Disclaimer: I don't own anything.


Chapter 3: A Team Effort Part 1

The following morning, Jaune woke up early and changed out of his pajamas, to his battle gear. Since it was early enough, he was able to comfortably change in the men's section. Jaune took the time to idly stretch out the kinks from sleeping. As he finished his stretches, more and more of the other Beacon hopefuls filtered out of the showers and prepped up.

Strolling through the halls, he saw many of the students to be entering and leaving a portion of the building that had walls of rectangular boxes, all lined on the walls. After fiddling with some kind of number box on the front, they opened and held their individual gears.

Eyes sparkling, Jaune wanted to use these number boxes.

Do you even want to leave, Jaune? You go in there, and we may never leave this place!

'Don't be so strict. You need to enjoy life a little more.', Jaune responded through his link with Mors. Ignoring her words, he began his journey through the metal halls of number boxes. The people were pulling all manner of armors and weapons from the boxes. Some of the armors he couldn't for the life of him understand how they offered any protection. Perhaps he was just ignorant to the material they used.

It didn't take long for him to grow tired of the exploration. While the boxes were cool looking, they were just that, fancy looking boxes to hold things. Scanning across the room, he found the familiar form of his friend Pyrrha.

He wasted no time to run up to her and greet her, "Heeey, Pyrrha. Getting ready to enter the school?"

Jaune was rewarded with a dazzling smile that warmed him. A silly grin plastered on his face.

A somehow judgmental cough was heard behind Jaune. "Excuse you, we were in the middle of a conversation.", a temperamental voice called.

Turning around, Jaune came face to face with a girl that chilled him to the core. The snow white hair, that harsh expression, and presence of aloofness pointed to one creature. With post haste, Jaune hid behind the comforts of Pyrrha's protection. His hands were shaking but tight as he clutched the girl's shoulders.

"Are you alright, Jaune? Why are you hiding?", she asked in concern of the feminine swordsman atypical behavior. Why would a respectable fighter such as him fear someone he just met so fiercely?

In a terrified whisper, he answered truthfully, "Don't you see? She's not a human! She's a snow woman!" His voice was filled with a profound terror.

"A snow woman?", Pyrrha questioned curiously. She had never heard of such a term.

"Yes, a snow woman. The girls back at the monastery told me all about them. They are beauties whose pale skins meld into the frigid winters. They wonder the land, striking down females that are fairer than them and claiming men for themselves. They warned me that one of them would seek me out, freeze me and drain me of my manly essence. My essence Pyrrha!", he cried hysterically.

"I'm sorry?", she replied at a lost how to comfort him.

"Look at me, I can't avoid to lose what I have. If she drains me, what if I become an actual girl? I'm too handsome to be a woman. We have to get out of here, you're in danger too. You're way prettier than her and she'll hate you for it. She's was properly trying to lure you into a false sense of security..."

"That is quite enough. I am Weiss Schnee, heiress of the Schnee Dust Company. I am not, nor have I ever been, one of those ridiculous snow women. Do you understand my position and the depth of your baseless insults!?", Weiss gritted out, her arms crossed and fury in her eyes.

To her amazement and frustration, he simply waved it off, "Schnee? Never heard of it. That's a likely story. I bet your name is just a clever way of saying snow, winter, ice or something like that. You can't trick me that easily."

A struggling Weiss began taking deep breaths. Last thing she needed was to give a bad impression to Pyrrha or the Academy over choking the annoying blonde. "It's clear you're far too ignorant to know me, but tell me you at least know who you were trying to talk to."

Jaune snorted and answered as though it was the most obvious things, "Of course I know her, she my friend Pyrrha. That's why I greeted her."

"You are such a nimrod, do I have to spell it out for you? This is Pyrrha Nikos. She graduated top of her class in Sanctum."

"Good for you Pyrrha. I was never too good with schoolwork myself.", he said honestly. It was all too dull.

"Thank you. I'm sure you could do well if you focus.", Pyrrha noted lightly.

Weiss scoffed at the blonde's attitude, "She won the Mistral Region Tournament four years in a row! That's a new record!"

"Congratulations! If I had known, I would have gotten you a gift. Never heard of the tournament before though", Jaune said this with complete sincerity, which angered Weiss even further.

At this point, the white haired teen was grasping at straws. She waved her arms around in anger, "She's on the front of every Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes box."

At last she got a reaction out of him, "That's so sweet! A food product, packaged with your image. I have to try this cereal. I'm sure it's delicious."

"Yeah, it was pretty cool. It's not the healthiest though."

This had become too much and Weiss stormed out from the conversation and the room.

With the source of his concerns gone, Jaune walked in front of Pyrrha and looked her in the eyes, "That one has a bad temper. Anyway, I was serious about being careful of that 'Weiss' character. You're stunningly beautiful and snow women hate that. It makes them feel inferior. An exorcism might be necessary."

Pyrrha beamed happily at the open compliment. Though she felt bad that Weiss was being treated as a monster, she lost the will to correct Jaune. Looking over Jaune's appearance, a thought occurred to her and she turned back to her bag.

"Here, Jaune. I think this will help you better manage your hair. It will be troublesome if your hair got in the way." In her hands was a bright red hair ribbon, that held a silk like texture.

"A-ah. Thank you, Pyrrha. I'll make sure to take care of it.", Jaune promised to her and himself. He tenderly took the ribbon and began to neatly contained his hair with it. Feeling far more touched than he should have, he wore a smile of adoration.

Please stop that Jaune. It's disgusting. Do you want to creep her out. All over a hair ribbon, how embarrassing.

He couldn't help himself, it was the first gift he had gotten from Pyrrha. If he got any happier, he would just cry.

"All first-year students are required to report to Beacon Cliff for initiation. I repeat, all first year students are required to report to Beacon Cliff immediately.", a stern woman's voice called through the surroundings.

"Shall we be on our way? Maybe you'll find your way out.", Pyrrha spoke with a light tone that Jaune didn't get. Apparently, she knew something he did not. It took a moment for it to click.

"Hey, I know what you're saying. I can and WILL leave today!", Jaune responded with a pout. That tone was used enough for even him to notice the meaning. Whenever the girls at the temple teased him about lack of focus, they always spoke so light and placating. Well he would show them and Pyrrha, he was going to leave at this second!

"Don't you want to see the initiation, I believe it is most challenging. Won't you go with me, I would feel better having you as an escort."

Jaune ego swelled at the praise and he found himself going along with her. It wouldn't do to leave such a lovely girl unattended, right?

Jaune is too simple.

Mors' tone was one of resignation and frustration. Despite the obvious annoyance Jaune felt through the link, he could not figure where it was directed at. Maybe she was just being moody today.

...

Beacon Cliffs were aptly named cliffs not too far from the academy. Atop of said cliff was a rich coating of grass and dispersed trees. Far below the cliffs was a vast forest that led to a mountain range.

A number of students were standing on silver square tiles laying innocently on the grass. Jaune was curious as to their purpose. It could be for selecting fighters in a tournament like test. The pair went to stand on their own tiles to prepare for the upcoming test.

Ozpin and Glynda stood before the students. Ozpin drank from a coffee mug, while Glynda was pressing the surface of some rectangular object. Jaune noted that the object would light up and beep every now and then.

"OH, OH, Looky there Ren, there's the human wall I walked into, yesterday. You have to meet her.", the familiar energetic voice of Nora called forth. She had both her arms wrapped around another student.

He was a teen with long black hair tied into a ponytail that ended midway down his back. On the left side of his hair, there was a magenta streak. Ren was dressed in a dark green, diagonally buttoned, long sleeved tailcoat, with red on the inside, black and gold trimming and pink cuffs. His pants were light tan and his shoes were black.

Ren wore an exasperated expression that told of a long history with his friend's wild behavior.

When the duo reached them, Ren straightened himself up and extended his hand out. "Hello I'm Lie Ren, I'm Nora's friend since youth. She told me a bit about a wall girl. I apologize if she did anything to offend you."

"Boooooooooo! That's boring. I introduce you to a nice girl and all you can talk about is the past. You're going to be single forever with that attitude mister.", Nora lectured sternly at the polite teen. Jaune swore he saw Ren's face twitch at the lecture. He should probably look into that.

Jaune took Ren's offered hand and shook it with a little more strength than necessary. "That's alright. I am Jaune Arc, MALE."

"Oh, I see.", Ren replied with an expression that showed he understood the source of the feminine swordsman's ire.

Turning around to point to Pyrrha, Jaune introduced her, "This is my friend Pyrrha."

"Hello there.", she said politely, her smile wide.

The headmaster coughed in his fist and got everyone's attention, "You all have trained, for years, and it will be put to the test. The setting will be the Emerald Forest."

Following Ozpin's opening, Glynda spoke, " As many of you have heard, you will be placed into teams. Each of you will be given your teammates...today."

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well.", Ozpin continued, after taking a sip of his coffee.

Nora turned to Ren with a smug smile as they walked by to their respective tiles, "I knew it. I told you so Renny. Nobody fools this girl"

"After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition through terrain and Grimms. Show no mercy...or you will die.", the gray haired headmaster warned with all seriousness.

Once again there was the steel in his eyes that Jaune knew held experience. Seemingly unaware of Jaune's evaluation of him, Ozpin carried on with his explanation.

"During the initiation, your performance will be monitored and evaluated. You will gain no form of intervention from the instructors. At the end of the path, there's an abandoned temple with several relics. Each pair must choose one of these relics and return to this cliff. You must protect this relic and be graded on your skills. Are there any questions? No? Good."

Taking it as their cue, Ren and Nora nodded politely and waved respectively, as they took their positions.

Looking around, Jaune saw the other students being launched through the air. So this was a test on landing skills, this he could do. As a matter of fact, he literally bleed for these skills back home. His sister could be strict teacher when she wanted to be. A chill shot down his back in memory.

Ahead of him, Nora and Ren were launched through the air. Nora picked up far more speed and ended up flying right past him. As far as Jaune could tell, Ren pulled out a pair of intricate bladed weapons to slow his descent. Just before the teen slammed into a tree, he rammed his blades on the trunk and transferred the rest of his momentum into spiraling around the tree.

Nora took a less elegant approach and went flying straight to the ground. Just before reaching a painful slam, she pulled out a giant hammer and slammed the ground. A few number of trees around her became early casualties of the test.

Pyrrha, who stood beside him, was the next to be sent flying. Her strategy was to decrease her speed by plowing through a number of unfortunate trees with her shield. She then rolled on a branch and came to a halt.

Jaune crouched down and prepared for his own launching. With the sound of a catapult being rising, he was send flying. In one smooth motion, he was able to spin rapidly midair. To take better control of his land destination, he vocalized his technique, "Solid Air Step."

Barely visible to the naked eye, thin blocks of air encased in KI were spread down a path of Jaune's choosing. Using the blocks as stepping stones, he ricocheted towards a certain tree. Taking care to not lay waste to the tree, he lowered his speed and flipped onto a branch.

Being just above Pyrrha, he flashed her a confident smile. He leaned on the trunk of the tree and crossed his arms, "Team Jaune has an open spot, want to join?"

Pyrrha returned his smile and accepted, "If you would have me, I would love to join."

...

After the pair got off the tree, they began walking towards the ruins. Unsure of the exact direction, the two took a random direction and pressed on. Jaune heard the sound of a heavy footsteps. Footsteps that were coming towards.

Jaune incoming from behind.

"Move!", Jaune warned Pyrrha. The two leapt out of the way just in time for a lumbering mass of black muscle raced by them. The creature ran through a concentration of trees.

The creature had the form of an exceptionally large gorilla. It towered several feet above the pair of hunter hopefuls. On its face was a mask made from bone like material. A pair of vivid red eyes were seen through the eyes of the mask. Rippling muscles could been seen from the chest and arms. On its shoulders were an array of white spikes that ran down to the arms and back. The dark gorilla creature roared and pounded its chest in preparation for a hunt.

"I've never seen a Kong Grimm face to face before.", Pyrrha stated as she pulled out her shield and sword from her back. Jaune followed suit, pulling Mors from the sheathe.

I never cut an evil gorilla before. You really know how to treat a girl.

On some unknown signal, the Kong leapt into the air. Using its bulging muscles, it brought up both its fists and aimed downwards towards Pyrrha.

Pyrrha raised her shield above her and prepared to hold her ground. When the Kong's fists slammed into her shield, the sheer force of the blow not only brought the girl to her knees, but created fissures all over the ground. Once she got a hold of herself, Pyrrha threw the beast off of her shield and away from her. As it came to a stop on the ground, she changed her sword to gun mode and proceeded to barrage the Kong with shots, most aimed at the throat.

Taking advantage of the opening, Jaune dashed right through its defenses and attacked not with Mors, but his empty palm to its chest, "Wind Spirit Palm Strike!"

When his palm made contact, a thin disc of clear Ki appeared and caused a torrent of wind to pummel the creature through all the trees behind it. It finally fell flat on its back when the winds die down. Quick to make a recovery, the Kong leapt to its feet and pounded its chest in anger. Looking around, it took hold of the debris around and began to chuck it at the two warriors.

Unhindered by her armor, Pyrrha dodged both precisely and elegantly. Each piece of wooden shrapnel were mere inches from piercing her violently. Still she was calm, waiting for a chance.

Jaune decided to take a more radical and aggressive approach. Picking up air, he leapt atop of one of the bigger trunks being thrown apart. Once sure of its durability, the blonde swordsman began to leapt from each flying debris to make a short path to his target. All the while, the Kong grew more and more erratic with its aim.

Due to the lack damage being done, the creature desisted with the aerial strategy and returned for close ranged combat. Its first target was a midair Jaune. Opening its hands wide, the Kong slammed them together in hopes of making pulp of the feminine warrior's head.

Alarmed, Jaune was quick to avoid the giant aggressive palms and did a quick roll when he touched the ground. Just as the lumbering beast turned to hunt its prey, Pyrrha got within reach and began to abuse it with a multitude of cuts. Wounds piling up on its torso, an angry growl escaped its throat. Narrowing its eyes, a horizontal swing was aimed at the redhead. Fully aware of the swing, she leapt back just in time and jumped right back in to take aim at its left ankle.

A crash echoed in the forest as it fell to one knee. Pain filled howls filled the area. The damaged ankle was unable to support its sheer upper body mass.

Following his partner's example, Jaune leapt right at the other ankle and neatly cut the whole foot off, thus rending the beast stationary. In the blink of an eye, the beast turned its head in an unnatural angle and lunged at Jaune's throat with its sharp fangs.

Jaune's newly gifted armguards creaked in protest to the creature's high powered jaw. In a bid to remove the danger of losing a limb, he slammed his opened palm a cross its face. The pressure ceased immediately, as the Kong whined in pained from the broken nose and cracked skull.

Raging to its peak, the Grimm responded with a fury of slams onto the abused ground. Surprisingly, the contact caused the ground to shake violently in a micro quake. Having had enough, Pyrrha pulled a determined look and aimed her now spear to the Kong's head. With practiced ease, she threw the spear and it pierced right through its head and made a low arc to impede itself to the ground just behind the Grimm.

For a moment all three were silent. The Grimm appeared to be confused to what had happened. Only seconds did it register to it that it had died. All energy lost, the Kong fell into a heap on the ground, its corpse already evaporating.

"Nice shot, partner.", Jaune called encouragingly.

She smiled brightly at him, "It was a team effort."

He hummed lightly in response. Idly, his eye looked upon the spear. That final throw, something had been...off. It should have continued sailing through and not have arced so soon or neatly. Jaune went up to the spear, curiosity in his eyes. When he lifted it up, it was as heavy as he expected. How did the weapon make that arc?

Shaking his head free of those thoughts, he carried the spear back to its owner.

Shame on you Jaune. If not for those armguards, it might have chewed your arm off. That was a rookie mistake. What do you have to say for yourself?

'Sorry, I got complacent.', he admitted chagrined. His sister would have been furious at such a slip up. The battlefield was no place for negligence.

...

Back on Beacon Cliffs, Glynda and Ozpin were surrounded by a number of screens that were connected to a portable work center. Each screen showed a number on different teams. His attention was currently on the screen that showed Jaune and Pyrrha's fight against the Kong Grimm. He hummed in approval. Glynda hardly looked as impressed.

"Sir, that Jaune character is an intruder. I've just checked the registration list, there is no Jaune Arc applying here. It's a shame, but Ms. Nikos will have to be given a new partner. As for Mr. Arc..."

Ozpin lightly cut her off. "That won't be necessary, Glynda."

"But Sir, one does not merely barge in a test like this. Consequences must be given.", she pressed against her boss' dismissal on the issue.

"At times like this every warrior can be put to use. Besides it's clear that his entry here was more our fault than his. This is a case of not looking a gift horse in the mouth. Tell me Glynda, what do you see when you watch the boy." Ozpin finished his question as he continued drinking his coffee.

"A foolish rule breaker that have some above average skill. Perhaps a wind based semblance."

"You're too narrow sighted in this case. That boy is clearly hunter class already."

Stunned, she turned to look at Jaune incredulously. "Are you sure? He has shown some potential, but hunter level?"

"Tell me Glynda, in Mr. Arc's position, what would you do about the Kong?" He asked calmly.

"I would have used the Kong's charge to spearhead a blow to its head and eliminate in one move."

"Therein lies the problem. That stunt would have removed Ms. Nikos out of the equation completely. While Mr. Arc here limited his actions, but isn't hindering the battle. In easier terms, he has skillfully limited himself to Ms. Nikos' level. It isn't a partnership if he lifts all the weight."

"Point taken, what's your plan for him."

A light smirk graced the headmaster's face, "Plan? I don't know whatever you mean. I'm merely providing a resting station in the life of a wanderer." His part said, Ozpin returned to watching the screen.

...

Jaune and Pyrrha continued their journey to find the relics. Since leaving the battle, the female of the pair had a face of contemplation.

"Something on your mind Pyrrha.", Jaune questioned. The silence was getting to him. Not that a thinking Pyrrha didn't have its own charm.

"Well, I was wondering, how you manipulated your Aura so skillfully. Was that part of your curriculum? Or maybe that's part of your semblance."

"Actually, that just my martial arts and sword style. What is Aura anyway. I heard about constantly since I got here."

"Have you really not heard of it?"

"No, sorry."

"There's no need. I would be happy to tell you", she smiled and slowed down her pace to gain his attention. She raised her hand for emphasis. "Aura is the manifestation of one's soul. It strengthens and guards our hearts. With practice, Aura can be our shield. Every living being has it, including animals."

A thought suddenly came to him. The void he felt with every Grimm he met. There was no life force. If Pyrrha was correct, which he was sure, then these Grimms didn't have this Aura. "Do the Grimm have Aura?"

She shook her head solemnly, "No. The monsters that we battle against lack a soul. Their very being is but a manifestation of anonymity. They are the darkness to our light."

As per usual for any force he studied, Jaune noticed a Ying-Yang relationship to this Aura, "Is there a negative or dark variant of Aura?"

"It's the understanding of the dark and light within each person that helps us manifest our Aura. By baring your soul outward as a force, you can deflect harm. Our weapons and equipment conduct Aura. In every battle, you protect yourself and your soul."

Fascinating this Aura would be a very useful tool.

"Can you activate this Aura inside of me?"

"Of course. Close your eyes", she said. Slowly, she walked up to him. She placed her hands to the side of his head.

With a nod, he closed his eyes and awaited for whatever ritual that would be used. Pyrrha began a chant. Jaune glowed a bright white, while Pyrrha a faint red.

"For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all, infinite in distance and unbound by death", she moved her hand to his chest. "I release your soul, and by my shoulder protect thee."

Then his Aura was unleashed. A mighty column of white light shot to the very heavens. Around the two of them wind blew fiercely, tearing down any nearby trees. The explosion of light grows wider and brighter.

Jaune! You're overflowing with this Aura! It's too much for you, I can't regulate it all. You have to try to limit it or you and the girl will burn out!

The task was far more difficult than it sounded. Unlike with his Ki, he had no idea what his limits were and didn't know what actions would contain the Aura. Pain surged in his chest like he was stabbed by a hot knife. Unbeknownst to him, a bracelet appeared on his left wrist. Soon the lightshow began to dim.

You're doing it. I'm about to bring your Aura down to reasonable levels. Brace yourself. Alright, done.

All the pain receded from his chest as the power levels came down. The two ceased glowing and Pyrrha was hunched over in exhaustion. The bracelet faded from his wrist.

Jaune rubbed her back and asked in concern, "Pyrrha, are you okay? I-Is this normal?"

"It's all right. This drain was beyond my expectation. You had a well of Aura locked within you. I used my Aura to unlock yours, but the energy that protects you now is your own. Just give me moment to regain my breathe", Pyrrha gasped out, sweat pouring lightly down her face.

Another rumble echoed just behind them, again. Concerned that it was another Grimm, Jaune prepared for combat. To his dismay, it was a Grimm and it was far larger than the Kong. This creature took the form of a large scorpion. Its body was mostly black underneath rows of bonelike plates with red markings. Ten red eyes shined a bright red. Points of its body was covered in moss and grass. Above its head was golden stinger.

Looking over, he saw that Pyrrha was in no condition for another fight right now. Thinking quickly, he pulled her by her waist and lifted her into his arms. Just as the beast was going to run them over, he did a backflip and landed on top of its shell.

He stared blankly at the two already on the Grimm. It was Nora and Ren. From the looks of things, Nora was the steering this monstrosity. Ren looked pale and panicked and completely out of his depth.

"Ren."

"Yes, Jaune?"

"...Is Nora riding this creature?"

"Yes, yes she is. My crazy friend is riding a Death Stalker", Ren said in almost disbelieve. From the tone of his voice, it was as though he was in shock.

"Yeeeaaaaahhhhhh! Go get them, Stingy! Onward to the magical red forest. None can stop us!", Nora yelled in excitement. Her left hand was shaking wildly in the wind.

Pyrrha could only gape at the sheer madness of riding a Death Stalker. The two males turned to each other in mutual sympathy. Jaune had the courage to speak.

"Does she know what's she doing?"

"..."

"This...This is going to be rough."

"I believe so." Ren replied.

"Oh dear." Pyrrha commented.

"Choo choo, all aboard the Nora express! I'm such a genius."

In the first time in history Grimm and human minds aligned. All four of Nora's victims resigned themselves to her madness.


Author's Notes

Sorry about the delay. School was rough this semester. Please give feedback with reviews. See you next update.