It was the day of the field trip. Professor Glynda was leading the students today. They were all headed to the Forever Fall Forest. Named after the fact that the Forever Fall's trees are red indefinitely, the mountainous area was covered by a forest of red-leafed trees, allowing the whole area to appear as a dust-red colour, even with the grass. Students were in awe of the sheer beauty of the forest. One particular student, however, was enjoying it more than the rest.
"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god! I can't believe we're actually here!" Weiss enthusiastically ran around the forest, enjoying the scenery. "This so much better than the painting!"
"Wow, I have never seen Ice Queen so excited," Yang commented.
"Yeah, it's kinda creeping me out," Ruby added.
"Atlas has nothing but snow, and ever since Weiss saw the Forever Fall's painting, it has been her dream to come here," Azure explained.
"Yes, students, the forest of Forever Fall is beautiful, but we are not here to sightsee. Professor Peach has asked all of you to grab a sample deep within the trees here, and I am here to ensure that none of you dies whilst doing so," Professor Glynda explained in a monotone voice. "Each of you is to collect one whole jar of red sap. However, this forest is full of the creatures of Grimm, so make sure to stick by your teammates. We will rendezvous back here at four o'clock. Have fun."
Jaune tried to join his team, but Cardin grabbed his shoulder. "Let's go, buddy," Cardin smiled evilly. Jaune just sighed as he saw his team walk away from him. Pyrrha looked back at him, but Jaune walked away. Sadness overtook him. Pyrrha sighed and walked away too.
Team CRDL relaxed next to the trees when Jaune returned with six full jars of red sap. Jaune dropped the jars as he fell from exhaustion.
"Well down, Jauney boy," Cardin smirked, looking at Jaune lying flat on the ground. "That wasn't very hard, was it?"
"I think I'm allergic to this stuff," Jaune coughed.
"Now, you might be asking yourself, 'Why did I get SIX full jars of red sap when there are only FIVE of us?'" Cardin stood above Jaune, still thinking he was king.
"That is ONE of the MANY questions I have been asking today, yes," Jaune answered.
"Well, come with me, and you'll find out," Cardin's smirk turned into a smile. Team CRDL dragged Jaune, climbed a cliff, and lay low, eyeing teams JNPR and RWBY.
Ren grabbed another jar of red sap and gave it to Nora, who passed Ren another empty jar and drank the red sap. Ren coughed and stared at her with a disapproving face. Nora giggled in embarrassment as her face was covered in red sap.
"Uh, Cardin, what's going on?" Jaune asked.
"Payback," Cardin glared at one student. Jaune moved his eyes to where Jaune was looking.
"Azure?" Jaune eyed as Azure had just finished collecting another jar of red sap and was also talking to Weiss.
"That Schnee, so strong and heroic, embarrassed all of us," Cardin growled, pulling out the box of Rapier Wasps that Azure and Jaune collected last night. "Luckily, Jaune here rounded up a whole box of Rapier Wasps for us."
"Now, according to the essay you wrote for me a few days ago, these little things LOVE sweets," Cardin commented. "Let's see how strong and heroic he really is."
Cardin helped Jaune up and pushed an entire jar of red sap into Jaune's chest. "...And you're gonna do it," Cardin ordered. "You either throw that at him, or I'll have a chat with Professor Ozpin, and you'll be on the first airship out of Beacon," Cardin threatened.
Jaune stared at the jar in his hands for a few seconds. So that was Cardin's plan all along. Jaune then looked back at Cardin with vengeful yet determined eyes.
"No," Jaune sternly said.
"What did you say?" Cardin asked, unable to believe that Jaune would rebel against him.
"I said...NO!" Jaune turned around and threw the red sap jar at Cardin, staining his armour in red.
Cardin just laughed in a sinister tone and glared at Jaune. "You've done it now," Cardin frowned.
"Yes, I have," Jaune then kicked the box of rapier waps towards Cardin.
Once released, the rapier wasps surrounded Cardin in a flurry of offence, trying to get to the sap on his armour as he shouted in annoyance and pain from the rapier wasp stings. The rest of Team CRDL grabbed Jaune and started beating him up. Jaune tried to fight back but was outnumbered and out-skilled by them. Once Cardin got rid of the rapier wasp and the red sap, he shoved his way through his teammates and threw a right punch across Jaune's face. Jaune lay on the floor with bruises all over his face, too weak to stand up.
Cardin then grabbed Jaune by the collar, lifted him, and stared him in the eye. "You're going to regret that Jauney boy. After I'm through with you, I'm going to tell Professor Ozpin about your fake transcripts, and you'll be done."
"Do it then," Jaune said weakly.
"What?" Cardin was stunned by Jaune's reply.
"You tell anyone about my fake transcripts, and I'll tell them about yours," Jaune threaten.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Cardin asked angrily.
"I had a friend sneak in the same fake transcript I used into your files last night," Jaune explained as he smirked. "I don't care what you do to me. But if you ever hurt my friends, I will drag you down with me."
Cardin then slammed Jaune into a nearby tree, lifting him by his collar. "You're bluffing!"
"Wanna bet?" Jaune smirked.
"You bastard!" In a fit of rage, Cardin threw a punch at Jaune.
Jaune closed his in anticipation. When the punch connected, a bright white light exploded from Jaune and knocked Cardin backwards. Jaune sat on the ground in confusion. He saw his hands glow for a second, and his injuries were completely healed.
The rest of Team CRDL helped Cardin up on his feet. Cardin growled, filled with anger and the desire to beat Jaune. However, a bigger growl had overtaken Cardin's. Team CRDL dropped their brave attitude, and fear overtook them. Everyone turned toward the growl and saw a huge Ursa Grimm erupt from the bushes. But it was not like any other Ursa. This one had spikes on its back and was at least twice the size of a regular Ursa. It was an Ursa Major and had set its sights on Jaune and Team CRDL.
Team RWBY, Azure, and the rest of Team JNPR had finished collecting their tree sap and were hanging out. Blake was sitting against a tree by herself, reading a book. Pyrrha, Weiss and Yang were chatting about hair products. Ruby carried and kept all the tree sap their team had collected away from a hungry Nora. Ren and Azure held Nora's arm, trying their hardest but failing to hold Nora back.
"I want more tree saps!" Nora said in a hungry and addicted voice
"Nora, please. Any more, and we won't have enough tree saps." Ren said.
"How is she this strong?!" Azure exclaimed.
A loud growl from a distance caught everyone's attention.
"What was that, a Grimm?" Yang asked.
"I don't know, but let's not take any chances," Ruby ordered. "Blake, Weiss, get Professor Glynda. The rest of us will check it out."
Team CRDL attacked the Ursa Major, but the armour around its body was too thick for their attacks to do any effective damage. The Ursa Major made quick work of Team CRDL, knocking them down one at a time. The Ursa Major sent Cardin flying across the floor with another swing from its claws, breaking his aura. The Ursa Major charged at Cardin, going for the final kill.
Cardin closed his eyes, awaiting the inevitable, only for the attack to never come. Cardin opened his eyes, shocked to see Jaune blocking the attack with his shield. Even after everything, Jaune still protected Cardin. However, the Ursa Major was much stronger than Jaune, and soon Jaune started to kneel over from the sheer strength and weight of the Ursa Major.
A red and blue blur came out of the bushes and knocked The Ursa Major backwards. Jaune looked up to see Ruby and Azure had come to assist him. Ruby and Azure took their battle stances, not breaking eye contact with the Ursa Major.
"Jaune!" Pyrrha shouted as she ran next to Jaune. "Are you alright?" Ren, Nora and Yang were right behind Pyrrha.
"I'm fine, but Team CRDL are down," Jaune said. In an instant, Jaune formulated a plan and ordered everyone. "Ruby, Azure. Use your speed to keep the Ursa Major busy. Nora, Yang. Get Team CRDL near Ren and stay with them. Ren, use your semblance to mask them. Pyrrha, you're with me."
Everyone nodded without question. Ruby and Azure started using their semblance to run around the Ursa Major and attack it from all sides. Although their attacks did minimal damage, it was still enough to make it flinch. Thanks to Ruby and Azure, Yang and Nora got Team CRDL near Ren, who then placed his hands on the ground and closed his eyes to concentrate. Soon, Team CRDL, Nora, Yang and Ren himself had their colour greyed out.
"What is going on?" Yang asked as she looked at her arms in confusion. Nora then put a finger to Yang's lips, telling her to lower her voice.
"It's Ren's semblance. He can mask his and others' emotions, making us undetectable by Grimm. But he has limits, so we have to stay calm so he has lesser and weaker emotions to mask." Nora explained softly. Yang nodded, understanding Nora's explanation. They then looked at the rest who was engaging the Ursa Major.
Being the slower of the two, the Ursa Major managed to land a back claw on Azure and knock him onto his back. The Ursa Major raised its claw and tried to go for the kill. Ruby sped past the Ursa Major, grabbed Azure, and carried him bridal style, avoiding the claw and causing the Ursa Major to miss and jab into the ground, mirroring how Azure had saved Ruby from the Deathstalker during the initiation. Using this moment, Jaune and Pyrrha charged at the Ursa Major with their shield and knocked the Ursa Major off its feet.
"You okay?" Ruby asked Azure with a smirk, recognising how the tables had turned between them.
"I'm fine. Thank you. Wow, you are surprisingly strong." Azure remarked, amazed that Ruby was strong enough to carry him.
"Well, you need quite a bit of upper muscle strength to wield Crescent Rose," Ruby explained, setting Azure down on his feet.
On all four feet, the Ursa Major started to rush at Jaune and Pyrrha.
"Pyhrra! Aim for the eyes!" Jaune shouted as he simultaneously charged at the Ursa Major for one final bout. Pyrrha then changed Miló into its javelin form and fired it into the Ursa Major's eyes. The Ursa Major growled in pain and started swinging its claw unpredictably.
Jaune took the opportunity and raised his sword to go in for the kill. However, Pyrrha noticed that Jaune had left himself open and was about to be hit by the Ursa Major's claw. She then uses her semblance to adjust Jaune's shield quickly, blocking the Ursa Major's strike. Upon blocking the attack, Jaune gained solid footing for his attack and swiftly decapitated the Ursa Major.
As the Ursa Major's body faded, Jaune instantly sat on the floor, exhausted from the battle. Azure and Pyrrha rushed next to Jaune while Ruby assisted with Team CRDL's injuries.
"Are you alright, Jaune?" Pyrrha asked.
"I'm fine, just a little drained. Thanks for the assist Pyrrha," Jaune coughed. "Yup, I'm definitely allergic to this stuff."
"I've got to say, Jaune. That was pretty badass." Azure praised as he offered Jaune his hand.
"It's just an Ursa Major's head, and I had help from Pyrrha. Ruby was way cooler when she did the same with the Nevermore," Jaune grabbed Azure's hand.
"I meant how you thought of a plan in an instance," Azure pulled Jaune up.
"I guess you would figure it out," Jaune said while scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.
"What do you mean?" Pyrrha asked.
"Aiming for the eye? That's how I typically deal with Grimms." Azure said.
Pyrrha then thought back to the times Azure had faced against Grimm. During the initiation, Azure had shot an Aura blast into the Deathstalker's eye, and when he fought the Boarbotusk, he had also stabbed it in its eye. Pyrrha's eyes widen in realisation, never noticing it before.
"How have I never noticed it before," Pyrrha asked herself out loud.
"Probably because Azure is only that ruthless with Grimm and not anyone else," Jaune explained.
"And I'm guessing you were keeping Nora and Yang out of the fight because if our fight attracted more Grimms, our heaviest hitters would be fresh and ready. Now that's planning ahead." Azure praised Jaune. Jaune smiled in embarrassment, unsure how to react to so much praise.
They then heard Team CRDL groaning in pain. Azure then leaned in and whispered to Jaune. "So, did the plan work?"
"Better than I thought," Jaune said. "Pyrrha, can I talk to you and our teammates later tonight? In Azure's room?"
"Umm, sure?" Pyrrha answered though she was curious as to what Jaune was thinking.
It was night, and Team CRDL were sent to the school's infirmary to be treated for their injuries. Azure and the rest of JNPR were waiting in Azure's room for Jaune to show up. Azure was lying on his bed, Nora was playfully jumping on Azure's extra bed, and the rest were sitting around the table.
"What do you think Jaune wants to see us for?" Nora asked as she finally settled down.
"Maybe he wants to tell us why he has been spending time with Team CRDL lately." Ren guessed.
Speak of the devil, Jaune opened the door and entered. Azure sat up, and everyone had their eyes on Jaune. "Thank you for coming. I wanted to talk at the rooftop, but someone might overhear us again."
"Is there something wrong, Jaune?" Pyrrha asked.
Jaune took a deep breath, knowing the inevitable. "I think it's best if I start from the beginning." There was no going back now. It was something he had to do as a leader and as a friend.
"I cheated my way into Beacon," Jaune said flatly.
There was a moment of silence in the room. Ren and Nora were too stunned to speak. Pyrrha and Azure were unfazed by the statement. Knowing they would take time, Jaune decided to continue. "I found some fake transcripts, and I got in. I told Pyrrha about it, and Cardin overheard us. So for the past week, he had been blackmailing me. Either do what he tells me to do, or he would tell Professor Ozpin."
The room was still silent. All eyes were fixed on Ren and Nora, waiting for their response. Ren seemed calm as per usual, but Nora seemed ... excited?
"HOLY SHIT, JAUNE!" Nora rushed towards Jaune and gave him a tight hug. "I thought Azure was the rebel, but you! You are AMAZING!"
"That was not what I had expected," Azure remarked.
"If Jaune, without training, is this good, just imagine if he did. WE'RE GOING TO BE THE BEST TEAM IN THE WORLD!" Nora exclaimed as her hug became tighter and tighter.
Jaune was gasping for air at this point, "Can't... breathe..."
"That's enough, Nora. Jaune must be alive if you want us to be the best team." Ren said calmly as he pulled Nora away. Ren then took a deep breath and asked Jaune. "So what did you do about Cardin?"
"I bluffed him," Jaune replied.
"What do you mean?" Pyrrha asked.
"I told him a friend had snuck the same fake transcripts I had into his profile. So if he tells anyone about my transcripts, I'll tell them about his. But in reality, it was never even touched." Jaune explained.
"How did you know if Cardin would fall for it?" Ren asked.
"Azure and I did some research last night. The Winchester name carries a lot of political sway in Vale. Considering Cardin's behaviour, he might not be in the most stable position with his family. Something big, like using fake transcripts to get into Beacon, would put him in an even worse position. He might even get cut off from his family," Jaune explained.
"Would they really do that to their own son?" Ren asked.
"You'd be surprised how often it happens," Azure commented.
"Yeah, no kidding," Nora added.
Everyone stared at Azure and Nora. The two, however, were only confused by the number of stares they were having.
"What?" Azure and Nora said in unison.
"So yeah, that's about it. Is there anything you would like to ask or say?" Jaune asked everyone.
"Why did you do it?" Ren asked who, at this point, was scary calm.
Jaune then took a deep breath in and explained. "My father, my grandfather and his father were all warriors and heroes, and I wanted to be one, too. I thought Beacon would teach me how to fight. Instead, I realise that what I did put me and all of you in danger."
"Why not just go to regular combat schools like some of us did?" Ren asked.
"I would, but my family wouldn't let me," Jaune said in a monotone voice.
"What do you mean?" Azure asked.
"I mean that other than my oldest sister, Sapphire, no one in my family believed I could make it. No one believed that I could become a huntsman. My father wouldn't train me and refused to send me to Combat School," Jaune explained, suddenly exhausted. "No matter how much I wanted to be a Huntsman, he refused to. Yet, I wanted to become a Huntsman. It was my dream. I wanted to be the hero, not the person being saved. I want to help people!"
After hearing Jaune's explanation, Ren sighed. "You got lucky pairing up with Pyrrha. Someone could've gotten hurt because of you."
"Yeah... I know," Jaune replied flatly.
"You guys are my friends, and I care about all of you. If you feel that its the best to tell Professor Ozpin about my fake transcripts, I won't stop you. I don't deserve it, but are you all willing to help me to become a better fighter?" Jaune asked everyone in the room.
"Of course, I'll help you!" Nora answered first.
"I told you I got your back," Azure said.
Ren was silent momentarily, but he answered firmly, "While I think cheating your way into Beacon was a mistake, you were at least willing to admit it to us. You were even trying to protect Team CRDL. You could've let them die with your secret, and no one would question it. The world could use a Huntsman like you. So yes, I'll help you."
Everyone was now waiting for Pyrrha to answer. She took a deep breath and smiled. "I was the first one to suggest training together. So, of course, I'll help you."
In that instance, Jaune started to tear up. He was touched by their words and their belief in him. "Thank you, everyone." Everyone embraced each other in a group hug. It was only after when they pulled away that Nora perked up.
"I call dibs on physical strength!" Nora raised her hand.
"I call aura!" Azure raised his.
Pyrrha giggled, "I guess I'll handle swordplay then."
"Guess that leaves me with hand-to-hand combat," Ren commented.
"Get ready, Jaune, because we're going to grind at you super hard!" Nora exclaimed comically.
Jaune could only sweat dropped from what his team had planned for him.
Ren was on the rooftop, embracing the natural air of Vale. He then took out a dagger from his pocket and gazed upon it. The dagger was small and curved, with a dark green handle and a red grip. The blade was similar to that of his weapon Stormflower.
"Thinking about your dad?" Nora asked from behind as she approached Ren.
"It's just that seeing Jaune's desire to help people reminds me of him. It's why he built Kuroyuri in the first place, to create a safe haven for everyone, to help people," Ren explained.
"Is that why you were willing to help Jaune?" Nora asked.
"Had my father had the training, he probably would be alive today," Ren said with a hint of wishfulness as he turned to face Nora. "But if Jaune had partnered up with you and you got hurt. I wouldn't be so forgiving."
Nora then hugged Ren. "I know, and that's why I'll always have your back."
Ren then returned the hug. "And I have yours."
