DISCLAIMER: I own nothing related to RWBY
Weiss stares intently at the holographic clock displayed by her Scroll while Professor Port continues to ramble on about one of his many adventures.
Jaune slides himself to her side and casually asks, "Weiss, when you have the time, could I ask you some questions regarding Dust?"
When she ignores him, Jaune waves an hand in front of her face.
"Is anyone in there?"
Her eye twitches and she directs a light scowl at him. Her Scrolls beeps, signifying the end of Port's class. She brushes Jaune's hand away and promptly packs her belongings. When she stands to leave, the rest of RWBY stand as well.
Jaune lazily drawls, "Weiss~ Hello~"
She finally releases a sigh and says with her back turned towards him.
"I'm busy today. Maybe another time."
Jaune calmly watches them leave.
"What's going on with RWBY?" Pyrrha asks. "They've been oddly quiet today."
"Perhaps they stayed up late last night and are tired?" Ren suggests.
"Maybe you're right," Jaune sighs.
'These troublesome children.'
*** RWBY's room ***
Blake lays down with her back flat against the bed.
"I thought class would never end."
Ruby nods, then enthusiastically announces, "Okay! Today is when we formally start investigating! Everyone recite their roles!"
"Ruby and I will head to the CCT and see if we can get from SDC records regarding Dust robberies or other related incidents." Weiss puts on a smug expression. "That shouldn't be a problem for me, seeing that I'm the heiress."
Rolling her eyes, Blake says, "The White Fang holds regular faction meeting to recruit new members. If I can find out where they're holding their next meeting, I might be able to sneak in and learn what they're planning next."
"And I have an old friend near the outskirts of Vale. He typically knows everything going on in Vale," Yang mischievously grins.
"Okay! We'll meet up near Yang's location later tonight and put together the information we find."
Ruby punches the air.
"Let's do this!"
"Yeah! Let's do it!" A male voice cheers.
The four girls jolt and their heads turn towards their window.
"Sun?!" Blake exclaims.
Jaune flips a page from his book as he silently listens on the conversion across the hallway in RWBY's room.
'You girls are getting additional people involved?' He mentally sighs.
When RWBY leave the dorms with Sun and Neptune, Jaune snaps his book shut and grabs Crocea Mors.
'If they are going to meet up with Yang, then I'll tail her.'
As he walks towards the door to exit into the hallway, he pauses, then sighs.
Ren, Nora, and Pyrrha enter their room.
"Why is the window open? Did one of you open it?" Pyrrha asks. "And where is Jaune? I thought he was still in here when we'd left."
Ren's Scroll buzzes.
"It's from Jaune. It says, going out for an errand. Will be back later tonight. I think I forgot to close the windows. Sorry."
Nora shrugs.
"Our leader is pretty weird sometimes."
"No offense Nora, but that sounds a little strange coming from you of all people," Pyrrha chuckles. "But, yes, Jaune is rather eccentric at times."
Jaune locates an abandoned building with a clear view of the club Yang had arrived at with Neptune. Hiding himself in the shadows, he extends his divine sense throughout the area, ready to take action if necessary. A familiar raven lands near him, intently staring at the night club.
'The same bird from the docks. I wouldn't mistake such red eyes,' Jaune glances at the bird.
The raven's head tilts its head at Jaune, staring right at him.
'Is it glaring at me?'
Intrigued, Jaune reaches towards it, but the raven reacts instantly by hopping back and snapping at his finger with its beak.
'How interesting,' Jaune muses while resisting the urge to laugh.
After about 10 minutes, Yang and Neptune exit the club, unscathed. Yang retrieves her Scroll and takes a call. It does not take long before Yang yells into the Scroll, then grabs Neptune by the collar and throws him onto her motorcycle. She quickly jumps on and speeds away towards the highways.
Jaune stands from his position and hops off the edge of the abandoned building, then lands silently on the ground. The raven takes flight and soars down onto Jaune's shoulder.
Deciding to ignore the bird for now, he blurs into motion, sprinting after Yang's trail. As he rapidly approaches the highways, he sees Blake and Run jumping between cars while fleeing from a large robot. Yang and Neptune chase closely behind.
"Idiots," Jaune scolds them under his breath. "What is the point if you're going to endanger the civilians?"
He speeds up to intercept their path, but notices Weiss and Ruby arriving to the scene as well. With the help of Weiss' glyphs, the robot tumbles over the edge of the highway streets and onto the grounds below.
'Good.'
Jaune diverts his path and scales a nearby building to observe. During this time, the raven stares curiously at Jaune, then looks down at the ensuing battle.
Weiss gracefully flips and twirls like a ballerina, nimbly maneuvering around the robot and dodging its attacks. She stabs Myretenaster into the ground, sending a wave of ice at the Paladin. Meanwhile, Ruby distances herself and fires several heavy rounds from her sniper barrel. When the Paladin directs its attention at Ruby, Weiss darts underneath the Paladin and freezes its feet to the ground.
Yang jumps into the air and destroys one of the Paladin's sensors with a single punch, then jumps away before it could counterattack. In the back, Weiss summons a large glyph underneath Blake, then infuses lightning Dust into it, empowering the cat Faunus with time dilation.
Blake closes her eyes to focus on her Aura, and when Weiss' time dilation is fully applied, she bursts with such speed that afterimages appear behind her. She rapidly swings her weapons as she circles the Paladin, accurately firing off Aura blades at the Paladin's remaining sensors.
As Blake harasses the Paladin, Ruby momentarily turns into a stream of rose petals, then slices at the Paladin's left shoulder joint with Crescent Rose in its war spear mode.
Feeling impatient and confident that their victory is at hand, Yang jumps atop the robot and punches it repeatedly with Ember Celica, forgoing precision and resorting to brute force.
"Reckless," Jaune sighs. "They were doing just fine systematically dismantling it. There is no need for Yang to needlessly put herself at risk."
The raven tilts its head at Jaune.
"Wouldn't you agree?" Jaune asks the bird.
The Paladin reaches up with its remaining arm and grabs Yang, then slams her into one of the many highway support columns. As she falls, the Paladin punches out and smashes her into the ground.
Though, heavily dazed and bruised, Yang stands up on her feet. Her eyes flicker from its normal lilac to a bright shade of red, and her hair seems as if it is on fire. Blake throws Gambol Shroud at Ruby, then the two run around to tie the Paladin's legs up with the ribbon. To ensure it's immobility, Weiss summons more ice to secure it into place.
Yang draws her right arm back into a heavily telegraphed punch, then strikes out at the stationary target with full force. The resulting impact shatters the joints of the Paladin, breaking it into hundreds of pieces. The operator, Roman Torchwick, tumbles through the air, before skidding across the ground to a stop. Not willing to give Roman a chance, Yang charges forward and pulls her fist back for another strike.
Jaune's eyes narrow when a multi-colored haired girl suddenly appears in front of Roman, and casually diverts Yang's fist to the side with her parasol. She smoothly steps forward, closing the distance with Yang, then quickly kicks her stomach, knocking her away.
"Yang does not stand a chance against her," Jaune observes. The raven's claws tighten around Jaune's shoulder.
'As I thought, the one you are interested in is Yang. Combined with the fact your eye colors are identical when Yang activates her Semblance...'
Roman says something to the girls, prompting them to attack together. Neo playfully waves at them with a childish grin before she and Roman shatter into pieces, leaving the area underneath the highways empty. As Jaune stands up to return to Breacon, the raven makes a noise, causing his head to turn towards it. When he does, the raven pecks Jaune's forehead with full force, causing him to curse.
Before he could grab it, the raven had already flown off into the distance. Jaune rubs his forehead as he stares at the bird flying away. The peck did not hurt in the slightest, but it caught him by surprise.
'That raven has no ill intent towards Yang. Rather, it seems to appear whenever she is in a potentially dangerous situation.'
*** The following day ***
Jaune lazily watches Pyrrha systematically defeat the members of CRDL in a 1 vs 4 match. After the incident of the Forever Fall trip, the members of CRDL began to take their training more seriously, and their teamwork improved considerably in the last few weeks. Against most other teams, they would have likely been victorious, but Pyrrha is an outlier. A rare prodigy who has continuously worked hard for the past decade. Such a gap can not be overcome in a short period of time. CRDL stood no chance.
"And that is the match," Glynda announces. "Well done Miss Nikos. You should have no problem in the Tournament based on that performance."
Pyrrha politely bows.
"Thank you, Professor."
Glynda taps her Scroll, then looks up at the stands.
"We have time for one final match. Are there any volunteers?"
A hand shoots up.
"I'll do it."
"Mercury is it?" Glynda adjusts her glasses. "Very well then. Let's find you a suitable opponent."
"Actually, if possible..." Mercury points at Pyrrha. "I'd like to fight her."
Glynda shoots him a stern look.
"I'm afraid that Miss Nikos has just finished a match. I recommend you choose another."
"No, it's fine," Pyrrha insists. "I'd be happy to oblige."
Mercury smirks, then jumps down from the stands onto the arena. Pyrrha takes her position on the opposite end.
Annoyed, Glynda sighs and signals the start of the match.
"Begin!"
Mercury sprints forward and sends a flurry of low and high kicks at Pyrrha's shield arm. Up in the stands, Jaune leans forward in interest.
'None of those kicks are fully committed. He is probing for an opening.'
As she blocks Mercury's rapid kicks, she intentionally lets him kick her weapon into the ground. Taking advantage of the opening, Mercury kicks at her side. In response, she leans back and activates her Semblance, moving the metal in his shoes to redirect his kick. As Pyrrha reaches out to retrieve her weapon with her Semblance for a surprise attack, Mercury jumps onto her shield and kicks off. He skids to a stop and dramatically sighs.
"I forfeit."
Jaune's eyes narrow.
'His goal was to gather information on Pyrrha. Did he figure out her Semblance?'
He mentally shakes his head at Pyrrha's decision to needlessly reveal her ability, no matter how subtle.
'That was sloppy, Pyrrha.'
Pyrrha, looking surprised, annoyed, and disappointed, asks, "You... don't even want to try?"
Mercury shrugs, feeling no embarassment.
"What's the point? You're a world renowned fighter. We're obviously leagues apart."
'Hmm... what team is this fellow on again?'
"Then perhaps next time, you may want to think a little harder before choosing an opponent," Glynda curtly says.
"That is all the the time we have for today. Everyone, remember that the dance is this upcoming Sunday. Additionally, the following day on Monday will be your first official training mission in the field alongside a professional Huntsmen. Remember to rest up and prepare, as the Vytal Festival Tournament will begin in exactly one week."
The student excitedly whisper and bustle with anticipation. Without a doubt, this is the greatest time of the year.
"You are all dismissed."
*** Later that night ***
The clash of metal can be heard on the dorm rooftop, as Jaune and Pyrrha are engaged in a sparring match. Pyrrha relentlessly stabs and slashes with her weapon, while Jaune dodges them with subtle movements or softly deflects them with the handle of Crocea Mors. As she presses on, Jaune intentionally shows an opening, and Pyrrha capitalizes by kicking his torso, knocking him back. She charges forward and swings her weapon at Jaune's neck, stopping just before making contact. She looks down at the pommel of Crocea Mors poking her stomach. The two pull away from each other.
"Not bad," Jaune comments as he sits down.
She sits by his side and chuckles, "I could say the same to you, though I could tell you intentionally let me hit you. Why don't you fight at this level during the sparring matches in Professor Goodwitche's classes?"
"Ever since my match against CRDL, there have been students and professors alike keeping a close eye on me. By keeping my level more or less the same as then, they will not be privy to my true strength. In the end, it will be an advantage for us in the Tournament. I also do not desire excessive attention," Jaune responds.
"That is... very sly of you," Pyrrha tilts her head.
"You won't call it dishonorable?" Jaune grins.
"No, of course not," Pyrrha shakes her head. "Information is a valuable resource in any battle."
She sighs, "Though, I can strongly relate to your desire in avoiding unwanted attention. Though for me, at this point, there is little I can do about it."
Jaune places a hand on her shoulder and gives her a sympathetic look.
"If that is the case, then you wouldn't mind taking my share?"
Pyrrha's eyes widen, then begins to laugh.
"You jerk."
As they share a laugh, Pyrrha nervously glances at Jaune and begins fidgeting with her fingers.
"Jaune? H-have you considered about who you're going to the dance with?"
Jaune brings a hand up to his chin.
"Hmm... perhaps I have someone in mind. What about you? Surely there are many boys looking to court you?"
She looks down and bitterly chuckles, "I think you'd be surprised."
"That is rather unfortunate. It will be their loss then."
Jaune stands up onto his feet, then extends a hand down towards her.
"Pyrrha Nikos, will you do me the honor of accompanying me to the dance?" He gently smiles.
Pyrrha's eyes are wide open and she remains frozen in her seat, unable to think coherently due to shock.
Jaune slightly retracts his hand and feigns a hurt expression.
"Is that a no?"
"No!"
Pyrrha exclaims, then tightly grabs Jaune's hand with both of hers.
"I accept! I would love to go to the dance with you!"
Jaune pulls her up to her feet.
"Then come, partner. It is getting late and we should return to our room."
"Y-yes. That is a great idea," she stutters, but a bright smile decorates her face.
As they walk, there is a slight skip in her steps.
'I might as well enjoy myself as a teenage boy while the opportunity exists.'
*** Team Cinder ***
"And finally, Pyrrha Nikos."
"The invincible girl", Cinder responds.
"She's good and smart, but I wouldn't say invincible," Mercury smugly comments.
"Do tell."
"Her Semblance is polarity, but you'd never know from watching," says Emerald.
"After she made contact with my boots, she was able to move them around. However, she only made slight adjustments. Just enough to make it look like she's untouchable."
Cinder chuckles to herself.
"People assume she's fated for victory, when in reality she's taking fate into her own hands. Interesting."
She glances at Emerald.
"You missed one. Pyrrha Nikos' team leader. Jaune is his name I believe? What do you have on him?"
"Oh right. Almost forgot about him." Emerald apologizes. "Like Pyrrha Nikos, he was able to take down CRDL on his own earlier this year. Based on what we've heard, his Semblance is creating invisible blasts of Aura."
"Hmm... shouldn't be of any concern then."
Jaune lays quietly in his bed with a water Dust crystal held in his hands beneath the bed covers. In his mind, he sits with his legs crossed in front of the Paifang gateway.
'Dust. It is unrefined energy of the cosmos. Fire, water, lightning, earth, gravity, and many more. The different types of Dust each contain a sliver of essence of whatever they represent. The residents of this world use Dust primarily as power sources for their various types of technology, but what a waste that is. If properly utilized to its fullest potential, Dust should be able to be used as both materials for crafting various types of treasures, or resources to fuel one's cultivation.'
His divine sense envelops the water Dust crystal
'If my conjecture is correct, I should be able to purify and extract the pure essence from within this Dust crystal, and use the energy to feed my divine art that is crucial for the upcoming tribulation.'
The divine sense is molded into a spike, which pierces into the crystal from all sides, then grinds away at the energy, separating the essence from the impurities. He pushes the purified essence out from the crystal, turning it to a dull gray color, and absorbs the energy into his palm.
A small sphere of deep blue energy hovers before him. Water essence.
'Good.' Jaune's eyes brighten with excitement. 'I can officially begin the development of the Five Principles.'
'The Five Principles consists of four minor parts that make up the whole. The Grand Divide Azure Dragon, the Piercing the Heavens White Tiger, the Eternal Domain of the Black Tortoise, and the Everlasting Heart Vermillion Bird. In the center governing the four is the Regal Yellow Dragon. This is a supreme divine art that I'd been enlightened with during my previous life. I wonder how far I can go in this life?'
Jaune flicks his hand, condensing the water essence into a thin, concentrated strand.
'What I need is the Eternal Domain of the Black Tortoise. It is a supreme defensive art, and even a tiny sliver of its capabilities would greatly increase my survivability.'
He points his finger.
'The Black Tortoise embodies the element of water and Winter. Its seven mansions are the Dipper, Ox, Girl, Emptiness, Rooftop, Encampment, and Wall. In its presence, all forms of aggression falls short, for it is eternal. In the North it slumbers.'
A mighty tortoise entwined by a serpent manifests from the water essence. It stirs to life and the tortoise release a long, rumbling hiss. Jaune pushes his palm out, sending his creation to the uppermost section of the Paifang gateway, inscribing it onto the mirrored surface.
In the real world, Jaune slightly flexes his body.
'At the moment, the sigil is faint but stable. It will be in such a state until I inscribe the remaining three. Even so, the durability of my body has naturally been bolstered to a great degree due to this success. Though prolonged usage of Black Tortoise qi is impossible at my current strength, it should be possible to use it in instantaneous bursts, and will be a trump card to preserving my life.'
He sighs in satisfaction and slips back into meditation.