuating from extremes.
Ozpin looked at the silver clad warrior before him, the face plate was rough and oddly organic, a ferocious mouth plate under two crimson orbs. It was an intimidating figure, or it would be if it weren't for his size.
But one thought shone above the rest as the child's convulsions stopped, he readjusted himself and looked upon Ozpin straightening his stance once more. The headmaster smiled.
"Hello, Masked rider blade."
Oh my lord I apologize for the delay, my shift was suddenly changed and I had to work yesterday so this got delayed.
So yeah, Jaune finally has had his henshin and boy was it a joy to write.
And to any RWBY only fans, don't worry I promise to properly explain the kamen rider parts and vice versa for the RWBY parts for rider fans.
See you all next week, logging out.