Kinda short, but it gives a good transition. Please go vote on my poll if you have not already.
During the Faunus Rights Revolution- more popularly known as the Faunus War- mankind was quite, quite adamant about centralizing Faunus population in Menagerie. Now! While this must feel like ancient history to many of you, it is imperative to remember that these are relatively recent events. Why the reproductions of the uprising can still be seen to this day." Professor- sorry, Doctor Oobleck lectured his class as he zipped around the room before taking a long sip of his coffee.
That cannot be healthy. Natsu thought to himself from his seat next to Jaune, the blond passed out in his own chair. Not that Natsu could blame the guy, he had driven Jaune into the ground over the past few days since the incident in the lunchroom so it was understandable that the blond was tired. There really isn't much more I can teach him considering his fighting style, Natsu thought. Maybe I can convince Pyrrha to take over his training, she knows how to use a sword and shield combination. While Natsu had been able to teach Jaune enough that he wouldn't fall over his own two feet and could now properly swing his sword, Natsu only ever learned to use a sword, never a shield and certainly not both at the same time so there really wasn't much he could teach Jaune in the way of swordsmanship unless he gave up his shield, which the knight was unwavering in his refusal to do so.
"Now!" The green haired Doctor continued, "Have any among you been subjected or discriminated because of your Faunus heritage?" He questioned the assembled students.
Behind him Natsu heard the rustle of someone raising their hand in confirmation, and after several seconds saw the bunny Faunus that he had helped in the cafeteria several days ago raise her hand as well.
"Dreadful, simply dreadful. Remember students it is precisely this kind of ignorance that breaths violence." Their teacher told them, once more drinking from his cup of coffee. "I mean, I mean, I mean, just look at what happened to the White Fang! Now which one of you young scholars can tell me what many theorists believe to be the turning point in the third year of the war?" Oobleck asked his class.
Weiss immediately raised her hand to answer. "Yes?" Oobleck called to her.
"The battle of Fort Castle." Weiss said with just a smidge of smugness. That's a stupid name for a fort… err, castle.
"Precisely!" Oobleck confirmed. "And who can tell me the advantage the Faunus had over General Lagoon's forces?" Oobleck asked as a follow up while Cardin flicked a paper football at the back of Jaune's head, which Natsu promptly caught and burned without turning his head away from the teacher.
"Hey!" Cardin protested the interruption of his fun. Too bad for him Doctor Oobleck heard him and zipped right over to the teen.
"Mister Winchester! Finally contributing to class, this is excellent, excellent!" Oobleck cheered while raising his cup slightly in joy. "What is the answer?" Oobleck probed his orange haired student.
Startled by the sudden spotlight he was placed in, Cardin took a moment to gather his wits before replying, "Well, I know it's a lot easier to train an animal than a solider." Cardin said in a blatant showing of his racism. Oobleck did not look amused.
I cannot wait for the day a Faunus kicks his sorry ass, or better yet saves it. Natsu thought to himself while glaring at the taller teen, it seemed the detentions he had spent with Professor Goodwith cleaning bloodstains off the practice arenas' floors hadn't done anything to make the jerk less of a jackass.
"You're not the most open minded of individuals, are you Cardin?" Pryyha asked her fellow student condescendingly.
"What you got a problem?" Cardin challenged in an attempt to look tough, the fact that he was trying to intimidate one of the deadliest people in the school, student or staff, seemed to be lost on him. (AN: I would put Pyrrha just below Oobleck and Port, who are below Goodwitch and her, Ozpin. So in cannon I think Pyrrha was the 4th deadliest Beacon resident… maybe a bit lower, but definitely top 10.)
"No, I have the answer." Pyrrha told him before turning back to the front to answer Oobleck's question. "It's night vision." She stated, "Many Faunus are known to have nearly perfect sight in the dark." She continued before Blake picked up, ignoring Cardin's growl of irritation.
"General Lagoon was inexperienced and made the mistake of trying to ambush the Faunus in their sleep." Blake explained, "His massive army was outmatched and the General was captured." She said to the improvement of her teacher who nodded his head as she told her fellow students the reasons behind the General's defeat.
Turning her head to face Cardin, the secret Cat Faunus couldn't help but throw a jab in at the racist team leader with the opportunity presented to her, "Perhaps if he had payed attention in class he wouldn't have been remembered as such a failure." She finished in mocking tone directed at the male.
Angered at the comment, Cardin stood up with another growl, this one significantly louder than the one that came before it, and fist clenched moved to take a step in the two girl's direction, only to be cut off by Oobleck's exasperated voice. "Mister Winchester, please take your seat." The glasses wearing man told his charge before turning to face Jaune and his not so quite giggles at the other teen's expense, "I wouldn't laugh if I were you Mr. Arc, while you are not failing my class you certainty aren't my best student either." Jaune wisely stopped laughing and kept silent. "Mr. Winchester, please see me after class for additional readings." Oobleck told the bulky team leader. "Now! Moving on!"
Mavis this class is annoying…
Twenty minutes later Natsu walked beside Jaune and his team as they left the hyped up doctor's classroom, "Thanks again Natsu for all the help you've been giving me, you too Pyrrha." Jaune told his two friends. A few days into the school year the two of them learned that while Jaune was gifted in a good deal of his classes, he was lacking in the combat and history departments and since he was already helping Jaune with the former Natsu had decided to help tutor Jaune in history as well with the added help of Pyrrha who knew more about history than anyone else in their group of nine, except Blake.
"It's no problem Jaune." Pyrrha assured her leader, "We're glad to help in any way we can."
"I am so glad you said it like that Pyrrha." Natsu told his friend as he draped an arm over the redhead's shoulders, "You see as you know I've been giving Jaune some help in his combat abilities. Thing is there really isn't much left I can teach him, my skills are centered around unarmed combat not swordsmanship. So I was wondering if I could pass my burden unto you and have you teach Jaune how to use his sword and shield properly." He said.
"S-sure." Pyrrha replied, "Where and when do you guys usually train?"
Grinning Natsu grabbed her arm, "I'll show you, come on Jaune!" he called to the blond as he dragged the girl along.
"Hey Ren?" Nora asked her childhood friend and cough*secret*cough crush.
"Yes Nora?"
"Are they… together-together?"
"… I don't know."
The trio quickly made it to the roofs of Beacon that Natsu and Jaune had been using since the training grounds had been overrun by the upper years, "This is where we do most of our training." Natsu began to explain, "You can't do anything major up here but it's a good place to practice forms and do some light sparing."
While her friend talked Pyrrha looked around the area that she had been dragged to. It was part of Beacon's rooftops and was surrounded on three sides by higher parts of the buildings so there was little chance of being seen or of high winds inconveniencing them. The area itself was made of stone and was shaped like a rectangle roughly the size of the floor space of the dorms housed inside the school, maybe a little bigger.
All in all Pyrrha had to agree with Natsu's conclusion, it was good for basic training but nothing serious or destructive.
"So," Natsu inquired, "What do you think?"
"I think that this is a great place to practice swordsmanship but we'll have to find someplace else once Jaune discovers his Semblance." Pyrrha told them.
"Great!" Natsu said cheerfully, "How about we start next week? We got that field trip to Forever Fall in a few days that we got to get ready for and I should be able to finish up with the basics I'm drilling him in by then." He proposed.
"Sounds good to me. What about you Jaune? Any objections?" The Spartan asked the Knight. (Just so people know, Pyrrha is based on Achilles who was not a Spartan but people call Pyrrha one so I'm just rolling with it.)
"No, I'm good with that." The blond said nervously. If the torture that Natsu called training was just the basics, what would more advanced stuff be like?
Meanwhile Cardin was just meeting up with his team after being lectured by Oobleck about his poor grades in his class. "Stupid piece of shit." The buff teen grumbled, "This is all Xiao Long's fault."
"So? What are you gonna do about it?" Russel asked his leader, "The guy's at the top of our year in combat so it's not like we could just jump him."
Grabbing the shorter boy by the collar of his shirt Cardin pulled his teammate off the ground, "What you think that pink haired asshole is stronger than me? I could kick his ass with my eyes closed if given the chance!" He said angrily.
Sky was quick in trying to appease the angry teen, "Calm down man, he just meant that it would take too long to beat him, not that you couldn't. We don't want Goodwitch to find out after all." He lied, he knew there was no way Cardin could beat Natsu just like Sky himself couldn't beat Cardin. "We'll just have to find some other way to pay the guy back."
Luckily for Russel Sky's words were able to calm Cardin down enough to let go of his collar. Russel's sense of relief quickly left him however when he saw the crazed look in his leader's eyes.
"You know what Sky? You're right. I've got a much better idea to nock that bastard down a peg or two. Where did you say that Rapier Wasp nest you saw was Dove?" He questioned his last teammate.
"Er, the east wing, just off the training fields. Why?"
Cardin's grin grew wider, "Simple, we're gonna give the forest a surprise bug infestation."
Right, like I said it's kind of short, but it gives a good set up for the Forever Fall episodes starting next chapter, so that's good.
If you are one of the MANY people who have yet to vote on the poll currently up on my profile please do so. Currently RWBY is in the lead with 18 votes followed by Crossover and Fairy Tail with 15 each. I'll be honest I didn't think these three would be the ones getting all the votes but seeing as most of the people who would bother to vote are doing so because of a RWBY FT crossover I really shouldn't be surprised. But you guys do know I can do other things right?
Moving on, this was the second out of 3 chapters that will be posted this week for this story so you can expect another around Friday that will be a good bit longer than this one.
Until then,
READ AND REVIEW (Reviews longer than 4 words are appreciated)
Wingd Knight out.