''Jaune, the dancing Arc angel'' (part one)
''Jaune, the dancing Arc angel…'' Pyrrha repeated to herself. She had to admit, it had a really nice ring to it. And it even fit his image quite nicely too. He is quite a dancer as he has proved previously, and the personality matches closely too. Though of course, he earned that nickname not by those traits, but probably due to his boxing style or something. So amazon still wondered greatly what sort of story that nickname carried with it.
"I think it suits him," She still felt like saying, her look crossed between Jaune and Old pops.
"Indeed it does,'' Great Arc agreed ''and soon I will reveal the reasons why but before I do, like to any respectable tale, I think it would be appropriate to start with an introduction.''
Pyrrha nodded.
''So you agree. Then I shall start with that. The tale which begins…..
….
….
….
El Jauney, how old were you again?"
"Old pops…" Jaune simply smiled at him as he knew that his grandfather was simply messing with him.
After a light giggle, Great Arc continued.
"The tale which starts 18 and a half years ago, in a little, isolated hometown still known to be ,Spirits of free.' A place where El Jauney took his first breaths. Oh, so well can I still remember that day,'' Old pops reminisced ''So little, so very little he used to be. Even with his eyes closed, I knew the color would be great ocean blue, like every male Arc before him. His hair, even when covered with blood and guts, it still shined like the almighty sun above. And his cry. That first sound he produced. Just few heartbeats into this world, yet by boy already tried to prove something as his little roar loudly and proudly declared ,I am alive and well!' Is what it said time, after time, after time.
Oh and his tiny little fists.'' He chuckled ''If only you had seen how viciously he swung them around, as if fighting off an invisible enemy. Such an amusing sight that was."
"It must have been.'' Pyrrha chuckled as well.
"Truly it was. And as I kept observing him carefully, I knew, even with so little time passing, my heart already whispered to me that this boy will be great when he will grow older. Not only me though, so did the rest of the family. Even….." Old pops hesitated slightly "Even El Jauney's mother believed at the time that he would do great things."
"Lilianna…" Adalard whimpered softly as he was taken over by the joy of having his first grandson. "Oh my sweet girl, look at your child, observe carefully this precious life you're holding in your hands. So little he is, yet his tiny fists are already battling something." He caressed his son's cheek with his finger. "Oh sweet heavens above, my heart is not lying when I tell you that this little boy will bring greatness into this world."
Woman pressed her newborn closer to the chest, her exhausted features looking intently at her child's face. "Of course….he will." She said in between heavy breaths. "He is from our family…after all. But…the path he will walk…is already decided for him…the one..and only." She said as her lips pressed against her precious son's forehead.
"And slowly after that, years started to fly by. And so did the expectations that our boy would develop into which he was originally intended to be. You see, the more time moved forward, the less it seemed that El Jauney would follow the path destined for him.
Remember Young love how I said that Arc's history played big role in why El Jauney became one with boxing?"
"Yes."
"Good, because it truly stands correct. You see, my boy had, or I should even say has a unique bond with our families' household. This sort of love, hate relationship going on."
"Love, hate?"
"Yes, because when my boy learned the true nature of our families' history he, understandably of course, wasn't very pleased about it." Both Jaune and Old pops almost cracked a smile on that as 'wasn't pleased' barely did justice to the sheer disgust and disbelief knight held when learning the darker side of Arc's past.
6 and a half years ago
"No….no….Old fart, I don't believe you." Jaune shook his head.
"How many times do I have to tell you to watch your tongue." Great Arc frowned slightly "But….yes, that truly is the real nature of older Arc's history."
Jaune's shoulders tensed "So…wait, that means I am part of it right? I am Arc too, so that probably means that I am part of a family which used to be murderers, rapists and maybe something worse than that." His face cringed greatly at such a disgusting idea.
"El Jauney…" Old Arc lowered his look. As much as Arc's have changed, Jaune had every right to react that way.
Getting on his knee, Old Arc placed his hand over his son's hair "You're right my boy, our families history is not be proud of, but for many years already, we have changed greatly. So what I will ask of you is to understand that we Arc's, as we stand now, are not the same as we were back then. You can't write a new past, but you can a new future. Please, try to understand that." He brushed blonde's hair a little.
"It's not about that but…..it's just that I don't want to carry around such burden. I mean all the stories you told me about your grandfather and the rest of our family heroes. All the people I admire and…you too, all of you carry around that burden, no?
"My boy, you're still so young. So I understand why your mind would think like that but with time you will understand that it isn't a burden we carry around, it is more like a reminder of what we should not strive to be."
"Sounds like a load of crap to me." He turned his head.
"Watch your tongue, but believe me, with time you will think differently."
"Don't bet on it."
"While my boy truly despised the darker side of our families history, he still held great admiration to the heroes we had. That is what I meant by love, hate relationship.
"Now it makes sense." Pyrrha said as she could understand why Jaune would have such bond with his household. Now considered heroes, but used to be scum of the earth.
"Indeed. Raising his steel for a family with such a twisted history didn't appeal my boy one bit, so that only pushed him further away from the path which was originally destined for him."
"Only pushed him further away? So wait, does that mean…" She looked at Jaune "You never wanted to be a huntsman?"
"Well….yea, kind of I guess." It was a bit uneasy to admit it like that.
"So then why did you…." Pyrrha slightly shook her head "It's nothing." Amazon decided to be patient and let the story itself reveal the reasons why Jaune joined the Beacon.
"Please continue." She gestured for Old pops.
"Shall do. As I just mentioned, El Jauney never really wanted to walk a huntsman's path. When you think about it, it's almost amusing. The destiny which was originally for told to him, was the one which he was least interested in.
"There were any more reasons than that?"
"Yes. One of the more solid ones being, although probably the most unexpected one at that, was my boy's lack of natural ability in weapon wielding. He just wasn't blessed with it like the rest of our family. And to a character like El Jauney was, it felt like being stabbed with a hot knife."
Pyrrha nodded as she knew herself just how greatly Jaune's low self-confidence affected him. And it seems that he had this problem far before he joined Beacon. Though what she didn't know is that Old Arc meant it a bit differently.
"But perhaps, the greatest reason why El Jauney turned away from the huntsman's path was.." he stopped as his eyes made contact with his son's. With a light shook, Jaune signaled that he was okay with him continuing, and so Arc did "was his mother, Lilianna."
Pyrrha side looked at her partner, noticing how his expression slightly changed at the mention of that name. Just barely, but his look went lower after hearing it. But it was more than enough to prove that the bond between her knight and his mother, was truly not of close nature. Forcing her head to turn back was Old pops voice as he continued.
"She, out of all people, was the one who was most disappointed in El Jauney's lack of weapon wielding ability. You see young love, Lilianna was a woman of high standards, beliefs and honors. What I want to emphasize with that is that while El Jauney's hate for the darker past of Arcs was of highest grounds, someone who was as noble and high as Lilianna was in her perspectives in life and thinking, was even more furious of our families' history than my boy. It angered her more than anything and I would even say, made her blind to a few things. Though again, just like in my boy's case, she held great admiration to our families' heroes so she too, was in this sort of love, hate relationship with our household. But since hers was even more extreme than my boys, it affected the people around her. Close ones especially because to her, Arcs could walk only one path, the path of huntsman's, huntresses. It was the only way to fight off the sins of our families' past.
And that is exactly where the problems started between her and my boy.
As I said, El Jauney, unexpectedly, wasn't blessed with the talents the rest of Arcs were, and while it was a shocking experience for all of the family, it was Lilianna who was most affected by it. Furious only barely began to describe the anger and disappointment she felt towards El Jauney's less than impressive swordsmanship. She simply could not phantom how an Arc, and even more importantly, her son could be so powerless in combat. Of course, my boy's lack of interest didn't help either. So it was only natural that such bond would result in one conflict after the other." Old Arcs shoulders sagged down as he remembered one of the many.
"Your swings are pathetic! Put more weight to them I tell you!" Lilianna once again screamed at her son.
"Shut up you hag! How many times do I have to tell you that I don't want to be a war tool!" Jaune didn't want to back off without a fight.
"You watch your damn mouth with me. And like it or not, but you will be a huntsman someday."
"No! I will find my own way to be great." Jaune dropped his weapon to emphasize the point and to show that the training was over.
"There is no other way and pick up your sword!"
"Make me." He dared her, quietly mumbling under his nose.
"Oh I will." She threatened as her body began to move.
"That's enough!" Adalard shouted as he heard the conflict even from the other room and luckily decided to check the scene happening here. "Please, calm yourself, both of you."
"I wanted to go outside anyway," Jaune said as he started to walk away.
"And where do you think you're going? Your training isn't over yet." She trailed her look after her son.
Jaune's pace though didn't slow down.
"I said, where-"
"My sweet girl," Old pops stopped her "just let the boy be."
"Let him be? How….how can you say that when you have seen yourself just how weak his combat skill is?"
Shortly after, doors opened and Jaune was out of the room.
"I know that very well. But getting so angry about it won't help the situation either."
"How could I not be angry when my own son is so-"
"Lilianna!...As I said, let the boy be for today."
Not saying anything, she marched out of the room too, leaving her father alone.
Heavy sigh Old Arc gave out as scenes like these happened way too often than his heart would want to handle. But the worst part was that he just didn't know how to stop them from coming back up.
"I…I understand her wanting Jaune to become a great huntsman like some of the Arcs were, but forcing it like that just seems…cruel."
"It is, it truly is. If only Lilianna would understand that but she is a really stubborn and prideful woman."
"No, she's simply a useless hag." Jaune words were unusually poisonous.
"El Jauney, please, she is your mother."
Jaune frowned and looked sideways as if denying that fact. "Some mother I have." He silently hissed.
For Old Arc, as painful as it was, he had no answer to that. As an Arc, his daughter was everything you could wish for. Strong, determined, proud and confident. But as a mother…it was a bit different story.
Pyrrha too, didn't say anything. She really wasn't someone to make quick judgements about a person but with most certainty she could tell, that the first impression of Jaune's mother wasn't the best one.
Feeling that this sort of heavy silence would eat him up, Old pops raised his voice again.
"So….now you know why El Jauney isn't very fond of his mother's presence, and understand why they would argue a lot of their together spent time."
"Yes…"
"But you see, at least they still shared their time together, even with how difficult it was. Yet one day, even that was torn apart."
"What…happened?"
"Well….the scene was painted something like this."
"Sweet heavens above, you call that defense?" Lilianna's frustration was railing her up.
"Hey, I'm trying!" Jaune retorted back.
Her eyebrows twitched "Out of 10 of my halfhearted swings, you blocked NONE. How…how is that considered trying?"
Jaune gritted his teeth. To be honest, she was right, he wasn't exactly trying his very best but the sad part is that even if he would, the end result still wouldn't be that much different.
"I have told you many times already, I won't be a war tool!" He stepped forward.
"Not a war tool, a huntsman, and then a noble hero like the Great Arcs!"
Somewhere in one of the corners, in a complete contrast to the shouting, a silent, deep sigh was made as Old pops again, had to witness his children fighting.
"Whatever, I don't want to follow the same footsteps of my ancestors. I want to find something I like."
"Something you like? And what would it be?"
"I..I don't know right now, but I will definitely find it. So…please, stop being so angry at me all the time…." Jaune's voice got a lot softer, his look lowered to the floor as he by no means found any pleasure in arguing with his mother.
Finding something he likes…It surfaced a few distant memories in Lilianna's mind. But she soon pushed them away. With her voice now being a lot calmer too, she said "Jaune, you have to understand, we, our family, we have but one way to live. And it is on a battlefield, fighting for the good of society, for those who aren't strong enough to defend themselves, for a chance to make this world a better place.
That's the only way."
"But...what if I want to find a different way." Jaune raised his look so he could see his mother's face, which to his great liking, was a calm sight for one those rare occasions.
"Jaune, there is no other way." She held his shoulders.
"But why?" He simply couldn't understand.
"Because, to atone for the great crimes of the past our family committed, we must use our steel and become heroes like the better Arcs used to." She caressed his cheek.
"But…Old pops has told me many times that the bad things our family did in the past, doesn't relate to who we are today, because we have changed greatly."
"Indeed we have, and it was thanks to our great skill on the battlefield, and how effectively we could use it for better deeds. So you see Jaune, we have to continue to prove our worth on those same grounds and show that we can still do good things."
Jaune wanted to say something but stopped since he couldn't really find faults in his mother's thinking. Though he still felt like questioning something.
Moving a bit closer, he allowed himself to muzzle in his mother's chest, his soft voice barely hearable under her breath "But….other kids have dreams of their own, why am I different?"
"Because other kids don't have to walk around with the same burden we do.'' Her fingers ran through her son's hair "Jaune….Arcs don't have dreams of their own."
Hearing that, Great Arc could feel how his heart clenched painfully, reminding him of a pain from the past. He first hand felt that statement on his skin. But even so, he still believed differently. So hearing his daughter say words like that was a huge disappointment for him, and a shame on himself for letting his precious girl think that way. Though he wasn't the only one who didn't agree on that statement. Jaune too, thought the other way.
"No," Jaune shook his head "no, this is….this is somehow wrong. I...I just know it."
"Jaune, please understand." She took her sons face in her hands.
"No, no, I-I will find my own way, no matter what."
"Please, don't make me angry."
"I don't want to but you forcing your ideals like that on me…it's wrong, it must be." Jaunes voice got a little louder.
"I am simply leading you to the right path." Her tone matched Jaune's.
"I think that's enough for you two." Old Arc wanted to interrupt as he knew where this was going.
"You stay out of this!" She fired back both with her gaze and words as she wasn't done with her son. And wouldn't let anyone get in her way this time. Not even her father.
Then she turned back to Jaune "You will listen to your mother right?"
"I would want to…but no, not this time."
"Jaune…"
"No…"
"You will.."
"I said no.."
"You have to."
"No I don't'."
"I said you have to!"
"And I said I wo-"
Slap.
"IF SO THEN YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY USELESS!" Her scream echoed loudly as she just snapped in fury.
Jaune barely managed to stay on his feet, the cheek which felt his mother's slap now burning hot, huge imprint left on it. And a lonely tear running down from the pain of the impact. His fists now clenched tight, Jaune slowly stepped away. After a few, he quickly turned around and dashed away.
"You stupid, useless hag!" Was the last sentence left from him before he was gone.
Lilianna on the other hand, slowly calmed down, her look frozen at the door her son ran through.
"We'll have a talk about this." She barely managed to hear her father say before he went out too. His tone definitely not playing on the kind notes.
Now being alone, she had some time to really think about what just transpired.
She looked at the palm she slapped her son with, and saw that it was still red. Closing it, she wrapped the other arm around it and pressed them closer to her chest. Her heart beating slightly faster, all she could think about was how much she wished that the numbness her palm was in, after slapping her child with it, would just go away as fast as possible.
"Calling your own child useless…it has to be one of the greatest sins a parent could ever commit, no matter if it was in rage of fury or not."
"It is," Pyrrha scoffed, her grip around Jaunes fingers getting a lot stronger. In her mind, saying something like that to your own child was really crossing a line. A parent should exactly be the one who should give his kid a confidence boost, not completely strip it away.
"Pyrrha, please, don't get so overworked about it now." Jaune tried to calm her down.
"But it's just too-"
"Young love, I beg of you too, leave that anger for later time, please, could you do that?" His tone was as sincere as his plead.
Her being asked like that by Jaune's grandfather, it did help to ease her stiffened muscles quite a bit, though she still kept her grip tight.
"Okay."
"Thank you." He felt relieved seeing her more relaxed figure. "Anyways," grandfathers own features were at peace now as he got over one of the toughest parts in the tale "The introduction is over, now…comes the confrontation." After saying that, Old Arcs pale blueness in his eyes became few shades darker and livelier. After all, this was the part he was most looking for. At least for the most part.
"Please do." Pyrrha herself was almost charged from the excitement of Jaune's grandfather.
"Say no more." And he began the tales main course.
"After the conflict I told you about, I chased right after my boy. Luckily, I knew where he would be at times like that one as after incidents similar to that, the place was always the same.
Sure enough, he was in my room, sitting next to a fireplace, his figure curled up in a tiny ball. He needed someone, as much as he wanted to be alone, I knew better that he needed someone to be by his side. And like many times before, I happened to be that someone."
"El Jauney, my boy…" Old pops slowly approached his son.
Jaune kept silent, his eyes locked on the tiny flame as he kept observing just how much it struggled to survive.
His grandfather now being right before his child, he got on his knee and took his boy's shoulder.
"El Jauney.." He leaned slightly closer, trying to get his son's attention.
Still, it didn't work as Jaune even turned his face further away from him. Seeing that this perhaps wasn't the best way to approach his son, Old Arc stood up and marched to his wardrobe. With a soft creak, he opened it up and took a simple cardboard box out of it. Before opening that one too, he slid his hand over its top as the content lying in it was beyond precious to him. After all, it contained his dreams which he was not able to reach.
Opening it up, man took a pair of boxing gloves and mitts.
"El Jauney, come her for a second."
His son still was sitting like a rock stuck in a sand, not even caring enough to turn his head.
"I want you to try something, something which will help you to relieve that anger you hold inside."
Still, no answer.
"My boy, please, believe me when I say that this will help you greatly…I give you my word, and you know, I have always kept it. Because that's my nindo, my ninja w-oh, wrong anime. Curse that old age."
"Naruto is shit anyway, it's littered with nothing but fillers now." Jaune mumbled quietly.
"H-hey, you watch what you say, read the manga and you will see that- oh, what am I saying, just get over here."
While maybe he didn't get up, Jaunes head was at least tilted to his grandfather's side. Looking at the items he was holding, Jaune soon came to a realization that he didn't know what those were."
"What are you holding?"
"These," He lifted gloves up a bit "are the boxing gloves, and these are the mitts."
"Boxing gloves and mitts?"
"Yes, now what I want you to do is to take these on and give me a few good shots."
Old Arc came closer to his son "Here." He offered Jaune his gloves.
At first, blonde didn't take them as his eyes were inspecting them.
10 oz boxing gloves, red colored, its top being white. The strap around it had logo on it, 'Kings of the ring' was said there with big, black letters. Had a few shreds here and there but overall, since they were nicely kept, looked fairly well.
"You want me to take them on?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"As I said, to unload that anger you hold inside on these mitts. And don't worry, you don't have to hold back, just give it your all." He tried to encourage him. Though he couldn't deny that his eyes would love to see his only grandson try out his most beloved form of combat as well.
"Are you sure this will help?"
"I gave you my word."
"Well…..if you say so." And so Jaune put the gloves on. Even if they were only 10 oz size, they still looked huge on Jaune's fists.
"Come on. Hit this mitt with all your might." Old pops held them at a suitable high for Jaune.
While he still hesitated at first, blonde remembered the sudden slap his mother gave to him, and the cruel words she shouted after that and it was enough of a driving force to give the damn mitt the best he had so….
Old Arcs eyes shot wide open as his hand was blown away by the force of his son's punch, the sound following after it being deep and dangerous.
Even Jaune himself was surprised at the experience, but not for the reasons his grandfather was. For that single, little moment his glove made contact with the mitts surface, an explosive wave of energy rushed through his entire body, making his body hair stand upright, his skin covered with goosebumps. Muscles filled with never before felt sensation, Jaune simply couldn't believe just how good it felt. And he wanted to feel it again…really badly.
"Old pops," he said while looking at his fists which were literally shaking from the adrenaline dose he still felt in his blood "One more….I…please, I want to try one more."
His look shot upwards as his gaze was literally begging Old Arc to place the mitts again so he could drill his fist in that surface.
Old Arc was looking at his mitt, the dent in it clearly a proof that something powerful ran through it, but his mind was still perplexed.
"S-sure." He said as his mind really wanted to make sure that he didn't imagine it. So he placed them again.
Jaune took a few seconds to ready himself but when he was comfortable enough, his right hand again, unloaded all of its might in the soft surface of the mitt, yet this time it wasn't out of anger, no, it was simple, unmistakable drive to let his fist fly and hit something.
And Old pops eyes were wide open again. His mind an ears were not playing jokes on him. His son's punch was really quite something, this time maybe even more so than the last one.
(Could it….really be?) Old man's blood started to circulate faster as a single, hopeful idea began to fill his mind and soul.
"El Jauney, would you want to try it again?" He was almost as excited as his son.
"Yes!" Jaune said instinctively.
"Good, good, but this time I want you to try it a bit differently."
"Differently?"
"Yes, with a little bit of technique behind it."
"Okay."
"Good, then let's begin with your stance because in order to get maximum power out of your fists, you have to have a solid foundation under your feet."
Jaune nodded.
"Now what I want you to do is to struck your left foot forward."
"Like this?" Jaune showed.
"A little bit more."
Jaune made a few more inches.
"That will be enough. Now what I want you to do is to make the gap in between your legs wider."
Jaune carefully slid his foot to the side.
"Splendid, you see my boy, what you have created there now is your line of balance. If you want to always be steady on your feet, don't cross your legs over it, or make that gap too wide. It's very important."
"Okay." Even if it was a bit hard to follow, since Jaune really tried to understand his grandfather's instructions, more or less he got it right.
"Now. What I will ask of you, is to start tip toeing on your feet. Don't worry, I'll show you what I mean. Watch me."
After an enthusiastic nod from Jaune, grandfather instinctively got in his boxing stance. It was orthodox one, with his right guard pressed to his cheek, but left one hanging by his waist. Soon, his feet started to move and he was tip toeing like it was second wind to him.
Jaune's eyes were locked on Old pops feet. Watching them carefully, he tried to imitate the movement. At first, it was quite awkward and clunky. And he even wanted to question how this would help his balance or anything at all. But the more he did it, the more comfortable it started to seem. It was like he was on some sort of springs which could launch his body at any moment.
"Yes, just like that, just like that. Light. You see my boy, you have to be as light as a feather on your feet. That's what the hopping is for, to make you light."
Jaune slightly nodded. Maybe that's why his knees started to feel like springs the more he tried to imitate that tip toeing.
Giving him just a few more seconds, he again continued.
"Good, now, when you will throw your right fist this time, what I want you to try is to lock in both your elbow and shoulder in that punch. Also, instead of clenching your fist from the very beginning, you will only do it at the very end. Just before your glove will touch the mitt. Just like a wolf which only bears its fangs in the preys flesh at the very end of the strike. Though again, I will show you first how it all is really done. So watch."
Old Arc demanded his son's attention as he again, wanted to show a little demonstration. Lightly skipping on his toes, Old pops moved back and forth, back and forth.
Even if he wouldn't have asked, Jaunes eyes still would have been glued to Old pops figure. Anything and everything, it all just seemed so fascinating to him.
Seeing that his child's eyes were closely inspecting him, Great Arc skipped just a few more times, and then fired his right.
Jaune took a sudden step back as he got spooked by the sound of his grandfather's fist slashing air apart, yet at the same time felt such sudden urge to try this himself that he could hardly contain himself.
"Old pops, let me try!" He skipped on his toes faster and faster, adrenalin slowly building up in his veins.
Adalard smiled "Say no more." And he placed the mitts in the right position.
Just like Old pops, Jaune took a little bit more time on hopping part. His gaze strongly locked on the target in front of him, his mind flashing with images of Old Arc's figure and how he fired his right. Frame by frame, he tried to figure out all the details he needed.
"Ready…?"
Jaune skipped a few more times.
"Well…..here I go!"
Jaune proclaimed before his body started to do wonders. Sliding his left foot forward, his right hand came off straight as an arrow. Just as instructed, he locked both, his shoulder and elbow with the punch, his fist clenched only at the very end, right before it made contact with the mitt.
Old man's mouth went slightly open at how solid the shot was.
The form, beautiful, motion, fluid and swift, barely did he make any unnecessary tweaks, accuracy, almost as good as marksman's shot arrow. For a 12 year old kid with no prior boxing experience before this, that right hand was just something entirely else. A single drop of sweat ran down grandfather's forehead as this truly proved his suspicion to be right.
(There is no mistaking it…..he is blessed. And probably more so than anyone I have ever seen.) Old Arc could hardly believe the statement himself.
As for Jaune, his eyes were like lit on fire. That same explosive wave again ran through his body, and shook his heart greatly. The excitement of course, forcing his blood to flow harder.
So satisfying did it feel to do as his grandfather told him to. And he pleaded that there would be more.
"Old pops…"
"Hmm?"
"Is….is there something more I can learn about this boxing?"
"H-h-ha ha ha ha" Great Arc just couldn't contain himself this time "Oh my dear, little son, you barely scratched the surface and that is me being generous. So much there is to learn. Even the right hand you just threw, while really good considering everything, there is still so much you could perfect even in that one punch."
Old man noticed how his son clenched his fists and smiled, eyes livelier than he ever remembered them to be.
"Then please, show me more, teach me more. I want to learn everything about this boxing world so please….could you…?"
For Old pops, words like that were a music to his ears "Of course I could but…you see my boy," he placed the mitt over Jaune's chest "boxing is one of the toughest, most brutal sports ever created. Yet at the same time, on of the most beautiful ones too. It is like life I even would dare to say. Because to succeed in this harsh reality, you have to be willing to take the hits. And the higher you will go, the more punches will be thrown at you, and the harder they will become. And since it's a long road to take, only very few survive through all that. But those who do…they achieve greatness of such magnitude many can't even imagine it in their dreams.
And the beautiful part is, anyone has a chance of getting their hands on it. Because boxing is honest. If you will put in your utmost effort, if your determination will be as solid as a steel, and if you will be able to fight off the fears, this harsh reality will offer you something back. Something precious and valuable.
So that's why I want you to understand one thing. If you truly want to learn everything there is to boxing, you'll have to endure training tougher and harsher than anything you ever had until this point. Because talent alone, no matter how great it is, will never be enough. Because boxing doesn't care about talent, or even your dreams. All it cares about is your attitude, work ethic and how much you're willing to sacrifice in order to keep moving forward. So-"
"Old pops," Jaune said, after which he lightly pressed his glove against grandfather's cheek as he truly understood what old man tried to tell him "I will do everything and anything you will tell me to. I promise. So please, show me more boxing." His little gaze burned with the determination he felt at the moment, and believed he would for the rest of the hard, long road.
Whenever it would hold or not, but Old pops couldn't help himself but to feel hopeful. Even if he had witnessed many great talents brake down after they experience the true essence of boxing, since it was his own, dear son begging him to show more of his beloved sport, he couldn't help himself but to feel hopeful that El Jauney would be the one who would attain that far away greatness.
He just had to at least let his son try to achieve it.
"As you wish El Jauney, I will show you" He took Jaunes glove and squeezed it in between the mitts "what boxing is really all about."
Old man finished, his eyes closed as he still envisioned everything he could remember about that fateful day.
"And that is how my boy discovered boxing," He said, shortly after opening his eyes.
Pyrrha too, took a little bit of time before saying anything (So it was his grandfather who first showed him boxing. And it seems that Adalard used to be a boxer himself.) Pyrrha smiled slightly (Usually the saying goes 'Like father like son', but this time it is a little bit different, but still, just as endearing.)
"So you were a boxer too?" She wanted to make sure that she got it right.
"Correct, but it's ancient history at this point."
"Then it really is no surprise that you were the one who first showed boxing to Jaune."
"Surprise or not, but I would be fooling myself if I were to deny the fact that I felt great pleasure knowing that he discovered it from me."
For Pyrrha, it really was endearing to watch just how pleased Jaune's grandfather was about the fact that his boy crossed paths with this ancient sport because of his help. To know that your child discovered and immediately fell in love with something you treasured so much yourself, it truly had to be a special moment in life.
Turning her head, she saw that her partner too, looked rather happy, so she gazed back to Adalard.
"And what happened after?"
"Oh…what happened after is that I witnessed a masterful art in motion being created. As I suspected, El Jauney was truly blessed in boxing. He picked up techniques and basics faster than anyone I had ever seen. He needed only a few showcases before he could start imitating it, and only a few tries before he was already good at it.
But good didn't satisfy nor me nor my boy. We both knew he could do better than average good.
And he did.
In all the colors he did.
His unworldly talent combined with hard work, it got what he picked up to be shaped to a near perfection. After all, that nickname 'Jaune, the dancing Arc angel' didn't come on by itself. My boy truly earned it. Especially with his very first, official amateur match." Old man's eyes sparkled "I could tell you a little bit more if you so desire," He said, but would be damned if Pyrrha would decline the offer. Luckily for him, she was more than interested in knowing how Jaune got that nickname.
"I would love to hear more."
"So you said." And he continued.
"How are you feeling?" Old pops asked as he was near done with wrapping bandages around Jaune's fists.
"Slightly nervous." He lightly hopped on his toes.
"Don't worry about that. It's completely normal to-"
"I have to knock that guy out in some awesome way," Jaune said as his smirk grew slightly wider.
"El Jauney…" Old Arc chuckled lightly and shortly after, he was done with bandages.
"Don't worry about knocking him out. In fact, don't worry about winning this match at all. It's all about feeling this out and gaining experience." (Not that I wouldn't want to see you knock that little bastards teeth out.)
"Old pops," he lightly smacked his fist against grandfathers cheek "that guy's ass is grass, I can promise you that. I just want to look as awesome as possible while knocking him out."
"Like always, you're just so full of it," Old Arc said, though his lips were tucked into smile as he couldn't help it but to adore his son's arrogance. Not that he could blame him as not that many shared such talent as he did. Though a friendly reminder was needed.
"Listen, feeling confident is a very important trait for a boxer, but don't let it affect you in bad ways. Never, and I mean never underestimate your opponent. Especially since your foe already has 15 matches under his fists, with 12 wins from which 6 were early stoppages. Make one mistake and you will be his next victim."
"Don't shake your old, wrinkly ass cheeks for nothing. I will be fine."
After a light chuckle, Old pops reminded Jaune to watch his tongue, though a remark like that eased his mind greatly. At this point, all he could do was to believe in his son.
"Then I suppose I will stop shaking them. Also, it seems that it's time for us to go." Old pops raised his fist as he heard their names announced.
"Okay," Jaune said as they bumped their fists together and were ready to leave the locker room.
Knees slightly weaker, breaths rigged and deeper than usual, his skin covered with goosebumps, heartrate faster than it should be. As much as Jaune knew he would win, he still felt the pressure.
(My moment, this will be my moment.) Jaune said to himself. To him, failure was not an option.
Coming out of the dark locker room, he squinted his eyes as the lights above seemed brighter than usual. So much time had he spent in this gym 'Kings of the ring' yet for the first time ever, the lights above were not comforting him. Today, they felt like bonfires which literally burnt his skin.
And then his ears ringed.
Clap, he turned his head to the left, clap, he looked to the right. Spectators weren't many, yet it seemed like he was under millions of eyes. They were all watching him.
Suddenly, he felt how his shoulder got heavier. Turning his head, his eyes were met with a reassuring, comforting smile. He smiled back.
This is my moment.
The springs in his knees which felt rustier than ever, the stiffness in muscles, that discomforting warmth, overwhelming number of heartbeats, the static sound from the claps. The closer he got to the ring, the all the more it all faded into nothingness and was exchanged with never before felt excitement.
This is my moment.
Ropes were pushed away as Old pops held them wide open.
"Step in." Jaune could read from his eyes.
He nodded.
Going through the ropes, Jaune gazed at the other corner.
Cocky grin.
His opponent was feeling full of himself, his arm already flying around in confident fashion.
0 vs 15.
But it didn't matter. He lost three times, he would lose this one too.
"You ready?" Jaune heard.
"More than ever before." He smashed his gloves together.
A pat on the back "Then prove me those words with actions."
A nod. He will.
A referee who was already standing in the center, signaled for the combatants to come forward.
That same cocky grin. Probably even wider than before, but definitely much closer to Jaune's face. Such nuisance.
But it didn't matter.
Feet were light, fists were hot, mind was clear, senses were sharp.
This is my moment.
"Are instructions clear?" Referee asked after explaining the rules.
They nodded. No questions were asked.
"Then touch the gloves."
And they did. At least Jaune tried to but his glove was met with his opponents fading back.
"You will lose." Jaune heard him say.
Fists clenched tight, but lips tugged into a smile.
"We'll see about that…" he mumbled quietly before retreating to his corner. Needed to await those few lasts seconds. Though they passed so quickly, as if their existence was never a part of reality.
"You know what to do right?" Old pops asked.
A nod.
"Then go for it my boy." Was the context Jaune could read from the light push grandfather gave to him.
And a gong came off.
And so did Jaune's opponent as he immediately dashed from his corner and already tried to finish blondey off. Tough luck.
A side step. Jaune's legs moved him out of the danger, but only after blocking a few haymakers with his guard.
Persistence.
Jaune had to move away again as his foe really wanted to impress the crowd and finish the fight quickly.
Mistake.
The simple pattern of his attacks, the haymakers he made, his over simplistic straightforwardness. All of it was too easy to read and too easy to evade.
Light.
Jaune's footwork was something else. He moved around with such precision and elegance, as if he was an artist giving the crowd a mesmerizing performance. A true dancer on the stage. He was everywhere, yet at the same time nowhere in the ring. It was his steps and skips which dictated where his opponent and he would be. His partner could only follow after him, his seeming clumsiness only further show boosting Jaune's spectacular moves.
Clear.
Jaune's mind was as cool as a winter breeze in a snowy night. No worries clouded his thinking. His mind quickly figuring out everything he needed to know. Where his opponent would move, what punch he would throw, what guard he would use, where he would step. Even the rhythm of his heartbeats was read from the way his chest moved.
Offense, defense, thinking, instincts, breathing. Just his very existence. Jaune kept figuring it all out.
Sharp.
Jaune's senses were beyond human limitation. His were more like an animals, a predator's who was intertwined with its prey.
The awareness Jaune had being top notch. He saw everything and anything his foe threw at him. Nothing was missed, nothing left out. Even the sound Jaune's opponent made when moving was noted. It all mattered, it had to be taken into account.
Hot.
His blood was boiling. Especially in his fists. Ready. They were so ready to crush whatever would stand in his way. Just needed to throw them out. But Jaune was patient. He wanted to build up that drive to the point where he would no longer be able to hold it in. And then he could release it all in a single moment.
Awe.
Some whisper here, maybe there. A compliment, perhaps they called his name. Whatever the crowd said and did, it was all directed at Jaune. No eyes dared to trail off. They were all watching him. A prodigy at work.
Admiration and pride.
Old pops mouth was half open as he wanted to give some instructions to his boy, but those thoughts wandered off somewhere and he was kept mesmerized by the spectacle in front of his eyes.
Such perfection.
He knew first hand that his boy would show him something promising, but certainly not to this degree. A chill ran down his spine and his old heart pumped blood harder than it had in years. He blinked once, and then regretted it. He would not allow himself to do that again. Old man wanted this to be burnt into his mind, all of it.
This admiration he held to the boy dancing in the ring, and the unmistakable pride in knowing that he was part of his blood and flesh, his own, dear son.
Time to finish it.
Around 2 and a half minutes in the first round, and Jaune already had enough of it. He was done with simply moving around. That drive he was building up all this time, it was ready to explode.
His opponent like a madman kept chasing after him, his swings growing even wider than before as the desperation and frustration was railing him up. Swing after swing, he only kept missing and wasting his energy.
But not for long anymore.
Again, he winded up his next haymaker. Jaune of course read the movement and took the necessary action. Though this time, instead of simply dodging it, Jaune leaped forward in incredible speed and countered the incoming attack with a combination which was literally running in his blood. An old school, but his most beloved one, two.
But Jaune did it with such pureness and beauty to it, his form being almost angelic, that it seemed as if it was something new, something which had never been seen before.
The conclusion after it, was of course predictable.
Mouth guard flew up in the ceiling, a thin line of blood following after it. A broken nose, fading away consciousness. Jaune's opponent like a lifeless doll crashed on the matt.
A single look from the referee and he signaled that the match was over. Count was not needed. Taking Jaune's hand, he raised it in the air declaring the obvious. That Jaune was a winner.
It took a crowd a few seconds before they would respond as they were still perplexed at what just happened before their eyes, but the moment they did, in a united fashion they called out his name and cheered for him.
Even if Jaune was really thankful to the crowd, his eyes were locked on a single figure standing by the ring. Raising his fist, he shot it out at grandfather's direction.
It was written all over him.
Without a single word spoken, he made it loud and clear with his childish smirk, the confident look in his eyes, and the proud fist he held in the air.
A single line of words which could describe the match and the event as a whole.
"This is my moment."
Was what his stature perfectly said.
Authors note: So, that's the end of that. At least for part 1. Anyways' the reason this is only part 1 is because I at first thought that it would be a singular chapter, this whole tale I mean. But I just got so carried away with the draft that I slowly realized that I could make it into 2 chapters. I mean….8k words….I think that's enough for 1 chapter. The good news now is that I have finished draft for the next chapter buuuut…..I still won't make a promise and say that it will come a lot faster than previous writings. There is a big chance it will, but still, I'd rather not lie to you, but just a wait and see how it goes down.
Also, with this chapter I believe….is where my story deviates from the canon RWBY, and into my truly own. I mean there of course will be elements from the canon one, quite a few sometimes, but….as much as I don't want to say it, if you are really looking for a canon heavy fic, then I'm not sure if this is for you. Of course, I will be delighted to no end if those of you who are looking for canon driven RWBY fan fic's will continue to read my story, but I will at least give you this sort of little reminder of what to expect.
Anyways' that is all I guess. Of course, some reviews and all that great stuff would be truly appreciated, but I will leave that to you and only hope for the best.
And with that, until next time comes guy's-
Have a nice one;)
