Back home, Jaune was usually awakened to the birds chirping outside of his window or by his mother's voice to get ready for school. At Beacon Academy however, it would seem that his wake up calls would be very loud and unpleasant. There was some girl with orange hair prancing around the whole ballroom, singing "It's Morning" constantly. Jaune then saw she was particularly talking to some guy dressed in green, who looked like he shared Jaune's distaste for the girls singing.
It looked like the guy and the girl were close, as the boy didn't really respond to the girl he just let her keep singing and talking. 'Poor guy, must be used to all of it', Jaune couldn't help but chuckle at the situation. Anyway, he had gotten his wake-up call so he might as well get dressed and get ready for initiation that would start in a couple of hours. So, he went to the bathroom to brush his teeth, shower, and then he put on his gear. His sword was in one of the lockers though so once he was dressed, he went to go get it.
As he was walking to the lockers, a lot of thoughts were going through Jaune's mind, specifically about initiation and the whole process overall. He would be lying if he said he wasn't nervous, but not for the reason one might think. Jaune wasn't cocky at all, he knew he had skill and as long as he believed in himself he could overcome any challenge. Therefore, going against a lot of grimm wasn't worrisome to Jaune, but there was something that worried him a lot, teamwork.
From what his mother told him about the higher huntsman academies, Jaune knew he was going to have to be on a team and probably have a partner. It sucked because in his defense, he was much better working alone. While he wasn't that social, it didn't mean Jaune didn't play nice with other people or didn't welcome help when he needed it. However, because of his fighting style and his semblance, he wasn't exactly sure how he could work with other people.
His semblance somehow allowed Jaune to create these green barriers, he liked to call them rooms. In this room, he could control whatever went on in it, and by using his sword he could slice things up in half or other divisions. Also somewhat like his mother's semblance, Jaune could telekinetically control the ground in the room, by making rock structures come out of the ground. This would surprise grimm and possibly assailants in the room, showing that getting to Jaune wouldn't be so easy.
While training at Kingsglaive, Jaune found out he could use his semblance to two unique advantages. One, he could create the room to enclose a group of grimm or people, trapping them inside and leaving him to dish out damage. The other advantage was that he could create this room around himself, and that allowed Jaune to teleport inside it, confusing his opponent and giving himself an angle to attack. However, with advantages come disadvantages and those disadvantages were why he preferred to fight alone.
The biggest disadvantage was that using his semblance cost him a lot of aura, seeing as though it had so many capabilities. Because of this Jaune trained a lot in the art of swordsmanship, so he wouldn't have to constantly rely on his semblance. It is also worthy to note that the barrier does not stay around forever, in fact at most it would stay for about 30 seconds. And because of the aura drain, he couldn't use it over and over again, so he really had to be good with his sword technique. It was why he liked to fight with his weapon first, draw his opponent, and then use the barrier to confuse the opponent and Jaune would finish them off.
Onto the main reason why Jaune felt like his semblance wouldn't fit the team dynamic, it was because he could only control what was INSIDE of the room. He had to focus on what was in front of him, he couldn't worry about other's around him. Say for example, he had ensnared a group of Grimm in the room but his partner needed help or saving. Jaune would have to drop the room and then go help his partner and would lose aura after using the room in the first place. That would make him vulnerable and the grimm may catch him off guard.
Jaune could only hope that whoever his leader was would understand his position and let him do things his way when it came to missions and such. He was pretty sure that he was not going to be the leader, how could he be? He was incredibly laid back, was not very social, and didn't really have a sense of authority about him. All of that was opposite of what a leader should be, and he didn't really want to be the leader anyway. It sounded like a lot more work than he was willing to put in, when he could be practicing his skills or watching anime.
After wandering for a few minutes, he finally found the locker that he had put Kikoku in. He grabbed it and made sure that it was ready for today, had all the dust in it and the handle was as clean as ever. After inspecting Kikoku, Jaune noticed that the two from earlier were getting their weapons from their lockers, and the girl was STILL talking the guys' ear off. 'I hope she is not on my team, that's gonna drive me crazy.' Jaune thought as he pulled out his scroll and was going to watch My Hero Academia until the call came out for students to gather. Before he could do that though, a girl was approaching him and she looked beautiful.
She was tall, dressed like an amazon with long red hair wrapped in a ponytail. Her skin was flawless, and her facial features were that of a goddess, not to mention her body was as well. She looked very fit, you could tell that she had been training her whole life for this and she knew how to fight. Jaune still couldn't get over her eyes though, they were like shining emeralds.
"Gorgeous…" Jaune said aloud without knowing, and mentally slapped himself for hit. The girl blushed when he said it and was thankful for the compliment. Although she wondered about this boy's choice of attire when it came to fighting monsters, she honestly found him to be very handsome. Way more than the other guys she had seen at Beacon. She also thought that his jewelry gave him more of a mature look, though some may say he looks like a punk. But who doesn't love a bad boy?
"Hi there! My name is Pyrrha Nikos." The redhead now known as Pyrrha offered her hand out to Jaune and he gladly accepted it.
"Hey, my name is Jaune Goodwitch." Jaune really didn't know why he was nervous, maybe it's because he was talking to a gorgeous girl? After all the girls at Kingsglaive were pretty but none of them were on Pyrrha's level.
Pyrrha was confused about a couple of things, did this boy not know who she was? If he didn't she was actually going to be glad about that, as her fame had really weighed on her. No one saw her as a person, just as a celebrity and she didn't like it all. Maybe he was acting like he didn't know her just so he wouldn't annoy her? There was something else that she had a question on.
"Jaune you said your last name was Goodwitch? Are you related to Professor Glynda Goodwitch by any chance?" Pyrrha asked genuinely curious.
Jaune rolled his eyes, this was a question he was going to be asked a lot he just knew it. Looking back at the red-haired beauty he responded, "Yes, she is my mother." Pyrrha was shocked but knew that if he was the son of the Deputy Headmistress then he must be strong. She did wonder how someone as strict as Glynda Goodwitch could allow their child to dress like that when it came to fighting grimm. She was about to continue the conversation with the handsome blonde, when a white-haired girl came over and got in Jaune's face.
"Do you have any idea who you are talking to?!" Weiss said angrily at Jaune, who she was still pissed at over yesterday. Pyrrha had talked with Weiss before coming over to Jaune, and she wasn't that fond of the girl. Weiss had asked Pyrrha who's team she would like to be on, and it was clear she wanted Pyrrha to say hers so they could be the top team. Pyrrha didn't care whose team she was on, as long as they treated her like a person instead of a trophy.
Jaune uncovered his ears and responded to Weiss annoyed, "Well let's see Princess, considering she just introduced herself as Pyrrha Nikos, I am going to guess she is Pyrrha Nikos?" Jaune asked her as he was looking at Weiss like she was an idiot.
Pyrrha was giggling at Jaune's comment, while Weiss was growing even more angry. This dolt had the nerve to tell her off yesterday, and now he was talking to Pyrrha as if she was his equal. She was getting very tired of his disrespect.
"This is THE Pyrrha Nikos! She graduated top of her class at Sanctum Academy! She won the Mistral Tournament four times in a row! She's even on the box of Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes!" Weiss needed to let this boy know exactly who the hell he was talking to.
Jaune responded, "Ok first of all Princess, I am standing right in front of you so use your inside voice, if it even exists. Secondly, I didn't go to Sanctum nor did I pay attention to the Mistral Tournament, I was busy doing my own thing. Thirdly, I don't cereal because it's bad for you and honestly, I prefer home cooked meals. Finally, it doesn't matter if I have heard of her or not, she introduced herself to me and introduced myself to her. It's literally that simple, and I found out that she's pretty cool."
He knew he wasn't very social but that didn't mean he wouldn't introduce himself to her, and he didn't know why not knowing Pyrrha's background was such a crime to Weiss. It was great that she accomplished all of that, but that didn't mean he had to be a fanboy around her like Weiss was being. To be honest, he found it kind of creepy that she knew all of Pyrrha's achievements like the back of her hand.
Both girls had shocked expressions on their faces. Pyrrha was shocked but happy that someone was finally seeing her as a human being and not just some celebrity. It was what she wanted the most and now she finally had it, and it was because of this she wanted to be Jaune's partner for initiation. Weiss on the other hand was angry. Not only did this blonde boy talk to her with disrespect, AGAIN, but he made her look bad in front of Pyrrha. She wanted to be Pyrrha's partner so badly because then they would be the most unstoppable duo in Beacon.
Composing herself once more, Weiss asked Jaune, "Well, knowing of all her accomplishments and everything else I said about her, do you really think you are in a position to be on her team?" She asked with all the judgement and snootiness she could muster. She wanted to put the boy in his place but was surprised to hear his response.
"It's not up to me, it's not up to you. The only person who gets to decide that is Professor Ozpin, and I bet he is the kind of guy to make it final. Keep standing there with that Rapier up your ass, it is what it is." Jaune said, completely unintimidated by Weiss and her attempts to try and bring him down.
Weiss' mouth dropped open and was shaking with rage, while next to her Pyrrha had her hands over her mouth to prevent herself from bursting into laughter. Neither of them could believe that Jaune had said that. It was true though, to Weiss' reluctance, the only person that could have any input on teams being made was Professor Ozpin. That didn't mean Weiss was going to let what Jaune said after that slide though.
"You…WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!" Weiss yelled at Jaune, really wanting to stab him with her sword.
Jaune gave her a blank look, "Someone whose time is limited, and isn't trying to waste it all on you." Jaune then started walking away, leaving Weiss sputtering in rage, but then stopped and turned to Pyrrha. "I'll see you out there, can't wait to see what a champion can do." Giving her a smile.
Pyrrha smiled back and winked at him, "Look forward to seeing you out there too." They were both flirting and they knew it. Jaune doubted she would let him date her, but it was still cool to meet and flirt with someone as beautiful as Pyrrha.
Jaune was walking just to get five minutes to himself before initiation started, just so he could get his mind right. That plan went out the window as soon as he heard his name called from Ruby Rose Branwen and noticed that her cousin was with her. 'Dammit, so much for peace and quiet.' Jaune thought to himself as the two had walked up to him.
"Hey, is there something you two need?" Jaune asked, hopeful the two would catch on to his vibe and leave him alone before initiation started. He didn't want to come off as a jerk or anything like that, but initiation was do or die. Plus, he liked his personal time and space. Unfortunately, the girls didn't catch on.
Ruby answered cheerily, "Yeah! We wanted to know why you waited so late to tell us that you are Professor Goodwitch's son? Most people would brag about how their mom is a Professor at the biggest Hunstman Academy! And you just said it so nonchalantly, we wanted to know why?" Yang looked equally curious so they must have been wondering since last night.
Jaune shrugged as he gave his answer, "Never really thought about it like that. To me she is just Mom, doing her best to put food on the table and help others in the process. Though there are times where I worry about her too, she puts a lot on herself and sometimes I fear it is too much. It's cool though, she still comes home, and she taught me a lot. It's not really something that I want to brag about you know? I am just grateful for her."
Both Ruby and Yang were touched by what he said but couldn't help but feel bad. This was clearly a touchy subject for Jaune, and the two could figure out that he wasn't the most social person. In a way, they kind of forced him to talk about his mother and how her job had affected her life. They also didn't know that she was a single parent…
Just then, Glynda's voice came over the intercom: "Would all first year students please report to Beacon Cliff for initiation? Again, all first-year students report to Beacon Cliff immediately."
Jaune cracked his fingers and stretched his arms, "That's our cue, let's do this." He said to the girls, who nodded with determination on their faces. Jaune waved them goodbye and started heading to the cliff, clenching Kikoku in his right hand. 'This is it; I've come to far to fail now, time to go hard or go home.' Jaune thought to himself as was approaching the cliff.
Jaune reached the cliff and stood on one of the silver tiles that were placed for the students. He was one of the first students there, and he looked to his mother who gave him an encouraging smile. 'Do your best', that is what that smile meant for all these years and it calmed him. Jaune smiled and nodded back, then he closed his eyes and got himself mentally ready for whatever challenge this initiation brought him.
A few minutes passed and then every other student participating in the initiation was on the cliff. Once Ozpin saw that everyone was in attendance, he then began his explanation.
"For years, you have trained to become warriors, and today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."
Glynda cleared her throat. "Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of "teams." Well allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates…today"
'Damn just like that?' Jaune wondered, surprised at the fact that he was getting his partner today. You would think that a place like Beacon Academy would select teams AFTER initiation, so they could pair people up best depending on their skillsets. Apparently not, as Jaune continued listening to Ozpin continue where his mother left off.
"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well."
Jaune could hear Ruby groaning and he could not really blame her. It really sounded like there were no exceptions when it came to partners and potential switches, so if you did not like who you were paired with then you would have to learn to like them.
'God forbid I get the Ice Princess or that orange haired girl who never shuts up.' Jaune thought in worry.
"That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years. After you have partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path…or you will die." Ozpin said with a serious expression.
Jaune blinked. That was it? They were just going to launch them off a cliff, hope to God they land properly, and then partner them up with the first person they made eye contact with? This wasn't what Jaune expected at all, he thought it would be way more complicated than that. Oh well, he had a good landing strategy in mind.
"You will be monitored and graded through the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. We will regard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?" Ozpin finished as he glanced over at the students.
Jaune cracked his fingers and rolled his shoulders. 'So land, partner up, and grab the relic. Sounds easy enough.' He thought as he got ready.
Ozpin saw there were no questions, "Good! Now take your positions." He told the students.
Jaune got his body ready for the launch, with his sword clenched in his right hand. Then, he and every other student was sent flying through the air. Jaune let the wind carry him for a little while until he spotted an open space in the forest. He dove down, creating a room circle in his left and then pointed it to the ground creating a room. Jaune then lifted his finger, causing multiple rocks to come flying toward him and that is when he pulled out Kikoku. Pressing the purple button on the hilt, Jaune sent a wave of gravity dust toward the rocks stopping them in midair, while in different altitudes. He used his coat to slow down and then jumped on the rocks down to ground.
Zipping his coat back up and sheathing his sword, Jaune started to walk around hopeful to find a partner somewhere close. He walked for a few minutes and then saw in the distance a certain red haired beauty fighting a couple of beowolves. "That was quick" Jaune said as he rushed to help her. A Beowulf nearly got Pyrrha from behind, but Jaune sliced it into pieces. The amazon was surprised to see him but looked like she was glad he was here.
Jaune smirked at her, "Hey Pyrrha, mind if I play too?"
Pyrrha smiled at Jaune, "Hello to you too Jaune, and no I don't mind at all. However, I think they do." Pyrrha said pointing at the multiple beowolves coming towards them.
"Let's do this partner." Jaune said to her as he rushed to stab one of the beowolves. Pyrrha smiled, "Partner…" she said softly as she shifted her sword to spear form and took the attack to the grimm. The fight didn't take the long, and Jaune finished off the last Beowulf by thrusting Kikoku into it's face. "That takes care of that." Jaune said to Pyrrha as she walked up to him and smiled, "Nice work Jaune! You and that sword are very impressive."
Pyrrha had to admit, she had her doubts about Jaune with his attire and the fact that his weapon wasn't mech-shift. She was proven wrong though, he cut through those beowolves like they were nothing and really saved her skin.
Jaune smirked at her, "Not nearly as impressive as you, damn you really are a champion. Anyway, we gotta make our way to get one of those relics. I don't wanna be out here longer than we need to be." Jaune said as he started walking away and motioned for her to follow. Pyrrha nodded and quickly followed him in search of the relic.
Glynda looked at her tablet and smiled at her son and his new partner Pyrrha. She had been worried about Jaune getting a partner, given how he preferred to do things alone. However, she knew her son wouldn't challenge the rules Beacon implemented and would at least make an effort to socialize. With Pyrrha Nikos as his partner, Glynda was sure she could change Jaune and make him value teamwork.
Looking at the other cameras though, Glynda had to sigh. She had no idea how these other pairs were going to get along. Weiss Schnee and Ruby Rose Branwen had somehow paired up together and were already arguing. Though Weiss was doing most of it and Ruby was trying to keep her composure but Glynda knew it was difficult for her. That Valkyrie girl and Ren boy were complete opposites of each other, one hyper and talkative and the other being calm and silent. It truly seemed like Jaune and Pyrrha were the best duo so far.
Jaune thanked God that Pyrrha was his partner, she was really the only one he wanted to partner up with. Not only was she strong and beautiful, but she was calm and understanding. Seriously, he had no idea how he would stand being paired up with that Ice Princess who thought very highly of herself, or that orange haired girl that would most definitely talk his ear off.
As they were walking in silence, Jaune remembered something that he needed to let Pyrrha be aware of.
"Hey Pyrrha, now that we are partners you need to know about my semblance, it's pretty tricky." Jaune said seriously and Pyrrha turned to him giving him her undivided attention. Jaune then explained his semblance, as well as the advantages and disadvantages that came with it. Once he was done Pyrrha looked shock and amazed at the same time.
"Wow Jaune…your semblance sounds incredible. I myself have a polarity semblance but it seems that yours is more useful. Don't worry though, I understand that it will drain your aura the more times you use it. We just can't rely on it all the time, that is all." Pyrrha said with a smile, showing understanding in her partner's concerns.
Jaune nodded, "Thanks Pyrrha, let's keep moving." They continued on their way until the reached a cave. They both wondered if the cave could be a tunnel to the temple, or something much worse. Jaune and Pyrrha looked at each other.
"What do you think? Should we go in there?" Jaune asked his partner, usually he makes the decisions himself but now he needs to consider Pyrrha's thoughts.
"Well it could be a shortcut to the relic but it could also be something else. If it were something else though, I think we could take it. Could just be a Ursa den, nothing major." Pyrrha responded, trying to sound optimistic. Jaune just nodded and then went into the cave with Pyrrha trailing him. After a couple minutes of walking, they were starting to have their doubts.
"Jaune I don't think this is it." Pyrrha said with worry.
"Yeah…this just confirmed it." Jaune said has he pointed to a cave drawing of cavemen fighting a giant scorpion. They now knew what was waiting for them at the end of this tunnel and it was not good. They couldn't take a death stalker, especially before reaching the relics. They would be exhausted after fighting it and be vulnerable to other grimm.
"Ok Pyrrha we can't wake it up, let's just get out of here slowly…" She nodded and both started backing away until they heard a shriek from a nevermore outside the cave. Both winced and they saw eyes opening. They needed to get out of there and fast.
"Pyrrha listen carefully. We both are gonna run like hell and when we are outside you keep running. I will make one of my rooms and try and get as much of it's armor off as possible. But my aura will go down so I need you to be ready once it gets back on its' feet. Got it?" Jaune said seriously to Pyrrha and she nodded with a serious expression on her face.
They both ran out of the cave as fast as they could, with the Deathstalker right behind them. Once they were outside Jaune created his room and teleported behind the grimm creature. He then lifted his finger up, creating rock posts to knock the Deathstalker off balance. Then he used the fire dust in Kikoku and sent several slashes at the grimm. It was down but it was not out, though the fire gave them a window. The room went down and Jaune and Pyrrha resumed sprinting.
After running for several minutes, the two found the temple and caught their breath, finding Yang and that black and white dressed girl.
"Hey Jaune!" Yang said excitedly.
"Hey there Yang…" Jaune said trying to catch his breath. The two introduced their partners to one another. They then heard loud stomping coming from the forest.
"Oh God, don't tell me that thing is already back on its' feet!" Jaune said grabbing his sword into a defensive stance, Pyrrha did the same. Imagine their surprise when it was an Ursa, that was being rode by that orange hair girl. The boy dressed in green was trailing behind, begging her to stop. The girl crashed the Ursa and then went to grab a relic. She then started dancing and saying, "I'm queen of the castle!"
"Did that girl just ride on Ursa?" The girl now known as Blake asked the group. Before they could respond they saw a certain red hooded girl and white dress girl falling from the sky, with a Nevermore in the distance. Yang caught Ruby and Weiss was caught by Jaune, although reluctantly.
"Ok, what the hell you two?" Jaune asked incredibly confused.
"Put me down you oaf!" Weiss scrambled in fury.
"As you wish…" Jaune complied by dropping her on the ground. The group of hunters then heard a screech coming from the sky as the nevermore circled back around. They also heard a noise that was familiar to Jaune and Pyrrha, as the Deathstalker came into view.
"Oh my God were so fucked…" Jaune said as he and the others got ready for a fight.
Author notes: Hey guys so here is another chapter done, sorry for how long it is. I really wanted to describe Jaune's semblance and make it so it is powerful yet not OP af. Also we had some action scenes which I really want your feedback on, this is my first time doing it. Jaune and Pyrrha is the ship here so just letting you guys know that. Also wanted to explain Jaune's anti-socialness. He's not as bad as Blake or Ren, he just prefers to work alone and have his personal time. But at Beacon, he will have to make some changes and he knows this. Will be back with another in a few days, thanks for reading!