The first day of school.

It was something Jaune only experienced yearly after living in a small town. It didn't change much each time; the same faces, some taller, some shorter. But for the first time since he was a kid. he was the new kid. He didn't know or recognize anyone here; only Miu knew him, and she was in the same boat. But unlike Jaune, who was feeling a bit nervous and self-cautious about joining a new school out of the blue, Miu was positively brimming looking around excitedly.

He, however, felt a little nervous. He had only briefly visited larger towns and settlements, but now so many people surrounded him it was a little surreal.

He and Miu were fortunate enough to be in the same class, so they stuck close and chatted a little, gaining a few glances from their new classmates as they arrived. He stood awkwardly in front of his new classmates; he had never been the new kid before, so he needed to figure out how to introduce himself. Thankfully it was ladies first, and Miu was more than happy to introduce herself.

"Good Morning, everyone, My name is Miu Furinji. I'm 15 years old and Looking forward to getting to know everyone." She said with a cheerful smile and bowed. The class was filled with a lot of excited murmuring.

Jaune looked at the class as they gave him some expecting looks and indifference.

"oh im Jaune Arc 15 years old, and I transferred here from the vale; it's nice to meet you all," he said, bowing a little.

Classmates, the minute he asked about clubs, they were on him and Miu like a pack of hungry Beowolves. Everyone was shouting at them to join their club.

The pushiest were the martial arts clubs, like the judo, Kempo, and karate clubs. "Uh, why are so many people trying to get me to join a club?"

A girl beside him spoke up; she had to braid ponytails and glasses.

"it's because the school gives more of a budget and resources to clubs with more members. It lets them use it for sponsored after-school trips or equipment. Or snack money, really."

"Oh, gotcha. Is it mandatory?"

"to join a club? Plenty of people who sign up for a club don't show up. They just attend on paper. So even if you don't want to join a club, the school funds the funding as long as enough people are on the membership. It's mainly how the gardening club is still active, even though the president is the only one who participates."

Jaune hummed in understanding why so many students seemed so ravenous to recruit more members when they appeared. He supposed he would be left alone once he joined at least 1 club today. Gardening sounded fun. He actually likes to work with plants and watch them grow. It was oddly therapeutic.

The day went by fast. Jaune had to take a minute to catch up with some of his classmates as they covered more of Mistral's history and were at different stages of the classes than he was used to. Still, he was doing alright for now. He was happy that his masters set aside time for Miu and him to complete their homework and studies. Still, when the final class ended for the day, he took the opportunity to visit the gardening club. Some relaxing gardening before training sounded great to him. a hobby he noticed that the Elder also had; he really seemed to love grooming his Bonsai tree. However, the young boy was unaware he was being followed by one of the school's scummiest and foulest creatures. The school reporter and slime ball Nijima.

Meanwhile at the Dojo

" Shigure come sit with me a moment." the Elder said as the resident Kunoichi swung down from the beams overhead and sat beside the Elder.

"..."

"How is Jaune doing with training?"

"he is...slow...has potential...but his improvement...is slow."

"It's because you're too advanced. When he spars with you, everything he tries fails before he even twitches, unlike sparring with Miu, who can hold herself back close to a beginner's level. Your barest efforts are far beyond his current capabilities." the Elder stroked his beard as he looked at the young master, who maintained her composure and near-constant stoic expression. She was silent momentarily; she realized that the Elder was right; even when sparring with rolled-up magazines, he was having too much trouble sparring with her. Her own training and instincts were too advanced to hold herself back for him to gain anything from it.

"should...I find him...a proper...rival?"

"Perhaps, or perhaps you must approach his training differently; as his master, you must find the path to properly train your disciple. Jaune has put his absolute faith in your skills; he trusts you to shape him and help him grow." the Elder spoke, and Shigure held her chin a moment, tilting her head as she thought.

Unlike the other masters in ryozanpaku, they had Jaune spar with Miu. But Miu didn't have any experience wielding weapons. If Jaune sparred with her, it would only ingrain mistakes. She needed an opponent to challenge Jaune.

She silently thought about how she could effectively train her first disciple. When Tochimaru walked up to her, pointing into the common dojos area, there wasn't much in the way of furniture, a small low table, some cushions to sit on, and an old box t.v that Apachai was watching. What got her attention, however, was the show the Muay Thai master was focused on. The character was training with an automaton, a robot...that might work.

"I..will need...Akisames assistance," she said as she stood up to look for the Juijitsu master. Using dummies in martial arts had always gone hand and hand with training. Even dummies could hit back if you weren't careful. What if she could make one that could spar with Jaune. Then he had an opponent that could keep up with him. She entered her room effortlessly, avoiding the many traps she had set up there. During her travels, the young swordswoman had collected a large number of weaponry. as well as unusual scrolls. It took her a moment to find it before she found one her father possessed. It detailed how to make a Battle doll and how to get it to properly spar with an opponent. The only issue was that the style needed to be put into the Doll during construction. She read through the Scroll carefully; one phrase always came up, a term she had read through a couple of these old scrolls.

Breathing Styles.

It had been a long time since Shigure read these scrolls, she wanted to preserve her father's legacy, but she never tried to learn these fighting styles, instead choosing to master her own... but maybe she could use these styles to train Jaune. she was going to need Akisames help though. Still, with this, she should be able to fulfill her duty as his master.

She and Jaune could learn and grow from these ancient techniques...Together.

Signal academy Grimm Studies

"Alright, Class, who can tell me the difference Between a Regular Beowolf and an Alpha?" Taiyang looked over his class as he wrote the question on the board. He let out a sigh as no hands went up. Pale Blue eyes scanned the room for any students not paying attention before he spotted his Daughter trying to sneak her Scroll back into her pocket.

"Yang."

"Yep?"

"Can you tell me the difference between a Beowolf and an Alpha Beowolf?"

"uh. An Alpha Beowolf will Typically be much bigger than other Beowulfs and have more bone armor around its face and upper arms," she said on the top of her head.

"Did you know that before or after you snuck your Scroll out?" He asked, and his Daughter could only wince, realizing she got caught. He merely walked forward and made a give it here motion with his hands; his eldest Daughter sighed, showing him her Scroll. "After class, 10 Laps around the school. No Music." He said his method of discipline usually revolved around physical exercise. If the kids were going to be dumb, they should at least be tough to make up for it.

"Now, a Beowolf is one of the most common Grim you will encounter in your career. You'll find them thriving in just about every continent in the world. They are pack hunters, so facing these Grimm alone will be infrequent. But Alphas are more dangerous; these are experienced Grimm, typically the pack's oldest. These guys won't need a pack and are more capable of fighting independently; they've also been known to form mixed packs with Ursa, Boarbatusk, and creeps. They are also knowledgeable and can plan and use primitive weaponry like a branch or hurling rocks or debris in a raid. they'll even take cover behind trees and walls when fired upon." He wrote everything down on the board before drawing a few examples. " Are there any questions?"

A few hands went up, and the huntsman was about to start answering them when the hateful sound of s scroll ringing echoed in the classroom. It took him a second to realize it was coming from him. he checked Yang's Scroll, but it wasn't hers. It was his. Weird no one ever called him during school hours. Only Ozpin if it was an emergency. Even more shocking was that it was an old buddy from his school day.

He shook his head before hanging up the call, only for a message to appear almost immediately.

'Its an Emergency'

Before another attempt was made, he usually didn't answer his Scroll in class. Still, he rarely got calls from him and usually didn't exaggerate either, so this had to be a real emergency. "Alright, class, ill be right back while I'm gone. Read pages 147 to 200. It will go more in-depth about Beowolfs and Alphas."

He quickly stepped outside and answered the call.

"Hello, it's been a while, man; what brings the sudden call?"

"Sorry to interrupt your class, but it's an emergency."

"What's up? Need backup for a mission?"

"Has my son contacted you?" the question paused the man. It was an odd question to come out of the blue.

"Your Son? John? Why would he contact me?" Taiyang walked a little down the hall to look out the window into Signals courtyard.

"He's a runaway, and he said he found a teacher, and I thought he might have contacted you."

Taiyang's stomach dropped; he remembered the anxiety of someone he loved suddenly disappearing. Sure, the two of them have only been able to keep up briefly over the years, but he didn't want him to go through what he did.

"He hasn't, but tell me more, and I can help," he said as he brought out a notepad; it was old school, sure, but he liked writing things down, kept everything organized, and didn't leave room for him to gloss over detail.

"How old is he? Does he have any distinct features? How long has he been missing? How was he acting before he went missing?"

"has, been gone a few weeks now, I've been calling everyone and trying to track him, but I lost his trail in Atlas. He's almost 15, fairly tall for his age, at 5'8, with messy blond hair, dark blue eyes, ashen complexion. He'll be carrying an old pre-war sword and retractable shield. And some training armor. ill send you the most recent picture we have." Taiyang could feel his scroll buzz opening the image.

"You said he found a teacher. Has he been in contact with any travelers or chatting on forums?"

"Not that we know of. We checked his scroll account. We saw a lot of research on traveling expenses and just about every content on Remnant. even menagerie."

"Hmm, that's concerning; I know there has been a scam going around lately online, people claiming to want to train young kids into becoming huntsman, only to traffic them. I can also look into a few leads and get Qrows' help. I know you don't see eye to eye, but he's the best man I know to find people that go missing or don't want to be found."

"Thank you. If you hear anything, please give me a call."

"I will, I promise. "

"There a Problem?" the raspy hungover voice of Qrow echoed in the hall as he stood next to his old teammate. He wasn't sure if it was good or bad luck that he appeared at this moment, but Taiy simply nodded.

"Yeah, remember Rick," he said, checking to ensure none of the students were eavesdropping.

"Arcsly?" The dusty professor joked, remembering the old nickname from their school days.

"Arc," Tai Yang corrected with a small smile.

"Yeah, what about him?"

"His sons missing. Asked us to keep an eye out."

That got Qrow to stand up a little straighter,

"Text me the details, and ill look into it."

"Thanks, id go out now, but."

"Yeah yeah, stay with the kiddos," Qrow said he was more of a tempt teacher. He still worked here as a combat instructor. but he went on missions so often that the sub was in charge for most of the school year. Qrow could leave for extended periods without risk due to his relationship with ozpin. Besides, they needed to act fast; they were already well beyond the 48-hour window. The chance of actually finding the kid now was slim. Near impossible for most people. But most people can't magically transform into a crow.

Jaune was enjoying the gardening club, sure there was only one other member besides himself, but Kenichi and Yuka were really nice. They showed him where everything was and were both really passionate about gardening. The gardening club was entrusted with tending to the many flower beds around the campus. Jaune was busy planting and watering one of these when he heard something. It was a sound he wasn't expecting to hear, the rustling sound of a fight. Jaune put down his watering can and walked towards the natural alley from the school's unique architecture. He saw a tall older student wiping his mouth as a freshman his age lay unconscious on the ground, defeated.

"Damn bastard, get back up!" Yelled Tsukuba before he kicked the down fighter in the stomach again. Jaunes face went hot at such a dirty move, the fight was already over, and his opponent couldn't even react to defend himself.

"That's enough the fights over." Said Jaune as he walked into the alley. Tsukuba only scoffed at Jaunes presence before looking back down at the freshmen and kicking him again.

"Tch damn, weakling wasn't worth all that time."

"Hey! Fights over! Leave him alone!" jaune shouted, the memory of Cardin wailing on him and other kids that weren't strong enough boiling to the surface.

"Mind your damn business, kid; this doesn't concern you." He said, moving forward to push Jaune, only for Jaune to not budge an inch. To Tsukuba's surprise, jaune managed to slap his hand away reasonably quickly.

"Hey, you seem like you might actually be worth my time." he hopped away from Jaune and bounced on his feet, getting ready to fight. Jaune responded in kind, taking the starting position for muay thai. The blond fighter stepped forward with surprising speed to the karate club's president and punched Tsukuba in the face with a basic muay thai jab Causing him to stumble backward from the unconscious teen. He grinned and wiped out the blood from his mouth. as if pleased despite the pain.

Jaune tensed; he wasn't sure why he did. Maybe because he was in a real fight, finally. It wasn't a spar or a schoolyard beating from Cardin. It was finally time to put his training to the test.

"Finally, someone worth my damn time!" Tsukuba yelled as he jabbed at Jaune.

'it's...slow?' Jaune thought, his arms reacting as this feeling raced through his mind. He caught his punch by the wrist and twisted his arm, rotating and sliding his body so that he faced away from Tsukuba before throwing him over his shoulder. Tsukuba hit the ground hard before he jumped back to his feet and tried to kick Jaune with a front kick. Jaune used the technique Master Ma taught him and stepped forward, letting the kick slide past his side before locking his leg with his arms and shoving his head into his stomach, causing the older teen to gasp in pain as the wind was knocked out of him.

"Aaarrrghghg!" Yelled Tsukuba, and Jaune felt something in his leg pop. Jaune let go of his leg and grabbed the next punch Tsukuba threw. He pulled on his punch, stepped forward, and delivered an elbow to his face while swiping his feet, throwing off his balance and causing his body to tilt backward. Tsukuba crashed onto the floor hard and groaned in pain before returning to his feet.

Tsukuba's attacks became slower and more clumsy as the fight went on that last fall, really rattling him. Jaune could see the openings, and he did ket up; he was in this fight now and would have to commit to ending it and defeating Tsukuba.

Jaune took a deep breath and slid his foot around past Tsukuba, and chopped at the side of his face dazzling the boy further before grabbing his arm and throwing him to the ground. He didn't let Tsukuba recover as he dropped down and punched him across the jaw knocking out the blackbelt.

Jaune took a deep breath as he finally realized how fast his heart was beating; he looked down at his hands as they shook, with Tsukuba blood splattered against the back of his hand and red knuckles. He looked down at the uns\consciouse fighter and made sure he was alright before moving him into a recovery position. He heard a soft groan behind him as the other boy woke up.

"hey, easy, let me help get you to a nurse." jaune said as he helped the young man to his feet and helped him get to the nurse's office.

Later with Kisara's troops

Kisara sat back on the couch of her hideout; she was playing a game on her Scroll as her second-in-command gave her the details of Tsukuba's recent defeat.

"So Tsukuba lost. Interesting. Do we know who defeated him?" Kisara asked with mild curiosity; sure, Tsukuba was a foot soldier in her eyes, but he wasn't easily defeated by the regular fodder of delinquents in the school.

"We do not, lady kara. He said he looked like a freshman and wasn't someone on his list; he was described as a fairly tall blond-haired boy with a slim build." her lieutenant said as she waited patiently for Kisara.

"Doesn't narrow it down by much."

"I'll look into this further."

" so a mysterious little freshman shows up and beats one of my recruiters... we can't have that can we."

"No, mam."

"Find out who he lost too. Then tell Tsukuba to get out of town."They couldn't afford weakness, mainly when they hadn't recruited any decent members in a while. If Tsukuba lost to some no-named kid three years younger than him, he wasn't worth his salt and should be tossed away.

Meanwhile at Ryozanpaku

Jaune sat before his master as he told them what had happened today. He was expecting them to be furious or disappointed. Instead, he felt a reassuring hand on his shoulder from Sakaki surprisingly.

"Good to see your training isn't going to waste, kid." the drunken master said, taking a swig from a can of beer before wrapping his arm around his shoulder.

"y-your not mad?"

"Why would we? Do you think we're training you for shit and giggle? What good is any of this if you cannot apply these techniques to real fights?"

"Jaune, you fought for a good reason and still showed compassion for your enemy. You've worn your morals and teachings well. But do not think this is the end." the Elder warned Jaune blinking in confusion.

"You see, now all those bullies smell blood, you beat that big guy, and now all the other bullies in the school will want a piece of you," Sakaki said, grinning as Jaune's face paled.

"what, why?"

"Because if the \y beat you, it means they're stronger than that guy you beat. But don't worry, there's a simple solution to all this."

"There is?"

"Just keep winning your battles till there are no more enemies to face." the Elder said, chuckling heartily at Jaune's face as the boy had no idea the sheer domino effect that was about to unfold because of today's actions.

"in all seriousness, Jaune, see this as a chance to gain more confidence and experience. But practice caution, your still learning, and many fighters in the neighborhood will defeat you if you're not careful."

"Now go join Miu in the main building for a sparring session. She'll gauge if your techniques have improved enough for the next stage of your training."

"Uh...Y-Yes, master!" jaune said, relieved that the masters weren't angry. He worried he may have disrupted his plans for a peaceful school life. But he would trust his master's training and deal with the delinquents as they came.

Jaune quickly joined Miu in the middle of the Dojo for a sparring match. Jaune blocked a roundhouse kick from Miu and tried to punch her exposed side, only for her to stop and jab at him with her left hand. Jaune leaned back and pivoted on the balls of his feet, attacking her with a roundhouse kick.

Miu dropped low to the ground and swiped Jaune's feet, knocking him down. She rolled onto his chest, grabbed his right arm, twisted it, and locked it between her legs. "Arrh arhh ok ok now I yield." He said while patting the floor. Miu released him and helped him up.

"That was a good spar, Jaune. You're getting better." She said, and Jaune rolled his shoulder in discomfort.

"Thanks for the spar, Miu." He said.

"Where do you think you lost Jaune." Asked Akisame as he worked on another statue.

"Probably when I tried to attack her with a roundhouse, I was off balance and unprepared for her sweep." He said.

"Wrong the minute you lost was when you gave up when Miu had your arm locked." He said as Jaune nodded.

"I see then I should have struggled more?" He asked.

"Struggled. No, you should have tried to break free." Said Akisame as he started to sand out the edges of his statue. "By the way, I've realized the training has gotten stale for you, so I've decided to crank it up a notch." Said Akisame and Jaune gulped.

A few minutes later

"ARE YOU TRYING TO COOK ME OR TRAIN ME!" Yelled Jaune as he did curl-ups upside over a low fire that Akisame was flaming.

"I call this the roast squid dance experience." He said, and Jaune could only groan and struggle. He didn't move fast enough as the heat threatened to burn his skin.

"I CALL THIS A SLOW DEATH." 'Fuck, if I don't go fast enough, I'll burn my stomach and back!' Thought Jaune as he struggled to keep up the pace and avoid getting burned. He was a little grateful the flame was hot enough to avoid too much smoke. But at the same time, that only meant he had to go faster.

"Keep this up for another hour, Jaune."

"YOUR GONNA BE THE DEATH OF ME, I CAN JUST TELL!" He cried and winced when he felt his abs get roasted a little.

"Human beings can experience amazing feats of strength when put into a life or death situation. By training like this, you will reach new heights of strength."

And so the young boy would flounder back and forth, his core burning until the fire finally burned away into bright hot ash and embers.

Later that night, after training

Jaune staggered down the hallway. He was beaten battered, and he smelled like soot and ash. He rested in front of the rope for a minute to prepare his burning arms to climb to his room.

"Good evening Jaune." Said the Elder causing Jaune to jump in surprise.

"Ahhh, Elder, don't sneak up on me like that." He said, clutching his heart.

"Haha, forgive me. I was just wondering how you were adjusting to the Dojo, is all." Asked the Elder while stroking his beard.

"Well, you guys push me pretty hard, but… I'm really grateful for everything you've done for me, sir. You gave me a roof over my head, food, a place to train, and even enrolled me in school. Thank you, sir." He said while bowing to the Elder.

"Think nothing of it, Jaune. I owe your grandfather more than a few favors." He said, and Jaune couldn't help but wonder how his grandfather knew the Elder.

"Sir, how do you know my grandfather?" He asked. The Elder only grinned before he motioned for Jaune to follow him. He led Jaune to his room and lifted up the floorboard. Jaune sat in front of the Elder in a seiza position.

"Your grandfather and I go fairly far back." He said while pulling out an old wooden box. "He was my disciple brother, my rival, and dear friend. Out of all my opponents, I could never defeat him, and he could never defeat me."

"Wait, you trained with my grandfather?" Asked Jaune in shock. The Elder nodded and opened the box pulling out a bundle of cloth. "Wait, you never won a fight against my grandfather!"

"Yes, he trained here like you, searching for his own path. And he never won, either. It always ended in a draw. We honestly couldn't stand each other when we started, but I saw him as a brother over time." He said, pulling out an old picture of a blond man with wild blond hair and a thick mustache with an arm draped over the shoulder of another blond man with Crocea Mors strapped to his back and armor on his chest.

"We went on many adventures, the two of us foolishly challenging masters and Grimm alike." Jaune could only listen intently to the master's tale. He had no idea his grandfather lived this kind of life. He remembered listening to his grandfather's stories, but he never brought up the Elder.

" As of this point forward, all the masters have acknowledged you as a true disciple of Ryozanpaku."

Jaune stood straight, smiled at the Elder, and pumped his arm. "Got it. I won't let you guys down!" The Elder grinned before standing up. "That's good. Keep that tenacity and determination, boy; you'll need it for what awaits you." Jaune nodded, and the Elder opened the door for him. He went back to his room with a feeling of pride and a new determination to tackle his training harder than before.

I live.

I underestimated how busy this year would keep me. I'm so sorry. Its a Melancholic feeling to realize I haven't had the most time for this. But i still love writing these stories for you all and hope you'll still enjoy this story despite the slow and rare updates.

Now to answer your question, i know will pop up. The Kenichi in the garden is what would have happened if he never met Miu and was kicked out of the karate club.

i truly apologize for the delay. But still hope you all enjoyed the story.

Until next time

~Later Days~

-Wiseotaku