Hey, ghost!

?: Ugh, what do you want? Can't you see I'm busy?

Busy doing what? You are stuck in this black and white void until I poof you into the story later on.

?: I am busy not listening to you, so may I return to what I was doing?

Yeah, no. First off, I need inspirational help, which you are going to provide right here and now. And second off, do you have anything for back pains? They can be a real inspiration killer.

?: No to the first and second.

Oh shit, fuck it, ok.

?: How you can swear like that only the devil himself knows…

Have some mercy would you? Tomorrow I have work, so little time to write and my back might act up again after.

?: Fine, fine. Listen here.

Oh? OHHHHHH. Good ideas, Ghost.

?: Just don't fuck it up. And get Nerd to read this stuff before you post it. The least he can do after you helped him.

Gee, way to take advantage of people.

?: You are too soft in that regard.

Another day at Beacon has started, and it was a promising one to that. Everything was going well for Ash until now. He was in combat class, watching the current match. His little pupil was going against somebody today, and Ash liked it how Jaune was handling himself.

His opponent was using a halberd which shifted into a riffle and battleax, but Jaune took notice of that as Ash instructed him to.

It had been at least 2 weeks since the call he had with Roman and the image of Blaze Auburn was well sold to the others. Heck, Roman even spoke to them on the scroll, albeit with a voice alterer. But hey, he had to keep a low profile and neither Ash nor Roman wanted people to learn about their connection.

On the side note, Jaune was effectively dodging his opponent's strikes and using the shield of Crocea Mors to block the strikes, and give an occasional shield bash back. The Aura difference was also pretty good, with Jaune having a 20% advantage over his opponent who, due to trying too hard to go through Jaune's defense and catch the slippery knight, was starting to tire themselves out.

Then came the finisher move, a tired horizontal swing of their weapon, Jaune ducking under it with his arms spread out at first, then his grip tightened around his sword and thrust it forward with a battle cry into his opponent's Aura, causing it to flicker and throwing them off-guard.

Cardin was not liking what he was seeing, and Ash felt it. Jaune was getting better by the day under his guidance, and the Arc was showing good progress. Maybe that was his semblance? Fast Learning. It would definitely explain his progress, or he was a really fast learner when properly motivated.

But anyway, back to the fight. Jaune's opponent stumbled a bit on their legs, which he noticed, and took immediate advantage by folding his shield-sheath and throwing it between his opponent's legs, making them trip and fall on their back, only to try and get up with the blade of Crocea Mors at their throat.

"I…" Poor guy was trying to talk but to little success.

"Sorry for what's coming." Jaune apologized before pulling his sheath back with his leg and unfolding it on the ground, stepping on the edge to throw it up like a skateboard. He caught it, and folded back, putting his sword away.

Many were confused by this. Jaune was close to winning, yet he just turned around as well with his sword put away. His opponent did not think twice and picked up their weapon, charging at Jaune before he could step out of the arena and trying to knock him out of bounds.

The keyword here is tried. Jaune spun around and dodged right to avoid the halberd strike, then he unfolded his shield and bashed his opponent in the side of their head, leaving their Aura in the red. "That's why I said I'm sorry. " Jaune muttered.

The lights turned back on with the results being displayed. Jaune won with 54% while his opponent was at 16%, being in the red. Many were surprised by this improvement, and even more so by Jaune's fighting style.

Ash taught him.

He also taught Jaune to keep tabs on his classmates.

Yep. Ash had taught Jaune how to watch and plan better, in some way. The blonde still being a better tactical type than him, but still.

The 2 had been keeping some tabs on the people around them, their weapons, fighting styles, and so on. Anything that mattered in combat class, to be fair. And it paid off. The person Jaune taught was strong, bulky even, with more than enough muscle to swing around their heavy weapon, which can do some serious damage. But the bad part was that they were always finishing the fights quickly, relying on their tough body to take the damage of reckless attacks to deal a serious blow.

Jaune was the one to suggest bad stamina, and he was on point. Turns out this guy was not good with people faster than him, or with people knowing how to dodge right. He got careless at first since Jaune was the bottom of the class, but that arrogance quickly washed away when he and Jaune were 10% Aura apart.

Man, was it a sight to behold seeing someone's confidence getting so easily crushed. But that was not important.

What was important were the vibes of worry from Cardin. He was a power-type as well, meaning that what he saw could spell counter for him if he fights Jaune, causing him to lose. Of course, if he didn't have that blackmail material…

Ash still had to think of a back-up plan in case Jaune cannot deal with Cardin.

But for now, Goodwitch was taking the stand, doing her usual review of the fight. "That concludes the fight with Mr. Bastion's Aura falling in the red." The slight hint of disbelieving in her voice was almost amusing, and the slight anger when she spotted Ash's smug look. But she ignored it. "As you can see, Mr. Bastion had been, until now, preferring to finish fights quickly using reckless, yet powerful strikes. A strategy which he could imply thanks to his Aura and body, but ultimately useless against a quicker opponent. Which resulted in his loss."

"Mr. Arc effectively read his opponent and held up his defense until a golden opening revealed itself, striking Mr. Bastion from point-blank range and even using his lost of footing as an advantage." She inhaled, then turned to Jaune. "Although I cannot say I am not impressed by your development, Mr. Arc, I do have to scold you on the move you used with your shield."

Jaune gulped, looking at Goodwitch with the fear every student has towards that woman. "Although that moved earned you the victory, the following was quite cruel of you. You had Mr. Bastion in a position where, usually, defeat was the only outcome. Safe to say, if this was a real fight to the death, then Mr. Bastion would be dead."

Said student flinched at those words. But it was true. Even with Aura, at the rate this fight was going, if it was real, poor Bastion would've kissed the heavens by evening. "Yet, you recovered your shield, sheathed your sword, and turned around with your back at your opponent."

Weiss could be heard letting out a scoff in class, but Ash was smirking. He was pleased with the results. "You lured him into taking a reckless charge, betting that he wouldn't be using his rifle."

"Actually…" And here comes the most satisfying part. "I didn't...Bastion's rifle was out of ammo."

The class began muttering, and Bastion immediately checked his pockets. "Dust above, he is right!" He exclaimed, making Glynda raised an eyebrow at Jaune.

"You counted his rounds? How? How did you know how many he even had?" Her question made Jaune only put on an awkward smile and rub the back of his neck. How indeed...Well, Ash suggested the counting thing, pointing out how some weapons had a set number of rounds they could fire/hold, and that knowing that factor can lead to advantages. Turns out he was right.

"Well, the size of his weapon was a clue. Then the pockets on his pants. His rifle does not come with a clip, meaning he has to hold the round on a belt or in his pockets. Considering how big his rounds are, it was a rough estimation, but he fired all maximum estimated rounds, plus 4 bonus ones into my shield." Glynda was at a loss for words. "So, I guess I was lucky with the counting?"

"Luck doesn't begin to describe this, Mr. Arc. It was a well-thought strategy, even if it implied estimations and guesses. But to be fair, in actual combat, such things CAN save your life." Goodwitch cleared her throat and turned to the class. "You are dismissed."

And so everyone went out, Cardin making signs for Jaune to follow, the blonde obeying, but overall more cheerful that he managed to win.

It was a rather easy match, but Ash was pleased with Jaune's progress. Now onto the next issue: Pyrrha. She was glaring angry daggers at Ash the entire class from behind his seat. It was getting obnoxious, especially since she had been doing that ever since Ash started giving Jaune help.

It was time to confront her about it. He would've done it earlier, but she had been hanging out with team RWBY and the rest of JNPR a lot. This was understandable since they were friends and all, but she had been avoiding Ash. A lot.

But now he had the chance, on their way to the cafeteria he managed to pull the Invincible Girl away, pinning her next to a tree. Some might call this hitting on a girl and trying to get lucky, but this was nothing of then likes. Ash wanted answers.

"What is this about, Ash?" She asked eyes fixed on her own reflections in Ash's glasses. She was not even trying to put on a confused smile, but a sour frown was all over her face.

"Care to tell me why have you been avoiding me lately? And why do I get the feeling you suddenly have a bone to pick with me…" Ash asked, his arm still keeping her pinned. If she wanted to, then she could break free easily. Ash doubted he'd be able to stand against her much in a fight.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She was quick to dismiss Ash's accusations, but Auburn had his tricks.

"Does Jaune know?" And so, her green, emerald eyes were locked onto him again. "Does he know?"

"What are you talking about?" Pyrrha asked, still gazing at him, but this time Ash was able to start picking up anger from her. The ice was getting thinner.

"Does he know you are capable of ill will?" Her eyes widened a bit, confusion sets in. "You've been acting weird toward me ever since the roof incident, so it is time to spill it-"

"You are with him"

Her words were low and barely above a soft whisper, but Ash heard her. Not clearly, but he did. "Pardon?"

"You." She clenched her fist. "Are." Her anger was rising. "With." She pulled it back, Ash unable to react fast enough. "HIM!" And so she punched him square in the side of his head, his glasses flying as he was forced to step back, keeping his eyes closed as his Aura flared. "You are still training him!"

How does she know about that? "How do you know about that? I told him not to tell anyone-"

"I saw you…" She cut him off, answering his question. "Maybe it was not on the first day after the incident, but after I gathered my wits I was able to realize something. Jaune deserves to be here!"

Ash went to pick up his glasses, putting them back on. Good thing they are not damaged. "So you did...What about it?"

"Why are you helping him?" Her question actually caught Ash off guard. "He cheated his way into Beacon, a fact which could've got him killed during initiation if not for me helping him back then, and yet, despite that fact, you are helping him get stronger. Better. Maybe not in a way I would approve on, but...You are there for him when I can't" She looked down, her anger going down.

"Jaune came to Beacon despite not having any training whatsoever because he wanted to be a Hero" Pyrrha chuckled slightly at that. "At first, it seems childish, but then, after his confession, I started to see the reasoning. He wants to help people. Save those who cannot save themselves. He wants to make a difference, something many people here do not wish. The only thing a good amount of people want here is to get famous as Hunters and rip the benefits."

Ash remained silent, watching her tackle off that load. She really cared for the blondie, huh? Wait, does that mean Arc was going to take down an Ursa Major by himself? Nah. No way. "He is keeping my secret, you know."

"What?" Pyrrha looked at Ash, the boy tracing his hand over his glasses.

"That night, after you stormed off, I took those off in front of him and showed him what I was hiding. " Ash was going to tell her the partial truth, skipping the 'what' in it. "But after I did and left in anger, I realized my mistake and tried to get him to shut it the next morning. Imagine my surprise when I found him with team CRDL of all people."

"What happened then?"

"Son of a gun made a freaking Arc oath to keep my secret from Cardin, who heard my shouting and got curious, earning himself a black eye" Ash's words caught Pyrrha by surprise. She did not know why Jaune had that eye, except that Cardin gave it to him, but this was all a big revelation for her. She knows about Jaune's family thing, never backing down on a promise.

"After that, I guess you could say he has my respect. I offered to teach him in order to eventually get rid of Cardin and his pose, but truth be told he still has a ways to go." Ash sighed. "Cardin is not the kind of guy to play fair if he is losing, unless it is under the eyes of Goodwitch, his team is bound to jump in and if that happens…"

"Jaune…" Pyrrha muttered, worried for him.

"I can deal with the RDL well enough since I suspect they are more bark than bite, but Jaune has to beat Cardin by himself."

"Wait, what do you mean by that?" Pyrrha asked, drawing closer to him. Ash was not scared, however, since he could feel that her anger was gone, replaced with other emotions. Namely guilt for ill will against Ash. "Jaune can't fight Cardin!"

"Not now. " Ash added. "But if I keep getting ass into shape, he stands a chance."

"How big of a chance are we talking about?"

"He has a bigger chance dating you, to be honest…" Ash muttered. But he did not take notice of the slight blush on Pyrrha's face, nor could he understand the emotions he felt from her, mainly because the guilt was still overshadowing anything else. "Also, don't worry about the punch and stuff."

"What?" It took her a quick second to realize. "Oh my Gods, I'm sorry for that, I don't know what came over me, and I-"

Ash put his hand up, stopping her from useless ramble. "It's ok. You were only tryna look out for your partner and team leader, which I understand."

"Thank you" She sighed in relief.

"But now that you know I am training him…"

"You can bet on that, Auburn" And so, Ash regrets his choice of facing the Invincible Girl.

Now, inside the school's arena set for the students to spar and improve, stood 3 people: Ash Auburn, Pyrrha Nikos, and Jaune Arc, the latter being slightly uncomfortable at the presence of his partner.

"Pyrrha? What are you, Uhm, doing here? At this hour? With Ash?" Jaune asked, taking in the sight of his partner, which he must think was still angry with him, readying her weapons. "Wait, wait, wait. Please, Pyrrha have mercy!" Jaune backed away, almost falling as Pyrrha went closer, then he did fall, and the redhead stuck her weapon next to his head.

"Never hide something like that from us again, promise me!" She demanded, her weapon still in the ground. Jaune gulped, scared shitless at the sight before him.

"But I-, why are you-, what?" And so, Jaune's brain stopped working, and Pyrrha immediately reacted thinking she went overboard while Ash laughed.

"I'm sorry!" She recovered her weapon and immediately helped Jaune up, dusting him as she did. "It was Ash's idea to do that, I swear! I could never."

"I promise," Jaune said, cutting her off. "I...I know I done goofed. Big time even. I mean, I have nothing to do at Beacon, to begin with." he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I'm just a cheater and a liar at the end of the day-"

"One more word, Arc, and I will shove Somnium Cavas up your ass." Ash threatened to which Jaune shut himself. "Go on, Pyr."

Pyrrha, who was not too fond of Ash's attitude, sighed and began talking to Jaune. The one fixed things up slowly, but well, even deciding to tell the rest of JNPR about this stuff after they dealt with Cardin. But what really caught Ash's eye was when he heard Jaune ask Pyrrha.

"Would you train me alongside Ash then?" His question made both Ash and Pyrrha smirk, the former thinking of the ways he can earn himself a good laugh.

"That would be grand." And the redhead agreeing. "I also have to make sure someone doesn't corrupt you with dirty fighting tricks."

"Ouch!" Ash exclaimed dramatically, hand over his heart. "That hurt, Nikos. That hurt a lot."

The trio shared a laugh among themselves, then nodded at each other. They agreed that since Pyrrha was the first to be asked by Jaune for training, and Ash being just someone who wanted to make a bully cry, she was to be first now.

And frankly, she was quite pleased with what she saw. Jaune was not falling on his arse anymore. Well, not as much as before anyway, and was actually showing improvement. Safe to say they had trouble thinking of ways to mix the teaching and whatnot, but it all worked out well.

Eventually, they neared lights out and had to depart. "So, any of you excited about the trip to the forever fall forest tomorrow?" Pyrrha asked as she was walking next to Jaune, Ash being on the left of the guy while Pyrrha was on the right.

"Cardin is going to be keeping close, something about little plan of his."

"I don't like the sound of that, Jaune." Ash pointed out. "I will be sticking in close, make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."

"Thanks, but what about his team? Even after we shake them off, how are we going to make sure he shuts up for good?"

"That is a good question. " Pyrrha added, thinking. "Even if you do defeat him, he can still run his mouth, meaning that we need concrete ways of making him keep the secret."

"Leave that to me." Ash said as he brought out his scroll, messaging his 'uncle' "I think I might be on to something."

"Are you sure? Is it legal?" Pyrrha asked, nailing it. Technically, asking a renowned thief and criminal for blackmail on someone could've been considered illegal, but those were desperate times. Plus, none of the 2 had lie-detecting semblances from what Ash could tell, or else he'd been busted long ago.

"As legal as it can get." Not a lie, but not the truth either.

"I just want to be next to my friends again," Jaune said. "Oh, also, Ash, can you show Pyrrha your eyes as well? I know I might be asking a lot, but I think she has to know as well."

"Oh?" They all stopped, Pyrrha looking at Ash as she stepped in their path. "All this time I just assume you had scars, but earlier I saw them closed and there were none."

"Arc…" Ash growled, but then calmed himself. This was fair. He was holding Jaune's secret, and he had his. Pyrrha deserved to know what she was next to, especially after being so nice as to not kick Ash out of those sessions despite his methods. "My uncle is not going to be happy, so please, keep this a secret."

"I promise" And just like that, Ash took off his glasses, showing Pyrrha the orbs he held. "Oh…"

"There is more, but for now let's return to the dorms and talk more tomorrow-"

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH THEM?!" And so, the Invincible Girl acted like a girl and got spooked by a boy at first sight. Heh.

Ash put his glasses back on, letting Jaune go to Pyrrha and trying to calm her down before she reached for her weapons. "Pyrrha, calm down, it's alright, Ash is not what those eyes make him be. Please, calm down."

Pyrrha was hesitant, but then followed her leader's words, trying to calm down and walk to Ash. "Do they...Do you see the world differently?"

"I wouldn't know really. Everything is lively colored and the likes, so I am not blind at least." Ash answered nonchalantly.

"Alright…" She was shaken by that, which is understandable. Jaune needed a bit to get comfy with the idea, the same with her most likely will be needed. "Let's go back to the dorms and sleep. We...We are going to need the rest. Me especially after what I saw." Jaune joined Pyrrha, helping go to the dorm of teak JNPR.

Things were looking bright, honestly, with Cardin's days being numbered. Ash was taking a different route, deciding to enjoy Beacon in the evening for a bit, but then he felt a poke in his backside and turned around to see no one.

"The hell-OUCH!" he looked down and saw a pouting Neo looking at him. "Neo?! What are you doing here? Does Roman know?" this was a surprise, a big one. What was Neo doing at Beacon? Again? He thought she was only the messenger, bringing him goods from Roman, but apparently, he was wrong.

And the hand signs were talking. Neo often switched between using her scroll and sign language to talk, the former being for when she can use her scroll, that is. Unless she lost it, it was charging, or it was broken.

But Ash could understand her well enough, having to learn sign language to understand her in the first place. So imagine his surprise when he read those words.

The signs said. "Look, I have been hanging around you hidden by my semblance ever since you pinned that girl to the tree." She smirked, then continued. "A bold move considering who that was. But I couldn't help but notice you showing them your eyes, again."

"I owed them that much, Neo." The midget was not buying it.

"No you didn't, and you saw the reaction of that girl." The next signs she did were unique. "For what in fuck's sake could you be thinking at that time? Her in a naked apron?" She was sarcastic, yes, but still. "Roman cannot find out about this, you know it, or else he'd kill those 2 to bury the secret!"

"I know, I know. But wait, since when do you care for other people's lives?" That was a good question.

"Ever since one of them was Pyrrha Nikos" Of course. "No one we might send would hold their ground well enough, and Roman and I cannot take her alone either without making too much of a fuss. You know we cannot afford attention now" Her hands stop going around, taking her parasol out and swinging it around a bit. Then she signed. "Make sure the secret doesn't spill further, Ashie. Ok? I don't want my little cousin getting hurt."

"Not any relation, but fine. I also wouldn't want my cousin's ice-cream secret stash leaked to Roman."

Neo paled, her mouth wide open, the signed. 'Y-you are making me keep my hands down?! BY blackmail?"

"Yes, to be sure." Ash let out a straight answer. If there was one thing he knew Neo was crazed over, that was ice cream, the girl loved it to every sugary bit. Of course, that'd make the perfect material.

Neo was impressed, smiling at him slyly she signed. "Try not to get on my bad side, Ashie, or else I might have a stabby session for you." Ash shivered at that. Even if Neo was half-serious - yeah, half-serious, meaning that she won't kill Ash but still put the hurt in him - Ash was not going to make anything too bold regarding her stash.

"Goodbye, Neo!" So Ash said a quick goodbye and left, Neo shattering into pieces as her semblance allowed her to.

Ah, Forever Fall. A forest with leaves forever in the colors of the season it is named after, a beautiful place to be in a nice afternoon. That is if you are not here on a school trip to collect sap for a lazy ass teacher.

Seriously, what is Profesor Peach doing that needs them to collect the sap for her? That Ash wished to know.

But he couldn't allow himself to ponder on that. Oh no, he did not have the time. The moment everyone landed and Goodwitch handed out their assignment, they spread out, weapons in tow. Grimm lived around here, so they had to be vigilant. Of course, Ash threw that out of the window when he saw Team CRDL, Jaune in tow, going deeper into the forest.

Ash wasted no time following them by climbing in the tree canopy, his Faunus heritage proofing useful once again. He followed them until they stopped moving, and Cardin had Jaune collect more jars of sap than originally needed. If anything, he'd think Cardin wanted extra credit, but Ash doubted it.

Instead, he pulled out a different jar with an annoying buzz to it."Cardin? What are those?" Jaune asked, obviously worried about the illegal goods.

"Those are Rapier Wasp Grimm, Jauney. " Cardin said with a grin on his face. "Their stingers bypass Aura and are said to be attracted by sweet stuff, like the sap you've been collecting"

"And what are you going to do with them? I mean, you can't keep Grimm as pets." Jaune said nervously, then Cardin shushed them and peeked over the bush, pointing at none other than Pyrrha Nikos herself.

Both Ash and Jaune caught on quickly to what he wants to do. Neither of them liked it one bit. "That broad had the nerve of humiliating my entire team in class, Jauney, so here is what will happen…" He put a jar of sap in Jaune's hand. "You are going to thrown this jar at her, then Dove will throw the wasps."

"What?! Cardin, we can't! It can-"

"It can what, Jauney?" Cardin asked grabbing him by the collar. "Should I start shouting something then? Heh? I am sure some people would love to hear what I have to say…"

Jaune didn't struggle. It was useless to do so anymore. Cardin let him down and watched as Jaune pulled back his arm, ready to throw the jar. Ash was ready to jump down, to stop him.

But he didn't need to.

The sound of glass shattering echoed for a bit, and there stayed a Cardin full of sap. "Bad move, Jauney boy."

"I'd rather face whatever punishment that comes my way than do that to my team. Especially my partner." Jaune declared.

"Then prepare to face the said punishment. Dove! Lark!" His 2 teammates each took a jar of sap and threw it at Pyrrha, the jars breaking into pieces.

"No-" Jaune couldn't go to her even as she creamed when the sap got into her eyes, luckily Nora was there to help her alongside Ren, but then the wasps were heard and they went towards them.

Cardin was beating up Jaune in the meantime, enjoying each moment. "Oh, I am so going to tell now. I will not only have you expelled but also blamed for what happened to the Invincible Girl of Mistral." Another punch. "After you are gone it's going to be so easy to work my ways."

Ash tightened the grip on his sword, ready to kill that bastard, but a chill stopped him. He looked back and immediately knew bad news was coming. "And who knows? Maybe I will take the chance to get myself some champion p-GAH!" Suddenly, a powerful glow came from Jaune as Cardin was going for another hit to the jaw, making the bully let him go and grab his own hand in pain.

What the actual hell was that? For Cardin, it felt like he was punching a steel block without any Aura, then Jaune came to him, grabbing him the collar. "If you ever mess with me, my team, or any of my friends again, I will do worse next time."

That was a hollow threat, but Cardin listened, or so it seemed. His teammates were already drawing their weapons to fight Jaune. But then a freaking Ursa Major popped up.

"An Ursa major?!" Cardin shouted, his team fleeing in fear of the big Grimm. But not Jaune. He stayed behind and drew his weapons. "What are you doing? Run!"

"I won't leave you!"

"What?! You can't take that down! You are weak! Pathetic even! Who do you think you are?"

Jaune took only a moment to think of it, and didn't even stutter when he said it. "A hero…" Then he charged at the Grimm with a battle cry.

Ash rushed to Pyrrha in the meantime but saw the wasp acting confused round them all. Ren was using his semblance on themselves, shielding them from the wasps. Ash took no time into killing the wasps using one well shot incendiary round, meaning Ren could let the veil down.

"What happened?" He asked, Pyrrha still blinded by the sap, poor girl being covered all over in it and shards of glass. She even had it in her hair which assumingly was going to take a while to wash.

"Winchester happened. " Ash said, growling even at how angry he was. "Get Nikos back to Goodwitch!" He shouted. "Jaune needs some help dealing with the trash.

"We saw Cardin's goons running away scared, what happened?" Nora asked.

"Ursa…" Ash said before rushing off, leaving the NPR to return to the teacher.

In the meantime, Jaune was doing better than he would expect. Those training sessions paying off in the end. True, he was up against an Ursa Major, which was no small thing.

Not at all.

Bt at least he was quicker than it, taking advantage of the Grimm's size to dodge and roll from its strikes each time the creature tried to strike him down. But he knew he had to go on the offensive as well if he wanted to kill that thing.

Jaune charged forth at the Ursa, the Grimm roaring as it brought down its claw in front of the boy, but Jaune remembered Pyrrha's lessons and used his shield to block, then Ash's to take advantage of the moment to tilt the shield a bit, making the Ursa s claw slide off and into the ground, creating an opening.

Cardin's eyes went wide open as Jaune spun around and decapitated the Ursa. One quick swoop of the sword and the Grimm was down, evaporating into dust. Jaune went to Cardin, helping the bully up. "We good?" He asked Cardin, the bully looking at the Grimm which laid dead.

This twerp saved his life.

Cardin was not going to have this. "Prepare yourself to be expelled, you damn-"

"Damn what, Winchester?" Ash appeared from behind him, sword drawn and glowing yellow with electricity cracking all over it. But in his other hand, he held his scroll.

"What do you want, Auburn?" The bully snarled, but Ash chuckled. Jaune was confused as well but slowly went behind Ash. "Just because this twerp got a lucky strike means nothing! He is a cheat and I will be the hero which exposes him!"

"Than this will make me a hero as well." Ash held his scroll in Cardin's face, the bully's eyes going wide with shock. He also showed it to Jaune, who was just as shocked.

"Good Brothers of Remnant!" Jaune shouted.

"H-h-how do you have that?!" Cardin asked, backing away as Ash's chuckle started creeping him out. The half-Faunus put his scroll away.

"Let's just say that my uncle is very good at digging up shit. Especially nasty shit."

A few minutes back when Roman stumbled upon this golden material. He dropped his cigar from his mouth and his smile reached his ears. "HA! SUCK IT, WINCHESTER! YOU ARE MINE!" The thief was never so happy in his life. His luck has changed.

What Ash was holding was information. Bribes, photos, recorded talks, everything! And all on Cardin and his own father. If this was to leak to the public Cardin could forget telling on Jaune, because no one is going to pay attention to a boy who faked his way into Beacon as much as they will a corrupted crook and his son.

Heck, Ash was disgusted by what he saw. His father actually even covered up stuff Cardin did before as well. Turns out stuff like the one from today was not uncommon with him, as many others were hurt for just proving how pathetic the bully actually was.

He used all sorts of means, not just Grimm.

"You don't have the balls to leak that. " Cardin said, eyes fixated on them.

"Do I, Winchester? Do I? Let's make a deal, you scum bag." Cardin winced at that, wanting to punch Ash. But he held all the cards now, not Cardin. "You keep your whore mouth shut about Jaune and I will not let any of this leak out, understood?"

"Heck no! Delete them!" he demanded.

"NO chance, Winchester. I am keeping them as insurance. If you dare make another move on Jaune or any of his- our friends, then you can kiss your ass in jail!" Ash's threats surprised Jaune fully. He did not know Ash was so...hardcore. He was putting Cardin against the wall, metaphorically

Cardin grit his teeth, angry like hell. "Fine! Have it your way. I was getting bored with Jaune anyway." Jaune's eyes lit up with a smile. Finally, he was free from Cardin.

"Good. Now, I will warn you of one thing: While I promise not to leak this stuff, you still have to answer for what you did to Pyrrha." Ash growled, and just in time for Goodwitch to arrive at the scene.

Cardin palled as she pointed him to his team, which had their weapons taken from them and were being watched. They were busted, through and through. But at least his more dirty secrets are safe. Are they?

As soon as Cardin was out of sight, Ash messaged Roman. "Alright kid." And he uploaded everything on the CCT network. What? Ash said HE won't be the one spilling the beans. He didn't say anything about Roman. Ah, the magic of loopholes.

But now onto more important matters. The aftermath. While Jaune went back to his team, apologizing for everything and promising to tell them everything once back at Beacon, Ash couldn't help but look at what happened.

Jaune Arc just took down an Ursa Major...Well, shit, this means the blondie actually has a shot with Pyrrha after all. Ash was more than contempt to say the following words seeing as he was proven wrong by the universe. "Fate is funny is a cruel way…"

The rest of the trip to the forest had been canceled in light of this incident, with Goodwtich saying they had more than enough for Peach, but once back at Beacon Cardin was waited upon by a police squat which immediately took him and shoved him into their car.

"What the hell?!" His scroll buzzed. It was Ash. "We had a deal!" Cardin shouted.

Ash messaged him. "I said I would not leak anything, but not that someone else couldn't" Cardin's couldn't feel greater humiliation right now. He had been played, big time. He screamed out as they took him, and his team was taken to face disciplinary actions at the hands of Glynda Goodwitch herself.

Karma was good.

And that's a wrap!

?: YOU SEND CARDIN TO JAIL?!

Yes, but don't worry, he will be back in the next chapter. Now with a `100% seal on his mouth as well.

?: Wha- know what, I am not even going to try anymore.

Anyway, I wanted to do this for some time now. First, we have Jaune killing the Ursa without Pyrrha's help, which was possible by me using the time to my advantage. I know some of ya might not like this, but I think it fits Ash and Cardin got what he deserved.

I mean, no one was curious HOW he knew where to get the wasps? Anyway, this is karma biting him in the ass harder than in the cannon, and with Ash offering some burn as well.

Roman was really enjoying the stuff he found, but how did he find it? The ghost.

?: Yeah. Wait until I pop in the frame, and you'll know how, why, and for what reason.

Anyway, please leave a review and whatnot and I'll see ya in the next one.

Bloodfiend out.