As the sun continues to shine in an otherwise quiet afternoon, Pyrrha, alongside Nora and Ren, were observing Jaune, who wore a yellow and orange jumpsuit, gray protective armor around the chest, joints, and ankles, along with brown boots and gloves, as he scans for anything unusual with the jetpack that is within his hands.
While the three were invited to see the test run by their team leader some time earlier, but when they arrived, they saw the blonde with some company that are within the outdoor training area.
Around them was none other than Team CFVY, all of whom were doing their assigned tasks as they're clad in their Hunter attire, barring their weapons of course.
Coco Adel, team leader of CFVY, was monitoring through her Scroll while glancing at the blonde.
Next to her is Velvet Scarlatina, who has a nervous expression on her face despite carrying a black backpack full of medical supplies and some water bottles.
Besides them was Fox Alistair and Yatsuhashi Daichi, the former having a bored expression on his face as he folded his arms around his chest while the latter appeared quiet as he normally appears.
But what surprised them the most was that Headmaster Ozpin, alongside his assistant/combat instructor Glynda Goodwitch, are observing the young man with interest aside from some caution, the former holding a mug of coffee in his hands, still wearing their normal attire as usual, though the three briefly noticed the two adults having a band of golden rings around the same ring finger.
Though Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren, who are all waiting with anticipation, the redhead appeared uneasy over what her team leader is prepping himself for the test run.
"Are you sure he's going to be safe, Headmaster?" The redhead felt concerned over the blonde as he puts on a yellow flight helmet that was sitting on the ground next to him before opening the interiors of the jetpack through a hidden hatch.
"Yes, of course, Miss Nikos," Ozpin reassured her. "Glynda and I have made several protocols in the event something unfortunate happen to Mr. Arc."
"How much in particular?"
". . . a lot."
The Mistralian champion gave the headmaster an inquisitive look as the latter drinks from his mug without a care in the world.
I just hope things go smoothly, Pyrrha groaned internally.
"Hey Pyrrha, what's going on?" The redhead turns around and sees Ruby Rose in her regular attire (think of Volume 1 outfit but with short sleeves), her hood down to reveal her shy yet curious face.
"Jaune is going to test out his jetpack that he built by himself," The Mistralian explained before seeing the rest of Team RWBY coming up to the young reaper.
"Is he for real," Weiss Schnee (in her Volume 1 attire) groaned as she glances at the young blonde man start doing some maintenance checks on the jetpack's interior systems. "I didn't anticipate the inane blonde to be skilled with building a jetpack."
"I actually didn't expect him to build his own jetpack as well to be honest." The redhead shrugged.
"At least he's diversifying his skillset, so that a good thing," Blake Belladonna, who has on a simple black shirt with white pants, black heels, and her titular black bowtie, replied, her tone still neutral despite the development. "Anything is bound to happen in the Hunters' line of work, so learning new skills could help improve his chances of survival."
"I'll say, Blakey," Yang Xiao Long nudged her teammate, still in her Vol. 1 attire, before folding her arms, all the while giving a smirk on her face, much the to the other woman's chagrin. "Let's hope Vomit Boy can fly without puking himself."
"Even though he accidently did that to you when we first came to Beacon?" The black-motif woman reminded the yellow-motif woman, her tone still neutral.
"Hey, that was that one time, okay." The lilac-eyed young woman groaned, much to the amber-eyed young woman's amusement.
"Besides, I hope Fearless Leader can pull this off, girls . . . and Ren," Nora chirped, though said guy rolled his eyes.
"Still surprised Arc Boy is trying to make for himself, if not already," a familiar yet annoying voice echoed behind them, the moment of silence coming to an abrupt halt. "Especially over something like that."
Said voice is revealed to be nothing more than Cardin Winchester, who is wearing an orange-red shirt, tan pants, and brown shoes, his expression full of amusement as he walked boastfully.
"And still surprised you have an attitude problem, Cardin," Ren stated, much to the redheaded guy's irritation.
"You really know how to get on my nerves, don't you, Lie?" the buff-looking guy grumbled, dropping on his formerly boastful appearance.
"At least Ren has a point, Cardin," Russell Thrush stated bitterly, the mohawk light grey-blonde guy having on a simple green shirt, dark green pants, and dark green boots. "Especially since we're at least trying not be harsh on them . . . especially with Professor Goodwitch around us."
"Besides, Jaune wanted to improve himself for his team." Dove Bronzewing added as he appeared with Sky Lark, the former wearing a bronze colored long sleeved dress shirt under a brown sweater vest, tan pants, and neat black shoes. "Nothing wrong with that."
"I want to see Jaune fly," Sky Lark chirped, and had on a collared blue shirt with blue pants and black shoes.
"And not get hurt in the process, Sky." Coco added as she glanced towards the newcomers. "Because none of us are interested in seeing the test run go very badly, so Fox, Velvet, Yatsu, and I decide to make sure things go smoothly."
"And why Velvet is carrying a medical backpack with water bottles?" Pyrrha asked, wondering how the conversation started shifting all the sudden.
"Just for safety purposes . . . alongside making sure he gets ample amounts of hydration," the rabbit Fanus replied nervously, hugging the backpack close to her. "Especially since anything can go wrong."
"Okay," the redhead nodded nervously, the rest deciding to talk about other topics unrelated to the test run.
As everyone in the group started chatting about various things, Jaune was finishing checking on his jetpack before closing the hatch and locking it tight.
Besides that, the blonde starts to put on the jetpack on his back and connecting the straps together to tighten the fit properly.
"Alright Coco, I'm ready." The blonde stated with a thumbs up.
"Good to hear," the chocolate-themed young woman nodded. "Helmet camera on?"
"Check."
"Jetpack fuel?"
"Check."
"Retractable wings?"
"Check."
"Thrusters?"
"Check!"
"Got your Scrolls out?" Yang smirked as she pulls out her Scroll. "Because I'm so going to record it."
"Can't leave me out of the fun, Xiao Long," Cardin grinned as he pulls out his. "Because this is going to be good."
"What exactly?" Blake wondered.
"Just to see if Jaune can actually fly with his jetpack, Belladonna," the redheaded guy answered. "Alongside seeing some of his fails."
Just great, the hidden cat Fanus rolled her eyes.
"Alright then!" Coco shouted, bringing everyone's attention. "Jetpack wings on."
Without warning, as Jaune hits a hidden button within the jetpack, large airplane-like wings start emerging out of the jetpack.
"Check."
"Thrusters ready?"
Another hidden button was active as the thrusters behind the jetpack came to life.
"Check."
"Perfect," Coco nodded. "Jetpack testing number one in three . . . two . . . one!"
The jetpack roars to life, Jaune now begins to rise above ground . . .
. . . and then all the sudden, he started to flip on the ground without warning.
"Oh," Most of the teams could feel the hit.
"I'm okay," Jaune groaned. So glad for protective armor and helmet.
"Next," Cardin chuckled.
"Alright, is everything ready?" Coco asked.
"Of course," Jaune nodded, standing tall after the recent mishaps.
"Right," the young woman nodded. "Jetpack testing number five in three . . . two . . . one!"
Jaune, using his jetpack, starts to rise from the ground . . .
. . . before moving side to side uncontrollably, panicking like a crazed maniac begging for help before Glynda used her semblance from her riding crop to safely put him to the ground before walking towards him by foot, not deactivating her Semblance until she's close enough to turn off the button for the jet thrusters as they thankfully died down.
After that, the young blonde man slumped to the ground in relief. "Thank you, Professor."
"You're welcome.
"Let's try this again," Coco massaged her forehead briefly. "Jetpack testing number eight in three . . . two . . . one!"
Jaune rises a few feet off the ground . . .
. . . before the jetpack thrusters suddenly stopped working, causing him to fall to the ground, face first.
"Ow," The blonde groaned.
"This is getting good," Yang smiled, doing whatever she can to not laugh nonstop by the series of epic fails.
The others, however, can't help but feel bad for him, even if Jaune continues to test out the jetpack.
"Now then," Coco braced herself for any potential mishaps. "Jetpack testing number seventeen in three . . . two . . . one!"
Without warning Jaune rises off the ground, feeling pretty shaken to be off the air after sixteen tests before, but he careful moves around in the air with his jetpack with caution.
Though he can see his classmates and professors from the ground, the young blonde male carefully zips around briefly before deciding to land on the ground very slowly.
Once he returns to the ground, Jaune turns off his jetpack thrusters.
"That looked like a clear start." Coco stated, surprised that the test run had gone smoothly so far.
"It still needs some modifications . . . again," Jaune replied.
"Okay . . . here we go," Coco stated. "Jetpack testing number twenty-three in three . . . two . . . one!"
Jaune didn't have to be told twice as he activates the jetpack once again, slowly rising above ground cautiously as the ground slowly shrinks above him.
Once he goes high enough, Jaune begins to dive down briefly before soaring through the skies once again.
Now flying in the skies, Jaune begins to move around in the sky through several moves and turnings, before deciding to fly around the Academy itself.
"Wow," Ruby stared in awe as the leader of Team JNPR continues to move around in the sky, feeling impressed by this growing feat. "Jaune is really getting the hang of flying with his jetpack, Coco."
"Yeah, I know," The third-year woman smirked as she's looking through her Scroll, the camera mounted on Jaune's helmet seeing everything across the sky.
"You're recording this, right?" Russell asked, glancing at the leader of Team CRDL.
"What else," Cardin smirked as Jaune make a barrel role in the sky. "Arc boy is really improving himself, guys."
To everyone else, they continue to stare in wonder as the leader of Team JNPR continues to breeze through the sky without any problems whatsoever.
"This is amazing, isn't it?" Pyrrha gasped, her emerald eyes open with surprise.
"Practice does make perfect, Pyrrha," Ren stated, though he couldn't help but smile at his leader's test run. "Especially when treating any mistakes as something to learn from."
"I so hope I can get a jetpack," Nora went starry-eyed as the blonde continues to move around the sky. "Then I can really fly like a birdie."
"Aside from doing your pranks," The guy in the green motif rolled his eyes.
"Oh, c'mon, nothing wrong with that," the girl in the pink motif groaned.
Jaune then starts moving away from the Academy and high above the Emerald Forest, seeing countless trees going beneath him as he felt undeterred by their presence until he zips into the forest, doing his best to stay above ground-level.
Though he initially recalled being nervous about being catapult straight to the Emerald Forest during the Initiation despite being rescued by Pyrrha and forming Team JNPR, the blonde now felt he can at least pull his own weight, especially when he knows that he must be responsible for his team's well-being, and the friends they make in the process.
Once Jaune felt satisfied with the flight, Jaune moves himself out of the forest before deciding to turn back towards Beacon Academy, particularly the landing spot around the outdoor training area.
Back to the group around Beacon Academy began the see the young blonde man reaching back to the landing spot, they managed to see what was going on via Coco's Scroll on Jaune flying across the Emerald Forest before heading back to Beacon Academy, and closer than ever.
"Is Jaune going to further test the jetpack, Headmaster?" Blake looks towards Ozpin.
"Very likely, as he still needs to make sure the jetpack is fully operational before building the final product," Ozpin nodded, but couldn't hide his excitement. "Especially once he uses it for various missions."
"I see," the hidden Cat Fanus couldn't help but smirk over the blonde utilizing the jetpack for various tasks once it's fully finished.
"Here he comes," Yang stated as Jaune reaches back to the outdoor combat area before he flies up to the sky . . .
. . . before deliberately turning off the jet thrusters, causing him to start rolling downward towards the earth itself.
"Has the inane blonde gone crazy!?" Weiss shouted, not believing that Jaune could do something like this.
However, while falling from the sky, the jetpack user waited just a few moments until he got out from this position before turning his jetpack on again, causing him to soar up once again, further impressing the group watching him.
"I thought Jaune is going to hurt himself," Velvet sighed in relief.
"He's definitely not going to do that, Vel," Coco replied.
"Though I would recommend not doing that again," Fox stated bluntly while rolling his eyes. "Especially for safety purposes."
"Can you zip it, please?" the chocolate-motif woman groaned.
"Sorry, I have a free right," the rust-motif guy snarked, much to his leader's chagrin.
Before long, Jaune reaches a few feet above the combat training area before he turned off his jetpack and landed in a superhero-like landing.
But that didn't last long as Jaune goes up to his feet, pulls out his helmet, revealing his smiling face, before moving a thumbs up towards the crowd in front of him.
"And that's how it's done." Jaune stated firmly.
Ruby, Yang, Nora, Sky, and Velvet cheered in excitement, Weiss, Blake, Ren, Russell, Dove, Coco, and Yatsuhashi nodded in approval, and even Yang and Cardin gave him a thumbs up.
Ozpin and Glynda however gave him a proud look on their faces as they nod as well.
"That was amazing, Jaune," Pyrrha said, her smile forming on her face. "I never thought you can succeed like this with your jetpack."
"Well, it's always good to learn from your mistakes," Jaune replied, not making a big deal of what he just did. "Alongside doing lots of modifications in between test runs."
"That too, of course."
"We need a celebration!" Nora shouted.
"Why?" Jaune asked.
"Cuz I'm hungry."
Before the blonde could argue, he felt he needed something to eat after doing several tests nonstop for the past few hours.
"Yeah, good point," the young blonde leader of JNPR nodded turning around towards the rest of the group. "So, any ideas in mind, because Nora wants to celebrate, and I guess anyone else might be hungry right now."
"There is a restaurant that we can all go to," Ozpin suggested, surprising everyone, barring Glynda of course. "Though it might be awkward to say the least, it's something I did invite Glynda to whenever we have some free time. Plus, it's something I'm willing to offer as well."
"Is anyone coming?" Jaune asked, surprised yet grateful the headmaster is willing to offer something like this.
Several replies pretty much confirmed what he expected.
"Are you sure you're comfortable over this?" The young blonde man began to look at his combat professor, feeling worried about she felt about this.
Instead . . .
"As long as everyone behaves, then yes, I won't mind." Glynda replied, understanding what Ozpin was inviting the students, especially since they're training to become actual Hunters.
"Oh . . . I'm glad to hear that," Jaune sighed in relief. "Though after I get changed into my regular attire, store my jetpack in a safe place, and take a shower, then we can go out."
Somehow, everyone around him couldn't agree more than ever, especially after having to see him test out the jetpack for the past few hours.