DISCLAIMER: I own nothing RWBY related
Jaune resists the urge to roll his eyes.
As soon as Glynda had started the match, all four members of CRDL charge straight towards Jaune, screaming their battle cries.
'Are they idiots? They are acting like wild bulls. What a joke...'
Being the lightest of the four, Russel moves ahead of the pack and slashes at Jaune's torso. Minimally leaning back, Jaune dodges the weapon and quickly strikes Russel on the chest with his palm, knocking him across the arena floor. With a quick scan, Jaune instantly assesses the situation.
'Cardin coming from the front. Dove from my side. And Sky is...'
Jaune lowers his head, avoiding the blade of a halberd swinging at him from behind.
Sky's mouth drops open in surprise that Jaune had dodged without even looking.
'Does this dude have eyes on the back of his head?'
His thoughts are quickly interrupted by a reverse kick to his stomach. Spittle flies from his mouth as his eyes roll back and blacks out. On the screen, Sky's Aura instantly drops to the red, eliminating him.
Wasting no time, Jaune quickly sprints towards Russel, who is still recovering from the blow he'd received. Jaune grabs him by the collar and tosses him off the stage.
Cardin and Dove skid to stop, realizing that their advantage in numbers had been cut in half in a matter of seconds.
'Fuck! How did this trash get the jump on us?!'
They cautiously circle around Jaune while maintaining a distance.
'What morons. Charging in blindly with zero coordination.'
Jaune cracks his neck and reaches up over his shoulder to draw Crocea Mors from its sheathe. He channels some of his Aura into the blade.
'Aura. Qi. What is the difference when channeled into a weapon?'
While remaining in his position, Jaune swings the sword through the air towards Cardin and Dove.
A cold feeling washes over Cardin, and he instinctively dives to the side. Unfortunately, his remaining teammate is not so quick to react.
A transparent distortion flies through the air and slams against Dove's chest, knocking him onto his back. Jaune transitions into a sequence of attacks, showcasing an intricate dance with his blade. Multitudes of invisible qi blades strike at Dove, shaving his Aura away in moments. A final blow knocks Dove over the edge of the stage. Jaune brings his sword down to his side and tilts his head at Cardin.
'He was able to instinctively dodge. Not bad.'
By this point, Cardin is sweating bullets.
'What the hell just happened? Aura blades aren't anything rare with Huntsmen, but all Aura has color. It should have been visible. So, was that his Semblance?'
He grits his teeth and tightly grasps his mace. He channels some Aura into the fire Dust crystal in his mace, and slams it into the ground, sending a wave of debris and fire at Jaune. Then, he charges forward, using his attack as cover.
'Hmm, not a terrible idea.'
Jaune channels more aura into his blade and swings a heavy blow, before following up with a lightning fast stab. The wave of debris and fire is blown away by his heavy strike, and the quick attack knocks Cardin's mace out of his hands. Jaune blurs into motion and appears behind Cardin. With a swift strike to the back of his head using the flat side of his sword, Cardin sprawls out across the floor.
"The match is over. The winner is Jaune Arc," Glynda announces.
Cardin groans and tilts his head up at the screen, which displays his Aura level in the red.
'We lost?...'
He slams his fist onto the ground in rage, before pushing himself up onto his feet. Breathing heavily, he glares at Jaune and shoves past him, heading back to his lockers.
"Damn," Yang whistles. "How long was that match? A minute at most?"
"Not even close," Weiss holds up her Scroll, showing the length of the video she'd captured. "If we include the time of Professor Goodwitch announcing the start of the match... 30 seconds."
'Just how much was he holding back during initiation?' Pyrrha wonders.
Jaune smoothly sheathes his weapon and strolls up the stands, ignoring the incredulous looks from the other students. He takes his seat beside Pyrrha.
"That was not a bad workout," he casually says.
"Are you kidding? You're not even breathing heavily," Yang snorts. "And they couldn't touch you a single time!"
"Since when were you capable of doing any of what you just did?" Weiss asks with a suspicious tone. "Based on your behavior and stature during initiation, there was zero indication of such skill or ability."
"Ah... I must have been quite nervous that day," Jaune casually responds.
Weiss was not having it.
"You lying little-"
"U-um... hello again. Is this a bad time?" A soft voice cuts through Weiss' impending rant.
Velvet nervously approaches the group and turns her head towards Coco, who can be seen sitting several stands away. Her mouth clearly says 'go' while sporting a grin.
Taking a deep breath, Velvet walks up to Jaune.
"I-I'd like to apologize for running off like that during lunch. So, I'd like to thank you properly this time," Velvet bows apologetically.
Jaune lightly chuckles, "There is no need for that. And, you're quite welcome."
"But... why did you help me?" Velvet curiously asks. "Unless I'm mistaken, we do not know each other?"
Jaune takes a moment to think.
"I suppose you could say that it was for purely selfish and personal reasons. In addition, Cardin Winchester has been quite the eyesore."
He leans forward, closing the gap between his face and Velvet's.
"If you ever need help in the future, and your teammates or friends are not around, feel free to ask me."
Blushing due to the close distance between their faces, Velvet says nothing and rapidly nods.
'His eyes are beautiful... Like the depths of the ocean.'
She catches herself and steps back. With burning cheeks, she bows goodbye and walks back to Coco with a slight skip in her steps. Coco lightly prods Velvet's side with her elbow and whispers something into her ear, causing Velvet to jolt. With haste, she drags her friend by the arm out of the classroom.
While the group watches the pair leave, Weiss stiffly comments, "Do not think for a second that I've forgotten what we were discussing."
She points one of her slender fingers at Jaune's nose.
"I know for a fact that you were not this skilled during initiation, and it has only been a few weeks since then."
'She is a persistent one,' Jaune thinks, rather amused.
He scratches his cheek with an embarrassed expression.
"Um... Well, I've been training extra hard ever since initiation. For you to think that my progress is impossible is quite the complement. So... thank you?"
Jaune suddenly looks surprised and anxious.
"Oh! Professor Goodwitch is calling for me. I would not want to make her angry. She is quite the scary woman."
He briskly walks away before anyone could say a word.
"Hey!" Weiss yells. A vein threatens to pop on her forehead and she angrily stomps her foot in annoyance.
"Can I help you Mr Arc?" Glynda looks sharply at Jaune.
Jaune dons a deathly serious expression.
"I'd like to speak with Ozpin immediately. It is a matter of extreme importance."
Her eyes narrow at his tone. Though she does not fully trust Jaune, she can not simply ignore him either. She types a message for Ozpin, who soon replies with an okay.
Jaune nods and strolls out of the classroom, heading directly for Beacon Tower.
The elevator doors slide open and the doors leading into Ozpin's office click open. Jaune strolls in without a speaking a word and plops down onto a chair before lazily closing his eyes.
'What in the world?'
Ozpin's eye twitches and he breaks the silence.
"Glynda said that there was something urgent you have to discuss with me?" His eyes narrow behind his glasses.
Jaune squints an eye open, then dismissively waves a hand.
"I lied. Sorry."
The mug in Ozpin's hands shatters, spilling its liquid contents across his table. Ignoring the mess, Ozpin takes a deep breath to calm himself.
'What is this man planning?'
"And why... would you do such a thing? I am a rather busy man, and would prefer to not have my time wasted, Mr Arc."
"Busy," Jaune lightly laughs. "Such as constantly spying on Team RWBY? As for paperwork, I've yet to see a single scrap of it here, meaning that Glynda likely does it all for you. So you are busy how?"
Ozpin coughs, "Well, leaving that matter aside, I'd rather you not show up to my office without good reason."
"Weiss was beginning to interrogate me and was getting to the point of becoming cumbersome to deal with," Jaune replies. "I must say, it is rather nice and quiet up here. Much better than any other location on campus..."
"Please do not get any ideas," Ozpin sighs while retrieving a small towel from his desk.
"Isn't this a chance for the two of us learn more about each other?" Jaune knowingly smirks. "Surely you wouldn't give up such a golden opportunity?"
Ozpin places a spare mug on his desk and sighs.
'He is likely not an enemy, but he is quite a pain to deal with. A sly old man...'