MereC55: Artoria Caster huh? Not a bad idea. I might actually use her, should the situation at hand permit it.
Batman1998: An unwanted harem isn't inevitable. Especially since Jaune seems to have inherited the Emiya disease. And as for how many servants I use, that depends on how long the story is. If I get to the end of my version of Volume 3 and already used the standard 8, then I may very well introduce more.
Apart from an interesting dinner where Ruby tried to insist that cookies were indeed all she needed, the rest of the day and the following morning passed by without incident. Port's class was about as exciting as usual, with Jaune doing his best to ignore Weiss' glare. She really wasn't happy with him. Something about stepping on her pride. Not that he really cared. Growing up as the middle child in a family consisting entirely of females outside his father had extinguished any sense of pride he might develop. It had only been recently that he'd been able to get even an ounce of self esteem.
No, the real reason Weiss was annoying was because she kept looking down on his team. Now she was spinning a story that he had carried them through initiation and that they were just mooching off his success. Yes, she had somehow gotten things warped. She now saw him as someone on the same level as Pyrrha and it's the main reason she wanted to fight him. She wanted him to acknowledge her. Because her pride demanded that someone so powerful look her way with respect.
But fine, if that's what she wanted, he'd give it to her. But he'd teach her a thing or two about why it's a bad idea to disrespect his team along the way. One could insult him all they wanted, but the moment his team got involved, it became personal.
Atalante and Charlie - Charlemagne had insisted he call him that - were both quiet. It was clear that they understood that this was his fight. He would defeat Weiss with his own weapon. His own form. But that didn't mean he was entirely unaided. With the combat experience from both Atalante and Charlie ingrained in his psyche, he had evolved considerably as a fighter. For one, Crocea Mors now felt like an extension of himself. He wasn't just swinging it around all haphazardly anymore.
His mind was brought back to the present as Weiss addressed him from across the arena floor.
"I hope you're prepared, Jaune Arc."
His eyes narrowed and he drew Crocea Mors. "Weiss, I've had no idea what I've been doing since I started my journey. Why the hell would I start now?"
That seemed to knock her off balance. "W-What?"
He smirked and got into a combat stance, one far more solid than the one had previously used in initiation. "You act like I'm some big shot celebrity who takes everything seriously. But the truth is, Weiss? I'm still trying to discover who I am. I came to Beacon in hopes of finding the answer. And along the way, I hope to make the world a better place."
And then his casual expression dropped and he became deadly serious. "But there is one thing I know about myself for certain. I will never let anyone get away with disrespecting those I care about."
He heard Professor Goodwitch announce the start of the match and launched himself forward, swinging his sword in an oddly telegraphed manner to test his opponent's reaction.
Weiss did not disappoint. She may have been a brat, but she had definitely earned her spot in Beacon Academy as she easily avoided his blow by increasing her speed with a glyph. She shot toward him, rapier facing forward. He met her blade with his own.
It quickly became clear that Weiss had the speed advantage with her glyphs, but Jaune was on a team with two equally agile fighters. And with the combat experience guiding him, he was able to meet her head on each and every time. The clang of steel echoed throughout the arena as their blades met time and time again. Neither was able to land a hit on the other.
And then he felt cool air and cursed. Weiss had chosen to use dust and ice dust at that. He quickly jumped backward and avoided an icy slash that would have definitely done some damage. He glanced upward and saw her expression.
"Stop holding back!" she snarled at him. "You haven't used either of those transformations this entire time! Don't look down on me like that!"
He internally groaned. He should have seen something like this coming. But he wasn't going to let it rattle him. Instead he said nothing.
"Agh! I'll make you take me seriously!"
And as she closed in, he blocked her strike with his shield, causing her eyes to widen in surprise.
"That's right, Weiss. You forgot, I also use a shield."
He jumped backward and then hurled his shield at her. She sidestepped it, clearly wondering what he was planning. But he could only smirk. Ruby had convinced him to let her modify his weapon, if only just a bit. And with some inspiration from Blake, a new feature had been added.
He yanked on the tiny, but strong fiber wire that traveled from his wrist to his shield and called it back to him. Which had the added benefit of clobbering Weiss on the back of her head, taking a sizable dent out of her aura in the process. He caught his shield and grinned.
"Frankly? I'm surprised I pulled that off as flawlessly as I did."
Especially considering the fact that Charlie did not, in fact, use a shield.
Weiss rubbed the back of her head and glared at him. "Are you treating this like a game?"
He stared at her, an eyebrow raised. "Are you?"
That seemed to catch her off guard. "W-What are you talking about?"
"Because so far? I only see a rough mimicry of the fighting style utilized by Specialist Winter Schnee."
He'd done his research on the Schnees. If only because he was tired of being ignorant. And according to Blake, they were one group that he couldn't afford to be ignorant about.
He pointed his blade at the rapidly paling face of Weiss.
"You want me to respect you? You want me to take you seriously? Fight me as Weiss Schnee. Not some cheap imitation."
It was rich, coming from the guy who could literally transform into other people and mimic their fighting styles. But at the end of the day, there was always a Jaune flair to them. It always came down to him.
Weiss was different. It was cheap mimicry, plain and simple.
She was glaring at him, but it had lost a lot of its heat. And it was then that Jaune realized that Weiss' true problem was. She was projecting. There was more to her story than anyone knew. And he felt kind of bad for judging her so harshly.
"I forfeit," Weiss said suddenly, startling everyone, especially Jaune.
She turned on her heel and went to walk away before pausing. "You are right about one thing, Jaune Arc. I will not feel satisfied until I beat you as myself."
She exited the arena.
Jaune blinked as he realized something. "She didn't apologize for insulting my team."
Forget feeling sorry for her. He'd just tease her harder next time instead.
At lunch, he managed to encounter what could only describe as an actual piece of trash masquerading as a human. The guy's name was Cardin or whatever. He thought he might remember him, but he couldn't be assed to remember right now. All he knew was that the guy was bullying some Faunus girl. He could feel Atalante's rage. And even Charlie was a bit pissed. But that paled in comparison to Blake, who looked like she was about to strangle the man.
Ruby and Nora both looked unhappy, but they weren't making any moves to intervene. Damn bystander syndrome.
He sighed and stood up before striding over to the commotion. "Hey. Why not let the girl go?"
Cardin turned toward him and sneered. "Why should I? Animals deserve to be on a leash."
Jaune inhaled and exhaled. Artemis give him strength.
"I dunno. Maybe it's because she's not an animal? She's a person just like us. Just because she has an extra pair of ears doesn't mean she's inferior."
Cardin chuckled. "You trying to play white knight or something, boy? Hoping to get a piece of ass as a reward for your good deeds?"
Jaune grimaced and it was taking all of his restraint not to bludgeon the man in front of him. He wanted to come across as the bigger man here.
"Tell you what. I'll trade her for one of yours."
The room became so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
And then, there was a flash of bright light right next to Jaune. The light began to coalesce into a form. A form that resembled his Archer transformation, but definitely more feminine.
"Nay, but I'll definitely take your balls" the quiet, but furious voice of Atalante said as she glared at the shocked Cardin. "Men like you . . . are stains upon this world."
She took a step forward. "Jaune may not be the most perfect man in that regard. He definitely has his flaws. But he cares. He is a good person at heart. Something that cannot be said about you. Jaune cannot raise a hand against you in fear of being expelled. But those rules do not apply to me."
"Atalante, stand aside" Jaune said as he stepped past her, his voice eerily controlled. His fists were clenched and his hair covered his eyes, but his rage was palpable. "This is not your dispute to settle."
He was so infuriated that he didn't even take note of the fact that Atalante had finally materialized.
He lifted his gaze, his azure eyes drilling into Cardin's brown. And then, he planted his left foot firmly on the ground and slammed a right hook directly into Cardin's nose with such force that his aura shattered instantly and he was launched backward, letting go of the Faunus girl in the process.
"The people I care about are worth getting expelled over," he said as he glared down at Cardin's unmoving form. "And I'd sooner punch you a million more times than let you ever say something like that again."
And that's when Ruby made herself known by slamming her hands on the table. "If Jaune gets expelled, I'm leaving too! I want to be a Huntress . . . and all I did was nothing! I don't even deserve to be at this school!"
"Ruby's right," Nora said, unusually subdued. "We're supposed to help people in danger and we just sat here. Besides, Fearless Leader is fun. And I'd rather stick with him than deal with this lousy school. No offense, Ren."
Ren, who Jaune pegged as a mute with how silent he was, finally spoke up. "As long as you're happy, Nora. I don't care what you do."
"I'll follow Jaune as well," Blake said, her own rage subsiding, just a little. "Frankly, I'm glad he stepped up. I'd have done far worse."
"You should be proud to have such loyal teammates, Mr. Arc" the voice of Professor Ozpin said as he strode into the room. "But you need not worry. No one's getting expelled here except Cardin and the rest of his team. This school does not and will never tolerate bullying."
Jaune breathed a sigh of relief. While he was fully prepared to get punished, it certainly would have sucked.
"Of course. That doesn't change the fact that we suddenly have a new student here" Ozpin said, making Jaune realize that indeed, Atalante was there in the flesh.
Ozpin gazed at him with a look that reminded him far too much of Zelretch for his liking. "Come to my office, Mr. Arc. We have much to discuss."
He went to leave, but the girl from before grabbed his sleeve.
"Thank you for doing that."
He turned toward her and grinned. "Don't worry about it. Though next time, maybe beat him up for me? You're my upperclassman after all," he said pointing to her second year insignia.
She had the decency to look sheepish. "Have you ever seen Dragon Ball?" she asked suddenly, throwing him off with the odd question.
"Yeah, why?"
"I lose all my power when my ears are tugged."
"I don't believe you."
"But it's true! It's like science and stuff!"
" . . . Sure. Anyways, I'm Jaune Arc."
"Velvet. Velvet Scarlatina!"
"Mr. Arc, how long are you going to keep making me wait?" Ozpin's voice cut in.
"Sorry, gotta go. Ozawa is on my ass."
Velvet giggled. "Is that a My Hero reference?"
"You know the classics?"
"I have them on DvD."
"I have to introduce you to my team!"
"And I'll introduce you to mine!"
"Mr. Arc. Any day now."
"Coming, Dad."
He walked away, but not before exchanging numbers with Velvet. He'd made a new friend! And also materialized another friend, as he was currently walking alongside Atalante. That was certainly going to take some getting used to.
"I'm going to cut to the chase, Mr. Arc. You can use Magic, can't you?"
Jaune felt vulnerable sitting in the chair across from the enigmatic Headmaster and the fact that he opened things up with such a question made it even worse. But he couldn't afford to lie here. "Magecraft, technically."
Ozpin stared at him. "And how did you acquire this 'Magecraft'?"
"A guy named Zelretch gave me some cards."
The Headmaster was silent at first before letting out a loud "Fuck!" t
hat startled both him and Atalante.
"Zelretch has shown his hand," Ozpin grumbled. "Very well. That changes things. A lot of things. I may need to let you in on the fold."
Jaune blinked. "Fold?"
"Tell me, Jaune Arc. Do you believe in Fairy Tales?"
Omake: Jaune and the dilemma that is Ruby's Big Butt.
Jaune found himself staring at Ruby's ass. It wasn't on purpose, but she was in those damn pajama bottoms again and was bent over, looking in the fridge for something. Her butt was so big that it was kind of hard to ignore. And unfortunately for him, Nora had noticed him staring.
She walked over with a sly grin. "I see you getting an eyeful there."
He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Look. I was minding my own business and saw it out of the corner of my eye. It was not something I sought out."
The ginger stared at him before her grin widened and she walked up behind Ruby before pulling her hand back. Jaune realized what she was going to do an instant too late.
With a resounding smack, Nora slapped Ruby's ass. The girl in question let out a startled shriek. He tried to ignore the fact that Ruby's butt jiggled as a result.
"Put that thing away, it's a danger to society!" Nora chided.
Ruby spun around and glared at the ginger, and thankfully not at Jaune, who had distanced himself from the current events by pretending to read something on his scroll by the time she turned around.
"The hurt, Nora! Why'd you do that?!"
"Cause it was there" Nora replied, as if that answered everything.
As Ruby and Nora bickered, Jaune looked at the heavens and cursed himself for his teenage hormones. They were a distraction. Perhaps he could get them removed? Become an emotionless machine? Seemed like a good trade off.
Somewhere, a certain Counter Guardian sneezed.