Welcome to ch 31 of TPA.
"That was ballsy move, ladykiller. But you generally shouldn't try to break people's fists on your face." Said Yang, pointing a fork at her fellow blond.
Jaune sighed.
"To be fair, I took it on my forehead,. but yeah, I agree. It wasn't my best idea."
"Why even try something like that?" Ruby asked, munching down her cookie.
"Well…" Jaune rubbed back of his head. "You all keep telling me to be more aggressive, so I decided to give it a try."
Pyrrha shook her head.
"We didn't mean for you to throw all caution out of the window, and just charge ahead recklessly. Even Yang wouldn't do that. Well, not anymore."
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"
"That being said." The red haired champion smiled at her partner, completely ignoring the blonde brawler. "I think it's good that you are trying new things out." She hummed, then clapped her hands together. "How about a little sparring session? I mean, the Vytal tournament is coming closer and closer, if we want to stay ahead of competition, it's best if we start training early!"
No one at the table pointed out Pyrrha was probably last person that needed additional training for an event that was still few a months off, but the mere mention of the tournament was enough to start excited talk from most of the people at the table. The only ones seemingly not interested were Ren and Jaune.
"This is madness." The blond team leader whispered to his teammate. "They're acting like little children. What's the big deal anyway? It's just a tournament."
"It may have something to do with the fact it's the biggest cultural event of the year. Whoever wins it would surely become quite famous." Said Ren with a smile.
Fame, huh? Jaune shook his head. There was a time when he craved for it, but now? He didn't really care.
Well, if nothing else, it would be a chance to test my skills. He thought, as both teams finished their lunch and headed towards the training area.
Jaune gritted his teeth when the hammer struck his shield. He pushed back, knocking Nora off balance, but before he could capitalize on it, he had to turn around to block Yang's fist. He managed to deflect it, but before he could even think about counter, Yang jumped back. Jaune cursed and rolled to the side, Nora's hammer slamming where he stood. He got up, noticed the ginger girl backing off, and turned around.
Right in time to catch blast from Yang's gauntlets on the face.
He stumbled, and the blocked follow up punch on instinct alone. Follow up kick however he had to block with his Aura.
Focus, don't let it go out of control.
Another punch flew towards his face, one he deflected with his shield. He managed to counter this time, but Yang parried it easily. She quickly backed off, letting Nora take her place. Jaune grit his teeth, desperately defending from his teammate's assault.
All the while being peppered with shots by Ren.
He cursed and gave chase after Nora who tried to back off. Out of his current opponents, he had best chance of taking her out quickly. Unfortunately, neither Rain, nor Yang intended to let him do as he pleased. The black haired boy kept his distance, shooting short burst at him from his Storm Flowers. They didn't do much damage to the team leader, but were doing a good job at distracting him. If Jaune tried to close the distance, either Yang or Nora would intercept him, while other one attacked him from behind.
It was the perfect combination, leaving him no chance of winning, unless he somehow managed to take out both frontline fighters first. And considering neither of two girls took long in echanges, instead opting to use their superior mobility to dash in and out - Jaune had little chance of winning this fight.
Then again, taking down other side was not goal of this fight.
"Come on Jaune, keep it up! Only thirty second left!" Pyrrha shouted.
Easier said than done. His shield connected with Yang's face, throwing her away. He spun, narrowly avoiding Nora's hammer, wincing when another balst from Yang's gauntlets hit him. He brought his sword down on Nora's head. She jumped back, but he still scored a decent hit on her shoulder. He continued his assault, fully aware that Yang was probably ready to join the fray at any moment.
He grit his teeth when a few blast hit his back, but continued his charge.
It would be so much easier if I had my armor. He winced, and pushed forward. One of rules Pyrrha set was that he couldn't use his HIDE armor.
"It's too strong. You really on it too much. And sense of safety it provides might get in the way of what we want to do." She said. And Jaune was forced to agree.
Not that it made his current situation any more pleasant.
He managed to score another hit on Nora's midriff, but ignoring Yang proved to be bad idea.
The blonde brawler dashed in with a loud roar, her hair ablaze. Jaune cursed, readying his shield - and hardening his Aura for good measure.
"Ok, that is enough!" Pyrrha called out, after Yang's fist slammed into a wall of Aura. Jaune let out breath of relief, collapsing where he stood.
"So.. why I am only one doing this 'special training?'" He choked out, trying to catch his breath again.
"Because you still don't have good control over your Semblance." His partner answered, handing him a bottle of water.
"I think I'm doing fine…" he pouted. Pyrrha chuckled.
"Yes you are, but you could do better. I know it's better to stick to known techniques when in a serious fight, but you should never stop experimenting. Especially with a Semblance such as yours."
Jaune blinked, surprised.
"What's so special about it? It's just Aura boost."
"And that's what makes it special." Pyrrha said, sitting next to him. "From what you told us about how to works, I'm certain it can do so much more than just harden your Aura, or neutralize poisons. You should really start experimenting with it more."
"Experimenting? Like what?"
"For example - have you ever tried to harden your Aura less?" Asked Ren, sitting next to Pyrrha, Nora leaning on his back, with her chin resting on his head.
"That could let you keep it up for longer, and use less Aura in the process."
"Or maybe try boosting your speed with it? I noticed that some of your strikes are much more powerful than others." Yang pointed out, sitting in front of him." I'm pretty sure it's because you subconsciously use your Semblance to boost your strength. If you could apply similar boosts to your legs, it could allow you to more easily close distance with ranged opponents."
"Yeah. When we were in Signal, we would spend hours meditating, and trying to think of different applications of our Semblances. Well, Yang lucked out since hers is pretty straightforward. Mine required some work to get used to." Said Ruby, sitting next to her sister, the rest of her team following suit.
Jaune sighed.
"I know, I just never really had time for experimenting back in the Wilds. I was behind everyone else already, so I just focusing on the basics..."
"We know." Said Pyrrha, sending him a smile. "But now it's different. And don't worry, we will help you."
"Thanks guys. That means a lot."
"Don't mention it. What are friends for?" Said Ruby, with a broad smile.
A few hours later, an utterly exhausted Jaune slumped onto his bed. They hadn't made any progress on discovering any new properties of his Semblance - if there were any in the first place. But at least he got some good training in.
Jaune hit the wall of training room, and slammed down with a groan.
"I-I think I've had enough." He said.
"Sure Ladykiller. " Yang smiled, helping him get up."You did better this time. Am I right?"
"Yes." Weiss said, checking the time on her scroll. "You lasted thirty second longer than usual. That is a noticeable improvement."
Jaune smiled, but didn't say anything. Pyrrha's special Semblance training proved to be almost as harsh as Leon's training.
Almost.
Well, there are some results. So I guess I can't complain.
He sighed and got up, flexing his arms. The first thing they decided to work on was a way to increase the time he can hold up his Aura wall. It took some time, and a lot of beatings, but he finally figured something out. Instead of focusing on making a solid wall, he just hardened his Aura a bit. It couldn't completely block attacks like the wall could, but the Aura consumption was much lower.
"So, how do you feel?" Asked Pyrrha, helping him get up.
"Hurting all over from the beating I just received?" He offered. "Would be better if I had my armor…" he whined.
His partner rolled her eyes.
"You know what I'm talking about. And you gotta get use to fighting without it. I'm positive they will not let you use it in tournament."
"Yeah, sorry." He flexed his arms and shrugged.
"I think I'm getting the hang of it. It's easier on the Aura, and I'm getting better at holding it up when under pressure, but I need some more practice, that's for sure."
"Don't worry Ladykiller, we're are always happy to help!"
"Only because you get to punch me for free!"
"Nah, that's just an added bonus."
"All joking aside." Jaune said, motioning for the rest of his friends to come closer. "You remember how I said an old friend of mine needed help?" He waited for them to nod. " Well, I got to talk with him a bit, and know more or less what's going on. A few people were killed - and it's almost certainly Harrowed, but since he lives in a small, and not very important village, it could take some time before they get help. That's why I decided to go myself."
"Can we go with you?" Ruby called out. Jaune smiled and nodded.
"Yes, but not everyone. No offense guys, but this time we will be going in dark, and since you don't have much experience with Harrowed…" he trailed off.
"You don't want to bring too big of crowd with you, right?" Said Ren with a smile.
"Yeah…No offense guys."
"Some taken…" Yang said wrapping arm around his neck. "So, when did you want to go anyway?" Asked Yang.
"I was thinking next weekend. I need to make a new batch of elixirs, and my usual supplier here in Vale ran out of some of the ingredients."
"Next weekend?" Pyrrha bit her lip." I'm afraid I won't be able to go. I have to meet with some of my sponsors." She hung her head. "I'm sorry."
"It's ok, Pyr." Jaune patted her shoulder.
"I think I'll pass. Our team's average grades started to drop because of a certain someone." Said Weiss, glaring at a certain blonde brawler. "And Brothers knows she won't study herself if someone doesn't force her to."
Yang started to protest, but everyone ignored her.
"Got it. Good luck Weiss, you'll need it." Jaune chuckled. "Anyone else want to go?"
"I think I'll pass too. With Ruby gone, and Yang kept busy by Weiss, I might finally get time to read in peace."
"As long as it's a textbook, then sure. Your grades started dropping too." Weiss growled.
Blake blinked.
"Wait, I scored only one point lower than you on Oobleck's last test!"
"And it's one point too much! The next test will be two, then ten, and before you know it, you are dead bottom. I can't allow that to happen. You need to study more, both of you." Weiss huffed, grabbing the arms of her two teammates. "In fact, we are going to start now. No discussion!" She said, while dragging them away.
"Oooookay…" Jaune shook his head. "Nora? Ren? How about you guys?"
Ren smiled and nodded.
"I think we will go…"
"Yeah! We can't leave our fearless leader alone!"
"Hey! I'm going too!" Ruby protested.
"So,me, Ruby, Nora and Ren?" Jaune asked, turning to his fellow team leader. "Four people. Heh, it's almost as if we are forming a new team."
"I guess." She chuckled, "What would we call ourselves?"
"No idea. I'm really bad at this whole naming thing. You guys can come up with something.." The blond shook his head.
They both chuckled and left the training room.
"Sooo.. what are we gonna do now?" Asked Ruby when their group walked out on the Beacon courtyard.
"Dunno." Jaune shrugged. "How about…"
"Dodge."
Everyone paused, surprised by the unfamiliar voice sounding from behind them. Well, everyone except Jaune, who was already rolling out of the way before a mysterious person finished the word.
There was loud thud, and something buried itself in the pavement where the blond stood just a moment before. Pyrrha and Blake recovered first, their hands reaching for weapons that weren't there. Yang, after just a second of hesitation charged at the man standing behind them.
Only to be completely ignored, in favor of another blond.
Jaune and the strange man met in flurry of punches, kicks, and headbutts. The encounter was fierce, brutal, and lasted only a few seconds, after the older man caught Jaune in a choke hold.
"Ok, I give up." Said the blond, strangely relaxed for person who was suddenly attacked.
"Heh. You did good. I guess you weren't slacking off." Said the man, letting him go. Jaune chuckled.
"Thanks."
RWBY and NPR starred in stone resilience as Jaune and stranger starred a friendly conversation, as if one hadn't just suddenly attacked other.
"Ummm…" Ruby raised her hand, but went ignored.
"Guys?" Yang called out, slowly dropping her stance. Her eyes still were blood red, proving she was more than ready for another round of violence. She scowled when the two talking men ignored her completely and made to walk towards them, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her.
"Just give them a moment." Said Weiss, shaking her head.
"You know who that is?" Asked Pyrrha, eyeing the strange man suspiciously.
"Yeah."
"Oh, sorry guys, I almost forget." Jaune called out, rubbing the back of his head. "Allow me to introduce you." he pointed to the man next to him , who was watching them with vague interest. "This is my mentor, Leon. I told you about him. Leon, these are my friends. You know Weiss already. As for others - the blonde one is Yang, the black one is Blake, and the small red one is Ruby. They are on the same team as Weiss. Those three." He said pointing at the remaining three teens. " Are Ren, Nora and Pyrrha. My teammates."
Leon nodded and shook hands with everyone as Jaune introduced them.
"You have sharp reflexes." He said to Blake.
He paused in front of Pyrrha, his eyes narrowing.
"Did we met somewhere? You seem kinda familiar."
"Pyrrha won the Mystral regional tournament." Said Jaune.
"Oh." Leon looked her over and smiled, extending his hand. "You must be good."
Pyrrha smiled back and shook it.
"Four times in row. "
Leon raised one eyebrow, and looked at the red haired Huntress with a little more interest.
"Oh. You must be very good."
Pyrrha chuckled.
Leon tilted his head to the side.
"Did I say something funny?"
"Oh, no! It's just that, Jaune said exactly the same thing when we first met."
"Oh." Leon shrugged. "Anyway, you mind if I borrow him for awhile?" He said pointing at Jaune.
"Well, it's not like we can stop you. Just please behave yourselves." Said Weiss.
Jaune huffed.
"Hey, what's that's supposed to mean?"
"You knew full well. Now go. I have two lazy teammates to take care of." She said, grabbing both Blake and Yang, and dragging them away.
Jaune raised his mug in a toast, Leon mirroring his gesture. They both took a sip of their beer, and relaxed into their seats.
It's not bad. Not the best I've drank, but definitely not the worst.
Jaune took another sip and sighed.
"So, what brings you to Vale?"
Leon shrugged.
"Can't a man just come visit his pupil?"
Jaune chuckled.
"Sure you can, but considering how much you hate big cities, I somehow doubt it's the only reason."
Leon hummed, taking a long sip from his mug.
"It's related to the job I took in Atlas." He said finally.
"Oh? I thought you were done with it."
"I am. I just learned a few things, and decided to come over."
Jaune hummed. Whatever Leon learned, it must have been something serious. Both men fell into silence, each focusing on his own drink.
"So… how was Atlas?" Jaune asked finally.
"Cold." Leon answered with a wince. "Very fucking cold. It might have been other things, but mostly cold."
Jaune chuckled.
"Did they at least pay you properly?"
"Yeah. Say what you want about this Atlas folks, but they always pay well and on time. Only reason I even bother visiting that fucking freezer. Seriously, why people even live there is beyond me."
"Maybe they like the snow?" Jaune offered. Leon scoffed.
"If so, their brains must have frozen over." He glanced around the small bar they were sitting in. People in here didn't look like the best company, and Jaune might have been worried about the contents of his pocket suddenly disappearing, if not for Leon's presence. Sometimes, when drunk enough, common thugs might have tried to pick a fight with a lone Hunter-in-training.
But against a full fledged Hunter? And armed at that?
Those who tried usually didn't last too long on the streets. Natural selection tended to cull those with poor survival instincts.
Leon finished his drink, Jaune doing the same. The older man waved at the barman, and paid for another round. The fat, and bald man with scar across his face glanced at Jaune, then at money Leon offered, and shrugged. Money was money, and if some kid wanted to get drunk? Not his problem.
"So how is living in Vale?" Asked Leon after a few moments.
"Good. Not nearly as boring as I thought it would be."
The Witcher chuckled.
"Yeah, I heard. I thought I had a knack of getting into trouble, but you?" He shook his head.
Jaune shrugged.
"What can I say? I had an excellent teacher." They laughed, and clinked their mugs together.
"Anyway, are you busy this week? I was planning on visiting some old friends, thought you might want to tag along."
Jaune eyebrows narrowed, when he noticed Leon a rub long, jagged scar on his left cheek.
White Fang? Here, in Vale?
The blond hummed. This must have been something serious, if Leon was willing to travel all the way from Atlas.
"I would love to." The blond said finally. "But I have a lot of studying to do. Plus, Regis called over, and said he needed some help. Need to prepare for that."
Leon hummed.
"Regis, huh? I'm surprised that old fossil is still alive. I swear, that guy somehow stopped time, because he looks exactly the same no matter how many years have passed."
Jaune chuckled.
"Maybe he's vampire or something?"
Leon laughed, finishing his beer.
"You know, I wouldn't be surprised. But I hope not. Would probably have to kill him if that was true."
Jaune laughed too, finishing his drink. They left the dimly lit and warm bar, and walked out into dark and cold night. It was nearing ten, so Jaune had to get back to Beacon. Before he walked away, Leon stopped him.
"Listen Jaune. I can't tell you the details, but something is brewing here in Vale. The White Fang is preparing something big, and they are not alone. They have some monsters on their side, and I mean real monsters, all capitals. So… be careful, ok? I'll see what I can do about it, but in the meantime keep your eyes open, ok?"
Jaune nodded.
"Sure thing, and Leon?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't hesitate to give me a call."
"Sure thing. See ya later."
"Later."
Both men turned around, and walked their separate ways. Jaune walked slowly, lost in thought.
Something big, huh? He chuckled. I knew it was peaceful for too long.
He shook his head.
No point in worrying about it now. I have other things to focus on.
Yes, he would leave this matter to Leon. He, after all, had his own hunt to prepare for.
And this wraps up chapter 31. It's short, way shorter than what I wanted, but unfortunately I had a busy week, and… well, I had to either make it shorter, or delay release.
And since this is mostly a set up chapter, I decided I can just as well end it here. So yeah, see you all next week. Hopefully this one will be less busy.
If you like my writing, please consider donating on Cr00cy