WHAT HE BELIEVE

"Then die!" The sword in the man's hand suddenly turned into a scythe, swinging down at the blonde. The blade almost reaches the boy, but a spear suddenly appears between them, stopping the attack.

"I won't let you hurt, Jaune!" Pyrrha shouted as she tried to push the scythe away.

"Pyrrha!" Jaune exclaims in surprise, before readying his own stance. "You should leave this is dang-"

"Tch, you're such a pain." The man spat, pulling his scythe and swinging it horizontally. The red-haired quickly dodge the attack, rolling forward. The man shifts his attention to Jaune instead, charging at him. The boy raised his shield and blocked the attack. However, the man's strength was overwhelming. The impact pushes the blonde backward, sliding on the ground. The man follows up, swinging down at the blond but the girl has his back, blocking his attack once more.

"Get away from him!" She shout at him.

"Why are you bothering with him?" Mr. Yussuf spat as he pulled his scythe and swung it. Pyrrha quickly rolls forward, avoiding the attack, before thrusting her weapon at the man, who dodges the attack easily. "He barely has any worth."

"That's not true!" The girl shouted as she attacked again, but the man was too fast, easily evading her strike.

"Tch, what a nuisance. Just get out of my way." The man kicked her and the red-haired girl was sent flying into the trees.

"Pyrrha!" Jaune shouted in fear as he charged at his teacher. The man simply sighs as he ready his weapon, swinging down on the blonde, who blocks the attack. Jaune is forced to be on the defensive with his Crocea Mors against Yussuf's onslaught. It is clear enough that the younger man was barely holding his ground. Jaune roared and swung his sword in retaliation, only for Yussuf to quickly maneuver himself around the attack and slam the sole of his boot against Jaune's back.

Jaune fell forward and the teacher brought his weapon down in a wide arc. But Pyrrha jumps in and activates her semblance, Polarity, which allows her to control metal via magnetism. She tries to make the scythe miss its target but to her surprise, it doesn't budge. No, it's not working against it. The scythe crashed against unprepared Pyrrha, that barely able to raise her shield in time.

She is sent flying, crashing into the trees behind her. Jaune's eyes widen at the sight.

"PYRRHA!" He shouted, before turning his attention to the man who had hurt his partner. He tightens his grip on his sword, trying to calm himself. His breath is heavy and his body trembles from the anger. "AAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

Jaune swings his sword at the man but the man easily dodges it by jumping to the side. The boy continues to throw a barrage of attacks, pushing the man further and further away from the red-head. Without them noticing, the two drove the fight into an opening, close to where the other students were currently.

They watch in fear as the man and the blonde clash with each other, giving their all as the sound of metal clashing echoes in the forest. Jaune's face is filled with desperation and fury, and he swings around without any care for himself. But no matter how hard he tries, his attack never lands on the man.

"What's happened?" Ruby Rose asked, feeling worried about the spectacle she was watching as she approached the group of students. "Why are they fighting like that?!"

"It's..." Ren stopped, contemplating if he should tell them already about Jaune's situation.

"Ren! Something is not right!" Nora suddenly pulled his sleeve, looking worried. "Jaune... Jaune looks really bad! There's something wrong! Yussuf is-"

Nora's words are interrupted as Yussuf's scythe makes contact with her leader's shield, letting out a loud clash. The attack pushed the boy down, forcing his body to slam onto the ground.

"Time to end this, kid," Yussuf said as he swung his scythe above his head.

"Ren! We need to help him! He'll die, REN!" Nora screams, her grip on her friend's sleeves tightening. Ren looks at his partner, who has her eyes fixed on the blonde boy lying on the ground. He thought this was the test Pyrrha was talking about but after watching what happened, he knew this was different. Something must have happened while they were away.

"Right, let's go." The black-haired boy nodded and the two ran towards their leader.

"Let's go!" Ruby also nods at her teammates, feeling the same as the two friends before her. But Glynda appears and immediately stops them.

"Do not go any further!" The teacher said as she stood between the students and the fight happening in front of them, her voice was full of urgency. "I shall not allow any students to intervene! Stand back!"

"But-"

"No buts, young lady." Glynda shuts her down as her eyes look at Ren and Nora that is already too far from her reach. She has no choice but to let them make sure she prevents any other students from joining in.

Ren and Nora jump in, stopping the man mid-swing. The former used StormFlower to shoot the man, his aim on his feet and arm to avoid fatal injury. The latter slams her hammer, Magnhild, at the man, but he simply takes a step backward and dodges the attack.

"Don't get involved!" The man roared, swinging his scythe at the newcomers. Nora parries it with her hammer while Ren tries to save Jaune, pulling him away from the danger.

"Jaune? Are you alright?" Ren asked as he helped the blonde to stand up.

"Ugh, yeah. Thanks, Ren." Jaune nodded, before looking at the fight between his friends and his teacher. "W-we need to stop him! Or he'll kill Cardin and his friends!"

"Cardin? What did he have anything to do with this?" Ren asks, confused with the mention of the leader of team CRDL.

"It's a long story, I'll explain later. For now-"

"Ren! Help me!" Nora shouted as the man swung his scythe down on her. The black-haired quickly ran and shot his weapon at the man, trying to get his attention. But he barely flinch, his bullets hit his body as if a cotton ball would. The scythe crashed down but against a shield that came out of nowhere, giving Nora the time to pull back.

"I'm sorry for being late, guys." Pyrrha apologized, panting and several obvious injuries can be seen on her face and body.

"Pyrrha! Are you alright?!" Jaune asked, worry filling his voice as he ran to his partner's side. "You were hit badly before!"

"I-I'm fine, I can still fight." The red-head nodded.

"No-"

"Jaune! This is not the time to argue!" Ren interrupted, looking at his friend as he was busy fending off their teacher with his partner.

"He is not stopping even a little bit!" Nora added, trying her best to push the man away while avoiding his attack.

"We need to stop him! Together!" Pyrrha shouted placing her hand on her leader's shoulder. The blonde looks at her partner, feeling conflicted with the situation. But after seeing the seriousness in her partner's eyes, he nods.

"R-right!" Jaune focuses back on the teachers who are still fighting Ren and Nora. He wrecks his mind to end the battle as soon as possible, without injuring his friends and his friends. "Pyrrha, I have a plan! Do you have your rope?"

"I have, but... aah!" Pyrrha smiles at the sudden realization as she pulls out the metal rope she has on her shield. "We're going to tie him up?!"

"Yeah, you'll tie him up using your semblance while we avert his attention away!" Jaune replied readying his Crocea Mors. "Are you ready?"

"Yes!" Pyrrha nodded, preparing herself as her semblance activated, a red glow enveloped the metal rope.

"Okay, let's go!" Jaune leads the charge to their teacher, jumping him off from behind while he is busy with Ren and Nora. He swung down his sword down, aiming at his teacher but easily blocked. His scythe was positioned so perfectly to block the three students at the same time.

"So, you finally decide to join in?" The man looks back from his shoulder, sounding unimpressed. "You'll be the first to die."

He turns his body around and throws the three away with great force, sending them flying. The man dashed toward the blonde, swinging his scythe at him. Pyrrha once again tries to use her semblance to move his scythe but no matter how hard she focuses, it won't budge, forcing her to throw her spear to block his attack. Jaune uses the chance and tackles him using his shield, pushing him a few meters back.

"Nora!" The boy shouted and in an instant the girl responded, appearing above them and swinging her hammer charged by electricity from her semblance. The man tries to block the attack with both hands but his right hand is immobilized by some chain Ren uses to wrap around the teacher's arm, forcing him to only use his left hand. The attack pushes the man down, stopping his movement entirely and focusing his strength solely on blocking Nora's attack.

"Go, Pyrrha!" Jaune shouted, trying to hold the man in place.

"I'm going!" The redhead nodded, moving her hands as she manipulated her metal rope and wrapped it around the man's legs. The rope tightens and seals his legs together, causing him to lose his balance, and be pushed back by Jaune.

"A little more!" Jaune pushes further, trying to hold the man in place and allow Pyrrha to completely tie him up. But to his surprise, Yussuf stabs the other side of his scythe to the ground, holding him in place and blocking Nora's attack. He let go of his scythe before hitting Jaune's nape, knocking him down.

"Jaun-" Ren's worry over his friend cut short as he felt the rope he used to tie Yussuf's right arm being pulled, feeling his body being pulled forward. He lost his balance and the man pulled harder, pulling Ren toward him with his fist raised.

"AAAAAAHHH!" Nora screamed and unleashed her semblance further, releasing a bolt of thunders.

"Nora! Stop or you'll hit Jaune as well!" Pyrrha yelled, trying to stop her friend from harming her partner who lay on the ground beside their teacher. Ren used the momentum from their teacher's pull to move close to them before cutting the rope and throwing Jaune to the side.

"Nora! Do it!" Ren yelled as he jumped away from the man.

"On it!" The orange-haired girl stopped and slammed her hammer down, causing a huge explosion in the area. Everyone gasped from the attack, both feeling surprised and worried at the battle in front of them.

"That should do it, right-" Nora's words stuck in her throat as the silhouette of their teacher appeared from the smoke. The man was not harmed at all, looking unscathed despite being in the center of the blast.

"Hah, a futile effort." Yussuf spat, sounding bored as he walked towards the group with his scythe at hand. "Shall we continue?"

The trio gulp in unison, feeling his cold gaze upon them before readying themselves instinctively. Pyrrha feels her body tense up from the killing intent she feels from their teacher, but her resolve to stop him is still strong.

"Guys, let-"

"Enough is enough." Yussuf suddenly said, already standing beside her. He swings down his scythe at her, catching the redhead off-guard. She blocks the attack using her shield, but her legs feel weak, causing her to lose balance and fall back. Ren steps in and swings his StormFlower at the man's throat, already throwing away the thought of holding back. The teacher raised his free hand and easily caught the weapon by the handle, surprising the boy.

"H-how?"

"You're too easy." Yussuf scoffed as he slammed his knee to Ren's stomach, causing the boy to bend over, coughing. He let go of the sword and punched the black-haired on his jaw, sending him to the ground.

"No!" Nora cries and swings Magnhild down, but Yussuf turns and easily blocks the attack using his scythe. He barely flinched from the impact even though Nora put all of her strength into the attack. She tries to hit him again and again, but the man easily blocks each and every attack. The man sighs before swinging his scythe up, meeting the girl's attack as the two weapons make contact. But unlike his, Nora loses her grip on her hammer, letting the man send her weapon flying.

"Is that all?" Yussuf asked, not impressed with their effort.

"N-no... we're just..." Nora said, trembling as she stood her ground, looking at her enemy.

"Goodbye." The man raises his scythe, preparing to strike her down.

"No!" Pyrrha's mind was racing, desperately thinking about something, anything to save her friend. Her semblance has no effect on his scythe even though it looks like made of metal. Her Milo and Akouo are far away from her. But as her eyes wander, she notices a watch on the man's left hand hidden under his sleeve. She immediately activates her semblance, feeling her semblance work on the metal watch. She focuses and pulls on the watch, stopping Yussuf's left hand and his attack entirely.

Yussuf looks back at the Mistral champion, glaring at her before tossing his scythe to his right hand. In desperation Pyrrha pulls harder, yanking the man backward, stumbling him. Nora takes the opportunity and launches at him, throwing several punches in the man's face.

"This is for hurting my friends!" Nora punches the man several times before Yussuf grabs her arm by his right hand and slams her to the ground. The brunette coughed blood from the impact, rendering her unconscious. He pulls her up before throwing her to the wall, knocking her out completely.

"Nora!" Pyrrha cried, feeling her strength was failing her. She has been using her semblance too much, trying to hold the man's movement this entire time. Not to mention the injury she sustained from before. Her legs feel weak before she slumps forward, finally reaching her limit. Yussuf can feel the hold on his left hand disappear and look back at the red-head.

"Pathetic." He mutters, seeing the girl lying on the ground, panting heavily. He walks toward her, placing the blade of his scythe on her throat. The two stare at each other, not saying a word. But Pyrrha can see how cold and empty his eyes are, completely different from the man she knows as their teacher. "Any last word?"

"STOP!" Jaune's scream cut through the silence, making the two look at him. The unconscious boy finally wakes up only to find his friends beaten up, with his partner about to be killed. He wants to rush at them, but his body feels so weak and heavy, yet that doesn't stop him. He'll crawl if he has to. He won't lose anyone again. "Stop! Mr. Yussuf! I-I-I'm the one you're after!"

"J-Jaune!" Pyrrha gasped, seeing her partner crawling toward them, desperately trying to stop their teacher. "S-stop! Y-you-"

"So, you're trying to be a hero here? You, who barely stood his ground before? You do realize you have been protected by your friends?" Yussuf asked, narrowing his eyes at the blonde boy. "Look around you. Your teammates are beaten up because you are weak. You speak nonsense about stopping and looks who shoulder the burden."

"I... I... I know I am weak! I know I am useless!" Jaune begs, crying as he crawls forward with all the strength he has left. But he doesn't want to lose his friends, friends that have helped him. "This is all my fault! So let me take her place instead!"

"J-Jaune, w-what are you-"

"You talk big but you are coward." The man spat, shifting the blade on his scythe toward the boy instead. The blade grazes his throat, causing the boy to wince in pain as blood starts to flow. "You'll take your words back when faced with death. Because you're a coward. Tell me, are you also a liar?"

"I am. But... but I am not lying." Jaune shouts, tears flowing down his face as he moves his head down, feeling the pointy tip of the blade under his chin. "I won't run so leave them alone! Take me, do what you want to me. B-but let them live! They did nothing wrong! They... they don't deserve to die. Please..."

Yussuf stares at the boy, his piercing gaze bore into his soul. The man can sense fear within him, a sign that the boy is afraid of dying. Yet he can feel his determination, a sign of his resolve. He is still afraid but is willing to put his life on the line.

"Is that your answer?" Yussuf asked, his voice cold as ice.

"Jaune, please stop! I can't... I can't lose you." Pyrrha cried, tears streaming down her cheeks. "D...don't throw your life away."

"It's ok, Pyrrha." Jaune smiled at his partner, giving her a reassuring nod. He's scared. He is afraid to die. But he'll be fine as long as they're safe. As long as his friends are ok. "I'm ready."

Jaune closes his eyes, bracing himself as he waits for his death. It'll be painless. A quick and painless death.

"Hmph," Yussuf smirked and pulled his scythe away, much to the boy's surprise. "Congrats, kid. You pass."

"W-what?" Jaune blinked, confused as he looked at the man. He shares a look with his partner, just as confused as he is before looking back at his teacher.

"What? Are you thinking I'll really kill you, kids?" The man chuckled, confusing the blonde boy even more. "Please, I have standards."

"But I..."

"Glynda, call Peach here. They need treatment and some change of clothes." Yussuf ordered before turning his attention to the blonde boy, smirking. "I think some of them might wet themselves."


"So, what happens again?" The heiress asked as team RWBY and JNPR had successfully arrived in Beacon to get some further treatment. The four members of team JNPR are lying on the hospital bed, two of them still unconscious while the two only sigh hearing the question.

Team RWBY decides to accompany their friends out of worry and Weiss' idea to escape from Goodwitch's wrath and anger she conveys to the other teacher. The girls always know Professor Goodwitch as calm and collected, never showing anger just some discomfort and annoyance. But the fact that the professor was so angry to yell at Yussuf scared them, hence why they volunteered to take the four to Beacon.

The blonde boy sighed before he told everything to them, from his forged transcript to the test he just passed.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Weiss asked in disbelief, trying to comprehend all the boy had told her. "You forged your transcript to get to Beacon?!"

"Must say, quite the bold move," Yang smirked in approval, impressed by the boy's action.

"So, all this beating is a test Yussuf set up for you?" Blake asked, raising an eyebrow. "What a harsh test."

"Yeah, Yussuf went too far!" Ruby whines, looking worried over Nora and Ren who still hasn't woke up. "Professor Peach! Are they really alright?"

"Yes, they'll be fine. Surprisingly, there are no broken bones inflicted on the four of them. Miss Valkrye and Mr. Lie are simply exhausted. But that is normal for their current condition." Professor Peach reassures the silver-eyed girl. "All they need is some rest and they'll be up and active."

"...how come there is no a single bone broken?" Blake furrowed at the woman's statement. "I swear I watch Mr. Yussuf wreck you guys. He didn't look like he was holding back as well."

"Yeah... I also think he hit my nape hard enough to break my neck. But now, it still feels sore but I can move around just fine." Jaune said, massaging his sore neck.

"Either you perfectly use your aura to protect them or you're simply lucky." Weiss shrugs, not knowing the answer as well.

"I doubt it." Peach chimes in, shaking her head. "The other students that got beaten by Mr. Yussuf also experienced the same thing, swearing their hands or legs were broken. But when we take their body to the infirmary, there is no broken bone on them. Even though they have bruises and swelling, none are life-threatening."

"Are you talking about Team ASHU?" Ruby asked, remembering their combat against their teacher, making the woman nod.

"Yes, they are one of many victims that got beaten by Mr. Yussuf," Peach explains further. "They always complain about the same pain like a broken bone and such. But at worst, they only have swelling and bruises."

"Huh, weird. What's up with that guy?" Yang scratches her head, wondering the same thing as well.

"Mr. Yussuf is a veteran huntsman. It wouldn't be odd if he could control his strength." Blake explains, making the others nod in agreement.

"Oh, there is a rumor that Mr. Yussuf learned about human anatomy to locate the spot that can inflict the worst pain without harming his enemies." Peach chimed in, smiling at the blonde boy. "And from all the testimony all his victims told me, I say it holds some weight."

"...just tell me to never piss him off in the future, Blake." Yang groaned, fearing what would happen if she did.

"Noted." Blake nods, feeling the same dread as the blonde.

"Uhm... Professor Peach? How is Cardin and his friends' condition?" Jaune suddenly asked, drawing the teacher's attention toward him. "Is it really alright to not evacuate him as well?"

"He will be transported with the other students since his injury is minor, something we don't need to worry about." The woman explains to them, sounding rather apathetic.

"Is that so... but what should I do from now on?" Jaune mumbled to himself, showing his worry, about what had been bothering him.

"What do you mean?" Her partner questioned.

"I mean now, everyone knows about me faking my entrance." Jaune looks to everyone, especially to team RWBY whom he just told about the matter. The other students will ask questions as well as Professor Goodwitch and the other teacher. "How would everyone react? Wouldn't they complain and demand for me to get expelled?"

"Of course not, Jaune!" The young leader of team RWBY assures her friend, showing him her support.

"Yeah, Mr. Yussuf said you passed!" Pyrrha joined, showing her support as well. "Mr. Yussuf will definitely fulfill his promise! Because if not..."

"They are right, Mr. Arc," Peach adds, smiling softly. "You don't need to worry because every staff in Beaconf already knows about your forged transcript."

"...what?" Jaune eyes widen, staring in disbelief.

"Please, everyone experienced in this line of work will immediately recognize a forged document." The teacher said, not bothered by the matter. "But the headmaster asked us to keep our silence and let you enroll."

"Wait! Does that mean all this saying about Jaune being expelled is just Mr. Yussuf's lies?" The red-head girl suddenly asked, looking angry.

"Of course not. There are a lot of complaints about your performance, Mr. Arc." The woman looks at Jaune, making the blonde boy wince. "Not only in your combat but also in your academic performance. Some professors are reconsidering accepting you here and one of them is Glynda."

"Professor Goodwitch?" Weiss asked in disbelief.

"You know how strict she is. But what bothers her the most is your incapability to not only perform in your combat but also the lack of improvement." Peach explained what she heard from her colleague. "She is worried that you might not fit in here and will only harm yourself. She has voiced this worry to the headmaster and appointed Mr. Yussuf to take care of the matter."

"I see... so all the threat and punishment is..."

"To make you try harder, to see if you can survive in Beacon. If you can't, you will get expelled and will be sent back to your hometown." The woman finished the blonde thought, making the boy frown.

"But don't you think this is a little too extreme?" Blake asked, frowning as well. "There must be another way to fix the matter."

"Perhaps, but this is the way how Mr. Yussuf deals with his students and his method did prove successful." Peach smiled, glancing at the blonde boy.

"No... I agree with Mr. Yussuf... if not doing it this way, I won't even try." Jaune said, looking down at his hand before looking at his teammates around him before landing on his partner beside him. "Because of him, I can become closer with my friends and understand each other more."

"Jaune..." Pyrrha smiled, hearing her partner's words, making her glad to have the boy as her partner.

"See? No need to worry." The teacher said, making the others sigh.

"Still, it's a harsh way. But I guess he did what is best for you." Weiss nods in understanding.

"I just hope he can be more gentle with the others." Jaune looks at Ren who nods back at him.

"Tell me about it," Ren said as he tried to sit up.

"Ren! You're finally up!" Ruby cheers, happy that her friend has regained consciousness.

"I have been up since we arrived in Beacon." Ren smiles at team RWBY before his teammates. "Just too tired to join in the conversation."

"Tell me about it, my head still hurts," Nora whines, sitting up as well.

"I'm glad you two are alright." Jaune smiled, before frowning. "I'm sorry for getting you guys involved in the mess I make."

"Hey, we already told you! We're in this together." Ren reassures his friend.

"Yup! So don't beat yourself over it." Nora smiles brightly, giving him a thumbs up.

"Thank you guys." Jaune smiled, truly happy that he had a great friend with him.

Suddenly there is a knock on the door to the infirmary, getting their attention toward the person that opens the door. The headmaster, a middle-aged man with tousled silver hair and thin brown eyes, enters the room wearing his usual suit with a cane.

"Good afternoon, students." The headmaster greets them with a smile, looking at his students. "I hope you are all well, I heard from Professor Goodwitch and Professor Peach about what happened. You must be tired of what happened yesterday, so I will straight to the point of the matter. As of Mr. Yussuf's decision, I have accepted his report and will proceed with his recommendation."

"Really? So you'll let him stay, right?" Ruby asked, hoping that they would accept the boy.

"Of course, from now on, you are officially a student of Beacon." The man walks forward to the boy patting him on the back. He stretched out his hand for a handshake to the blonde. The kid freezes for a few seconds looking back and forth between the hand in front of him and Ozpin's face, before finally shaking his hand.

"Thank you so much, Headmaster Ozpin!" Jaune smiled with tears in his eyes, bowing his head in respect. "I will not fail your expectation."

"I trust you won't." Ozpin smiles, looking at the boy. "We will handle your problem with the transcript and make sure it will not bother you further."

"Thank you, headmaster." Jaune nods his head, making the other nod.

"Now that is settled, please get some more rest. You will be excused for the day." Ozpin said, before turning his attention to team JNPR. "The same goes for your teammates as well, of course."