DISCLAIMER: I own nothing related to RWBY
Jaune watches the battle between RWBY and ABRN with a small smile.
'They are certainly enjoying themselves.'
Ruby silently pumps her fist in celebration after Weiss had covered her back from a sneak attack.
A sudden twinge is felt in Jaune's mind, and he frowns.
'It draws near. I'll have to speak with Ozpin and Glynda very soon.'
He claps for RWBY's well earned victory absentmindedly, failing to notice Pyrrha calling for him.
"Jaune!"
He looks up at Pyrrha.
"Didn't you hear me? Let's go down to the fairgrounds and meet up with RWBY to celebrate their victory. I'm sure they will be hungry."
Jaune nods, "Of course. That sounds good."
As he and his team make their way towards the transportation docks on Amity, the sound of distant thunder rumbles in the distance.
"That is strange," Pyrrha tilts her head. "I don't recall a forecast of a possible storm. In fact, the skies are supposed to be clear all week."
She notices Jaune staring out into the distance.
"Jaune? Is something wrong?"
"Just pondering about the upcoming battle..."
"Final call for those going down to the Beacon fairgrounds! Final call!"
*** The Fairgrounds ***
"A Simple Wok?"
"Looks like they've already started," Ren says.
As JNPR get within hearing distance, the shop keeper flings a card into Weiss's direction, embedding it into the table.
"What?! How can my card be declined? I was barely into my monthly allowance!" She exclaims.
Off to the side, Blake is hugging her bowl in desperation.
"Noooooo!" she cries when the shop keeper snatches it away.
"Even during a meal, they cause a scene," Jaune sighs to himself.
"Perhaps I can help?" Pyrrha approaches the stand with a card in her hand.
"Awww, you don't have to," Yang says sheepishly.
"But she could!" Blake glares at Yang, mentally telling her to shut her mouth.
Pyrrha laughs, "Well, I think you all earned it after that battle."
She hands her card to the shop keeper.
A hearty belch escapes Nora's mouth as she leans back in her seat in satisfaction.
"Are you sure it's wise for us to eat right before our fight?" Ren asks Pyrrha while looking slightly sick.
"Of course! It will give us energy." Pyrrha confidently replies.
Jaune looks down at his half full bowl in disgust.
"You all have black holes for stomachs."
"What's a black hole?" Weiss curiously asks.
'Slip of the tongue.'
"It's just a figure of speech." Jaune smoothly replies. "It means big capacity."
Nora grins at her leader.
"Well, if you ever feel the urge to barf, aim it at the enemy!"
Ren puts his face into his palm. "Nora. That is disgusting."
"So... Pyrrha, Ren, Nora,... Vomit Boy," Ruby playfully grins. "You guys feel ready?"
Eyebrow slightly twitching at that nickname, Jaune calmly replies, "I'm sure that we will be fine."
"Pfft, that's an understatement of the century," Nora scoffs. "We've got a world renowned fighter, Ren's basically a ninja, I can bench five of me, and Jaune is... Jaune!"
"Regardless," Ren closes his eyes. "We must not be overconfident."
"Oh please, I think you guys will be just fine." Yang waves Ren's caution away. "Honestly, your team is a bit ridiculous, especially with Pyrrha and Jaune."
Jaune sighs, "Thank you for your vote of confidence, but we really should be going or else-"
"Would Team JNPR please report to the battle immediately!"
"Yes! Like they were scheduled to, several. Minutes. Ago!"
"we will be late." Jaune finishes.
"Well, looks like this is it!" Pyrrha cheerfully says, her competitive nature starting to show.
"Yeah! Go get 'em!" Ruby cheers and pumps a fist into the air.
"Team JNPR of Beacon versus Team BRNZ of Shade!"
"Well Jaune's team certainly looks pretty relaxed," Coco smirks. "Though... I can't say the same about BRNZ."
"Honestly, can you blame them?" Yang remarks. "Even if you exclude Pyrrha, there's Nora who hits like a truck. Ren who is always a constant threat due to being sneaky. And Jaune who is... well, everyone saw his beat down of CRAS."
"Dominating." Yatsuhashi states, while Fox nods in agreement.
"Hmm... It's weird. When I first met Jaune, my initial impression was that he was not very experienced with fighting. I was further convinced of that from his behavior when we were getting launched into the Emerald Forest for initiation." Ruby wonders aloud.
"Huh, you have a point."
Yang shudders as she remembers the onesie Jaune wore.
"He didn't seem to be the most... reliable?"
"It's almost like he became a different person after initiation." Ruby mutters, then suddenly looks at Blake. "Hey, doesn't that remind you of the book you were reading that night?"
"The story of the man with two souls?" Blake nods. "It's one of my favorites."
She gives Ruby a small smile. "Are you suggesting that Jaune is someone with two souls?"
"What? Of course not, that's crazy." Ruby scoffs and waves her hands.
Yang snickers into a hand. "I wouldn't put it past her. When she was younger, I used to read her fairy tales to bed. She believed all of them to be true."
"Yang! Shut up!" Ruby grabs and throws a handful of popcorn.
Weiss simply snorts in amusement.
"Weiss, not you too!" Ruby whines.
Coughing into her hand, Velvet points towards the arena. "Look, they're about to begin."
"3... 2... 1... Begin!"
Holographic roulettes encircling the arena spin rapidly through various symbols and colors before finally landing on a green pine tree on BRNZ's side, and a gray thunderstruck mountain on JNPR's. Their respective side of the stage opens up and the Amity biome system reveals a small forest, and a rocky outcrop with small thunderclouds above it.
Immediately after the biome stages are set, Jaune quickly instructs his team.
"Nora, go straight to the top of the outcrop as soon as the match begins. Pyrrha and I will take the front, drawing their attention. In the meantime, Ren, you will flank them from the side while they are distracted."
Nora eyes the thunderclouds and maliciously grins, "Gotcha."
"3... 2... 1... begin!"
As per the plan laid out by Jaune, Nora turns on her heels and runs straight towards the rocky outcrop behind them.
"Shall we dance, dear partner?"
Pyrrha chuckles in response and positions her weapon. They both dash into a sprint towards the opposing team.
May Zedong, the long range support of her team, immediately falls back into the treeline. Scanning her surroundings, she quickly locates a suitable position and scales the tree with a few jumps. She perches herself and peers through her scope. A gasp escapes as Jaune and Pyrrha are already rapidly approaching the rest of her team.
'They're fast!'
She trains her crosshairs onto Jaune and rapidly pulls the trigger of her gun. Her eyes widen when Jaune deflects all of her shots away with his sheathed weapon without a single glance.
'What the. Seriously?! He didn't even flinch!'
She grits her teeth and switches to explosive rounds with the press of a button using her thumb. Sticking a tongue out to the side, she takes aim once again and fires her rounds.
To Jaune's eyes, the Dust rounds are flying towards him and Pyrrha in slow motion.
'Fire Dust?'
With a quick flick of his wrist, Jaune draws Crocea Mors and cuts down the Dust rounds in midair with Aura blades. In the meantime, Pyrrha engages with BRNZ's leader Brawnz Ni. She blocks his clawed fists with her xiphos and promptly counters with a shield bash, knocking him back. She follows up with a duck of her head, narrowly dodging Nolan Porfirio's cattle prod weapon.
As Pyrrha's head is lowered, Jaune takes the opportunity and strikes Nolan with a flurry of Aura blades, blowing him away from Pyrrha. Without turning his head, he raises his shield to block Roy Stallion's buzzsaw gloves and smoothly steps within his defenses. With a kick to his side, Roy flies and crashes into Brawnz and Nolan.
Jaune nods at Pyrrha, who acknowledges his signal, and they both jump away from the three members of BRNZ. Before they could react, a flash of pink appears beside them, accompanied by a maniacal laugh. With a crackle of pink lightning, the three boys are blasted into the side of the hard-light arena boundaries.
Casually sheathing his weapon and patting the dirt off his clothes, Jaune steps to the side in order to avoid colliding with May Zedong, who had been tossed out from the forest by Ren. The members of JNPR surround May and stare down at her with curious looks. Jaune holds out a hand.
"Surrender?"
May lets out a defeated sigh and grabs her opponent's hand, allowing herself to be pulled up onto her feet.
"What an astounding display of teamwork by Team JNPR! Nora Valkyrie took advantage of the terrain and her Semblance by immediately heading towards the thunderclouds. In the meantime, Pyrrha Nikos and Jaune Arc drew all attention towards them with their exemplary performance in a 2 vs 3 with May Zedong providing covering fire. However, much like Miss Valkyrie, Lie Ren was left forgotten by team BRNZ, and was able to sneak up and take out May!"
The audience cheers loudly as the key events of the match are replayed in slow motion on the screens.
Within the audience members are Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury.
"Well that wasn't a surprise," Mercury stifles a yawn.
"Even though it wasn't a surprise, Jaune Arc is displaying greater abilities every time we see him." Emerald comments worriedly. "It's almost impossible to accurately gauge his strength."
"True..." Mercury sits up and stares down at JNPR celebrating. "Maybe I should have challenged him instead of Pyrrha Nikos."
"There is no point wondering about what ifs." Cinder narrows her eyes. "When I get what's mine, none of this will matter."
*** Crow Bar ***
"Those kids were amazing!" the bartender comments as he wipes the surface of a glass in his hands.
"I guess so."
"That was the best fight all day by far. If you're not blown away by that, then what fight are you here for?" the bartender questions Qrow.
An aircraft with elegant ribbons flies by in the background.
Finishing his drink and swaying onto his feet, Qrow slurs, "That one."
He slams his glass down onto the counter and throws a few Lien alongside it.
"Happy Vytal Festival!"
Jaune stretches his arms as he waits for the transport ships at the docks. He'd informed his team that there was some urgent business he had to take care of alone.
'Now's a good time as ever to find Ozpin.'
Whispers are heard around him as students and audience members recognize Jaune and his most recent performance in the Tournament.
"Isn't that Jaune Arc from JNPR? That fight just now was crazy!"
"He's kind of cute..."
"Wasn't he a bit of a psycho during the qualifiers?"
"I actually kind of like a bit of crazy..."
"What the..."
'Hmm...'
Jaune grunts to himself, hearing the comments around him.
"Hey Jaune!" Ruby's voice calls out.
He turns around to see Ruby and Weiss running towards the transport docks. Surprisingly, Weiss was displaying two rare emotions, anxiety and excitement.
Jaune raises an eyebrow and points a finger while asking Ruby.
"What's with her?"
Ruby shrugs, "She keeps saying that she's here over and over. Whoever that is. I have no idea."
As the transport ship doors open, Weiss practically jumps into it.
"Hurry up you two! I will not be late due to you two dilly dallying!"
"Now I have to see what's going one." Jaune whispers to Ruby. "She's acting very... abnormal."
"Right?!" Ruby nods rapidly in agreement. "That's why I'm following her in the first place!"
Throughout the entire ride down, Weiss's feet restlessly tap on the floor while staring intently out the window. When they finally land, Weiss sprints out and runs towards another docking station, which is currently occupied by an elegant looking ship with long ribbons trailing on its fins.
"Weiss! What is the big deal! What is going on!" Ruby yells as she catches up with her partner.
Jaune casually jogs up to them and hears Weiss affectionately call out, "Winter!"
'Winter? A relative perhaps?' Jaune peers at young lady clad in military uniform walking out from the ship. Her snow white hair billowing out behind her.
'Definitely older sister. No questions about it.'
"Winter!" Weiss calls out with an excited smile.
"Wait... your sister?" Ruby asks wide eyed.
Weiss skips up to her elder sister. "I'm so happy to see you! ... Oh!"
She curtsies.
"Your presence honors us."
Jaune snorts at Weiss's behavior, yet keeps a small smile on his face.
'She holds her sister in very high regard.'
Winter glances around before directing her gaze at Weiss.
"Beacon. It's been a long time. The air feels... different."
"Well, I mean it is Fall, so, eh... it's probably colder..." Ruby comments.
'...'
Weiss punches Ruby on the shoulder before turning back to her sibling.
"So, what are you doing here?"
"Classified."
"Right. Well, how long are you staying?"
"Classified." Winter repeats with a hint of a smile in her eyes.
"Of course," Weiss nods in understanding.
Ruby looks around pensively. "Well, this is nice... I think?"
'Ruby...'
"Oh, you're going to love it here!" Weiss says excitedly. "I know you travel a lot, but so much of Beacon is different from Atlas! The government and school are completely separate! Can you believe it? I-"
"I'm more than familiar with how this Kingdom handles its... bureaucracy. But that is not why I came." Winter interrupts with a roll of her eyes.
"Nor did I come here to watch my own blood fail so miserably in battle."
'This is some tough love...' Jaune mentally chuckles.
"B-but, we won!" Weiss reponds incredulously.
"Only a novice would refer to that as a victory." Winter brings an arm up and gestures to the AK-200s behind her.
"Leave us."
After they take a step backwards into formation, Winter sighs and gives Weiss a small smile.
"How have you been?"
Weiss's face brightens again. "Oh, splendid! Thank you for asking. I'm actually among the top ranking of our sparring class. And the rest of my studies are going wonderfully too. I'm-"
Winter's hand comes down and chops Weiss' head.
"Silence you boob! I don't recall asking you about your ranking. I'm asking how you've been. Are you eating properly? Have you taken up any hobbies? Are you making new friends?"
Weiss rubs the bump on her head with a wince.
"Well... there's Ruby. Jaune too, I guess."
'I guess?'
Ruby giggles and pokes Weiss's bump. "Heh! Boob."
Winter glances at Ruby with studious eyes.
"I see... So this is the leader you wrote of. How appropriately... underwhelming."
"Uh... thank you!" Ruby awkwardly replies.
'Ruby, that wasn't exactly a compliment.'
Winter nods and says in a formal tone.
"Greetings, Ruby Rose. I wish to thank you for taking an interest in my sister."
Ruby stammers as she searches for an appropriate reply.
"Oh, uh... yes, of course! The honor is in my... court!" She attempts to salute and curtsy like Weiss had done earlier.
Unable to watch any longer, Jaune grabs Ruby's shoulder and holds her in place.
"What are you doing?" He whispers.
"I don't know! Help me!" Ruby hisses in panic.
Clearing his throat, Jaune straightens himself and greets the older Schnee sibling.
"Greetings to you, Miss Winter Schnee."
"You must be Jaune Arc." Winter sizes up the boy standing before her, then smiles. "Your performance in the Tournament so far has been very impressive. Today's match was especially so with your team's coordination."
Weiss looks down at her feet in jealousy.
"As you say, it is a team victory," Jaune smiles back. "It requires the upmost effort from all the members. I would say the same praise applies to Team RWBY."
Weiss looks up in surprise.
Winter's eyes glimmer with interest, then turns to Weiss with a gentle smile.
"You've found some good friends during your time here in Beacon."
She turns her eyes towards Beacon campus.
"I have some business with the General and your Headmaster. But seeing as I'm early, why don't you take me to your quarters?"
"Really?" Weiss brightens.
"Yes. I wish to inspect them and make sure that they are up to my personal standards." Winter turns to Jaune and Ruby and nods. "It was a pleasure meeting you two. Please continue to treat my sister well."
'It means much more than you two may realize,' she thinks to herself.
As Weiss and Winter walk towards the Academy, along with the AK-200s, Ruby awkwardly waves goodbye to them.
"We'll catch up later- I mean, I will... reconvene with you both... at a later... juncture!"
She sighs to herself, then tilts her head up at Jaune.
"I know... I should've kept my mouth shut," she mutters
Jaune snorts in amusement.
"How are you and Yang so different when it comes to social situations. It's beyond my comprehension..." He feigns amazement.
Ruby narrows her eyes and pouts. Jaune's gaze suddenly shifts towards the direction Weiss and Winter went. He also notices Raven perched on top of a lamp post.
"Looks like there's a commotion up ahead."
"Oh no!" Ruby exclaims, and sprints, leaving rose petals in her wake. Jaune sighs to himself and follow's Ruby's trail, making eye contact with Raven along the way.
'Yang isn't here right, so what's got you so interested?'
"What's going on?" Ruby asks.
"Some crazy guy just started attacking my sister!" Weiss exclaims furiously.
Ruby gasps in horror.
"Oh no! Who would do such a th-, that is my uncle!" Her concern instantly transforms into excitement.
"What?!" Weiss's mouth drops.
Ruby pumps her fist in the air and cheers, "Kick her butt, Uncle Qrow!"
Weiss glares at Ruby and cheers for her sister in response.
"Teach him respect, Winter!"
'Crow? Her uncle's name is Crow?' Jaune glances back towards Raven and instantly connects the dots.
As Qrow and Winter's brawl in the courtyard escalates, the grounds around them progressively sustains more damage. Qrow's sword impacts the ground, cracking it and sending debris into all directions.
'These two idiots!'
Jaune frowns in annoyance and condenses Aura into his fingertips.
With subtle movements with his hands, he deflects the rubble to fly harmlessly past the surrounding crowd. Aside from Raven, everyone would simply believe that it was pure luck that no one got seriously injured by the collateral damage. As the fight reaches its climax, Winter screams and propels herself forward, aiming a thrust at Qrow's neck.
"Schnee!" A voice commands.
Winter reacts instantly and halts in her tracks, her blade inches away from its target. She turns on her heels to face General Ironwood, who is accompanied by Penny Polendina. With a nervous expression, Winter lowers her weapon and salutes.
"General Ironwood, sir!"
"What in the world do you think you're doing?" The General sternly questions.
"He started the altercation, sir!" Winter responds.
Qrow pokes his head out from behind and lazily puts his hands behind his head.
"That's actually not true. She attacked first."
Ironwood narrows his eyes at Winter.
"Is that right?"
Winter pauses with her mouth slightly open, then averts her eyes in shame. Ironwood sighs and turns his attention towards Qrow.
"And you... What are you doing here?"
Qrow snorts and retorts, "I could be asking you the same thing."
"I-"
"Now everyone," Ozpin's voice sounds out as he arrives at the scene with Glynda.
"There is a sanctioned fight happening right around the corner at the Colosseum, that I can assure you has better seats, and popcorn."
"Break it up everyone! We will take care of this mess." Glynda shoots a deadly glare to Qrow and the Atlesians. She adjusts her glasses and flicks her riding crop towards the damaged parts of the courtyard, quickly repairing them.
Ironwood subtly nods at Ozpin and takes Winter along with him, heading towards Beacon Tower. Penny follows closely behind, but quickly waves at Ruby before doing so. In the background, Ruby jumps into her uncle's arms, clearly excited to see him. Leaving them to their devices, Jaune approaches Ozpin.
"Good evening Jaune," Ozpin greets.
"Hello Ozpin," Jaune nods. "Is this a bad time?"
"Hmm..." Ozpin takes a sip from his mug. "There are some pressing matters to deal with at the moment." He gestures towards Qrow. "Why? Is something wrong?"
Jaune says in a low voice, "It is coming."
Ozpin's eyes slightly narrow and asks in an hurried tone.
"When?"
"In a day or two. Though it's on a short notice, I must leave by tonight."
Ozpin thinks to himself for a moment.
"Come to my office later tonight. Glynda and I should be done with our talk with Ironwood and Qrow by then."
"I'll see you then," Jaune nods and turns to rejoin Ruby.
"Qrow!" Ozpin calls out. "A word, please."
The elevator door leading to Ozpin's office opens with a hiss and Jaune strolls in.
"Where's Glynda?" He looks around. His divine sense fails to locate her.
"She is currently finalizing the arrangements you requested regarding the Emerald Forest, ensuring that nothing within our control can go wrong." Ozpin looks out the window, towards the Emerald Forest. "And you're certain you must leave tonight?"
"I'm certain," Jaune nods as he joins Ozpin to look at the view. "What of my teammates?"
"I'm afraid that no matter what excuse we give them, they will inevitably worry," Ozpin sighs. "I suppose the easiest excuse to use would be that some family matters had suddenly surfaced for you to deal with."
"Hmm... A bit of a typical excuse, but it should work. Though I doubt they'll fully buy it."
"I'm well aware of that," Ozpin chuckles. "But being the headmaster comes with some perks. One of which is people's hesitance in questioning my word."
Jaune glances at Ozpin with an amused smile, "Isn't that abuse of power?"
Ozpin shrugs and takes a sip from his mug. After a few moments of silence, he asks in a soft voice, "Are you ready for it?"
"I am as prepared as I can be. Do not forget that this is not the first time I've been through this," Jaune lightly laughs, "I have confidence in my experience. Besides, death is nothing to fear."
"... I suppose you're right..."
The Scroll on the desk buzzes and vibrates.
"It would seem that Glynda is ready to meet us at the cliffs."
*** Beacon Cliffs ***
A thunderclap rumbles in the distance and light rain begins to fall from the skies. Glynda activates her Semblance, creating a barrier around them to keep the water out.
"I've uploaded a map marked with the location fulfilling your requirements into your Scroll." Glynda adjusts her glasses and looks up from her Scroll. With a concerned voice, she asks, "Are you ready?"
"Hmm... who knows?" Jaune walks out from Glynda's barrier to stand at the edge of the cliff. He tilts his head up towards the dark clouds above, water pelting his face and hair turning slick from the moisture.
"You two, tread with caution. The Tribulation will have concluded for better or for worse when the storm ceases."
He launches his blades into the distance.
"I hope to see you all alive when I return."
Jaune kicks off from the cliff and activates the gravity Dust, pulling him through the air, deep into the Emerald Forest.
Ozpin takes a deep breath and turns to Glynda with a grim expression.
"Please bring Miss Nikos into my office tomorrow after the doubles matches."
Glynda's eyes slightly widen.
"Professor, you're-"
"I'm afraid so," Ozpin closes his eyes. "It would be wise to have a contingency plan. Just in case."
Jaune skids to a stop, then checks his Scroll.
'This is the spot.'
He looks around with appreciation.
'Glynda, you have outdone yourself.'
Jaune stands on top of a plateau high above the canopy of the Emerald Forest. The light from Beacon Tower shines brightly in the distance.
The dark clouds above Jaune's head roars and rumbles the air. Scoffing, Jaune sits in the middle of the plateau with his legs crossed. Uncaring for the wind and rain battering his skin, he closes his eyes and slips into meditation, focusing on sharpening his mind to the upmost. Just as it is important to train the body, it is equally as important to hone the mind and spirit.
*** The following morning ***
Pyrrha stretches her arms as she wakes. Yawning into her hand, she sits up on her bed and rubs her eyes. She glances outside, where dark clouds loom in the sky and heavy rain pelts against the window. On the opposite side of the room, Nora snores loudly and Ren remains asleep, quiet as a cat. As her eyes pan over to Jaune's bed, her eyes widen. His bed is empty, and the covers are neatly folded.
"Ren! Nora!" Pyrrha calls out, waking up her teammates. Her voice is slightly panicked and confused.
"Jaune's missing."
Half asleep, Nora grumbles, "Jaune disappears all the time! What's the big deal?"
"In this kind of weather? Besides, he is always back before 6:30. It is currently 8:00!"
A knock on their door interrupts them. Pyrrha slides out of bed and looks through the peephole. She hastily opens the door upon verifying who is standing on the other side.
"Professor Ozpin," She says in a surprised tone.
"Good morning, Miss Nikos," Ozpin greets. "I apologize for disrupting you."
"No, it's no trouble at all, sir." Pyrrha responds politely. "Can we help you with something?"
"Not in particular," Ozpin muses. "But I did feel the need to come here personally to forward your team some news regarding your leader, Jaune. As you have already noticed, he is not present at the moment."
Pyrrha cautiously asks, "Where... is he?"
Ozpin sighs, "Apparently some urgent family business surfaced. He asked me to inform you all about it as he had to leave straight away. It is nothing too serious, I'm sure."
"I... see," Pyrrha's face looks thoroughly unconvinced.
Ignoring Pyrrha's expression, Ozpin continues, "In addition, he's informed me that for the doubles round, he'd like you and Miss Valkyrie to compete."
"Is that so..." Pyrrha looks down for a moment before looking back at Ozpin. "Professor, do you know when Jaune will be returning?"
"Believe me, Miss Nikos, we will all know when he returns." He enigmatically responds. He turns on his heels and walks down the hallway before pausing. "Good luck on your match today."
Pyrrha remains standing by the door, thoroughly confused.