Forever Fail
"Look, all I'm saying is that I think it'd be smart to tell Penny all we know when we befriend her." Ruby stated with a huff while extracting sap from one of the Forever Fall trees as was their mission.
"And I'm saying that whatever you tell her, gets told to Ironwood. And well, we saw what happens when he overreacts and panics." Yang pointed out.
"But we haven't lost Beacon yet." Ruby argued back. "He has no reason to be that extreme."
"You say that when he took over Vale's security during the Vytal festival." Yang sighed.
"Can you both stop it right now?" Blake asked while walking over with her jar full of sap. "Look, I agree we need to be careful about who we tell, so how about we start smaller? I still think telling the rest of Team JNPR is the safest first option we have."
"I actually agree with Blake on this one." Weiss nodded as she handed Ruby her full jar. "Let me handle your jar, Ruby."
"No, it's fine, I think I got the hang of it this time." Ruby assured her, setting the full jar down and moving back to her selected tree.
Jaune grunted, setting the last jar of tree sap down in front of Cardin. "That's the last one."
"Good job, Jaune. Ya know, maybe you have a career in this." Cardin laughed while leaning back against a tree.
"I'm almost certain I'm allergic to this stuff." he sighed while glaring at Cardin. "What do you need this extra sap for anyways? You don't plan on throwing this at anyone, do you?"
"Oh no, I don't. But you do." he shoved a jar of sap into Jaune's hand. "I saw how you looked at Nikos back there. I think it's time you show her what it means to reject you."
"Cardin, I don't think throwing sap on her is going to make her see me better." Jaune stared at the jar.
"It won't. That's the point." Cardin smirked while standing up from the tree. "You're going to throw that sap on Nikos and she's going to see you did it. She'll probably hate you forever. You should have never tried to challenge me, Jaune."
This angered Jaune immensely as he dropped the jar to the ground. "And if I say no?"
"You'll be on the first ship back home to your Mom." Cardin taunted. "But not after the boys and I have a little fun." he hoisted his mace over his shoulder while the other members of CRDL began to walk towards Jaune.
He started backing up now. "So what'll it be, Jaune?" Cardin asked before Jaune kicked the jar at him, but he managed to catch it. "Big mistake, get him boys."
Jaune drew out Crocea Mors and watched as Sky charged for him first, lunging his halberd forward. Jaune blocked the attack with his shield before slashing upwards, clashing blades with Dove.
The two clashed blades several times before finally Jaune saw an opening and bashed him back with his shield.
Cardin was next to take a swing as Jaune ducked under his attack and slashed him across the gut, earning an annoyed grunt from the bully.
Russell slashed wildly at Jaune with both of his daggers, the blonde barely able to keep up with the stabs by raising his shield up before finally activating the gravity dust inside it, to repel all of his attackers back. "Stop this, now." Jaune insisted.
"We'll stop when you do." Cardin laughed while jumping forward, bringing his mace right down at Jaune who jumped backwards but wound up stumbling and falling onto his back. "Had enough play time yet, Jaune?" he taunted while the blonde forced himself up.
"You won't hurt my teammates." Jaune readied his stance again.
"Stubbornness won't stop me from getting you expelled. In fact, Russell, how about you go and tell Ms. Goodwitch Jaune's dirty little secret." Cardin laughed.
"Right away." Russell ran off into the forest. Jaune wanted to pursue him, but soon enough found himself having to block gunfire from Dove's weapon.
"You're not going anywhere Arc." Cardin activated the dust in his mace while running for him again.
Jaune activated the gravity dust in his shield while raising it up, and the result was a repulsing and fiery blast that launched everyone in the immediate vicinity backwards.
The sound of the blast got everyone in the area's attention. "Say, wasn't an Ursa supposed to attack Jaune and Cardin today?" Yang asked.
"I'll go get Professor Goodwitch again." Blake stated.
"You're right…" Weiss immediately drew her weapon out and with the others, followed the sound of the explosion.
Slammed against a tree, Jaune grunted as his aura had taken a heavy hit from that blast. The three members of Team CRDL were already beginning to group back up again. "Wow… Gravity dust really takes a lot out of a guy. Smart putting it into that shield of your's, Arc." Sky rubbed his head.
"Don't compliment him stupid, just kick his ass!" Cardin glared before rushing for Jaune again with his mace raised, but instead found himself knocked back by Pyrrha's shield as she jumped forward.
"That's enough, Cardin!" she glared firmly, looking between the three members of the team.
"Pyrrha… I-"
"It's okay, Jaune… You don't have to say anymore." She helped him to his feet now.
Their eyes met for a moment before he picked his sword up off the ground now. "Leave my team alone, Cardin." Jaune affirmed now.
"Fat chance, Jauney-boy." he activated the burn dust in his mace again. "Once you're expelled I'll see to it that everyone knows how much of a disgrace your team is, even Miss Invincible Girl over there will be begging me for forgiveness. But there won't be any from me."
He didn't realize the shadow of the Ursa Major looming over him. It seemed instead of the tree sap attracting the beast, it was Cardin's own negativity.
Before he had time to react the beast swung it's arm at the back of his head and he tumbled to the side of it, his aura shattering. It moved to pursue him.
Pyrrha and Jaune readied their weapons in unison for the creature, Jaune switched his weapon into its great sword mode now.
"Protect your leader if you're actually a good teammate." Pyrrha insisted to Sky and Dove who immediately went to Cardin's aid while the pair began to circle the larger Grimm.
Jaune rushed forward first, the Ursa Major swung out at him with its arm and he brought his sword forward to meet the arm, slashing cleanly through it as it stumbled back, letting out a pained roar.
Pyrrha was next to run for it, tossing Milo straight into the creature's chest, which made it stumble back more. "Jaune!" Pyrrha called out to him.
"Right!" He now took a greater swing of his weapon and knocked the spear further into the Ursa Major's chest. It stumbled back again, before finally falling over, leaving Milo behind as it dissipated.
Cardin groaned while pulling himself to his feet and saw the pair, talking with each other. Gritting his teeth, he was about to make another attempt to attack the pair when a hand on his shoulder stopped him. "Dude, stop. You owe them your life."
"What do you mean?" Cardin glared at his normally quiet teammate.
"They literally just saved your life from an Ursa Major. I saw the whole thing as it happened." Dove insisted, which made Cardin's eyes widen in realization as he held his head.
Jaune then approached Cardin and held his hand out, something he surprisingly took.
He looked down and sighed. "Jaune, look-"
"Don't even say another damn word." Jaune shot an angered glare at him. "You got off lucky. I never want to interact with you or your teammates again, are we understood?!-"
"Mr. Arc!" the voice of Professor Goodwitch called out to him now as a smug looking Russell was standing right by her while Blake had her arms crossed and was looking away.
"Mr. Thrush here told me that your transcripts were a forgery and that you cheated your way into Beacon…"
Jaune froze up now, this was something he definitely didn't think he'd ever have to deal with again.
"However… Upon seeing how you and Miss Nikos handled that Ursa Major… I'm inclined to believe that he was making it up." her gaze fell upon the now frightened Russell. "Perhaps I should ask Professor Peach to assign further work to you, Mr. Thrush…"
A relieved sigh escaped Jaune while he walked over to Pyrrha. "Pyrrha, there's a lot I want to talk about to you, Ren, and Nora… What I know is something that concerns all of us, and Team RWBY can back me up on my claims." he glanced back over at the team.
Ruby more or less just waved to them from a distance away.
The night sky over Beacon was still as beautiful a sight as always from atop the dorm buildings. Pyrrha, was standing up there and staring out at the sky and towards Beacon tower, the place she was told would be where she died.
The door to the roof opened behind her, and sure enough it was Jaune. "Look… I know it's a lot to take in Pyrrha, but I feel like Team RWBY and I… We were given this chance for a reason. I want a future with you in it, a future where we all live and make it out on top."
A smile formed on Pyrrha's face now as she turned to face him. "You know, before you got here as you are now, the Jaune I met was very timid, dorky, and clueless at times. When I look at you now, I see someone who's seen a lot of pain, yet has also grown from it all."
"Not to mention my lack of skill." Jaune chuckled a little, scratching the back of his head. "You trained me up to be who I am now, I have you to thank for that, Pyrrha."
"I only helped you take the first step. You did everything else yourself." her eyes met his again, as some tears started to form in them. "Do you really need me to train you? Or were you just trying to keep things the same?"
"If I'm being honest." Jaune let out a sigh. "While my mind remembers how to fight, my body currently lacks that experience."
Pyrrha outstretched her hand. "Well then, we still have time to get you ready for the coming fight."
Jaune took her hand. "Cinder and Salem won't know what hit them."
Commentary: And here we are with the conclusion of Jaune's little Volume 1 arc. I do apologize for giving him a little too much focus for these past couple of chapters over Team RWBY, but in all fairness, this seemed necessary in the sense of showing how much he's changed since Volume 1.
The fact that he was able to take a stand against all of CRDL just kind of shows how far he's come since those days. Now granted, his body's lack of actual training definitely wasn't a helping factor for that fight. But he still performed admirably there.
And yeah, now Team JNPR knows and they're another direct party involved in Team RWBY's planning for countering Cinder's plans for Beacon.
I might be able to have one more chapter out before I leave for a brief vacation, but I make no promises. Which I mean, this chapter wouldn't at all be a bad point to leave things off for the time.